Riverton horsewoman Kelly Shearing will head north to Wingatui on Sunday with a trio of runners, headlined by last start winner In Vogue (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in the Otago Daily Times 65 2200m.
Formerly trained in Cambridge by Stephen Marsh, the four-year-old daughter of Turn Me Loose came into Shearing’s care earlier this year and has had three starts in the south, culminating with a dominant three-length victory over 2200m at Ascot Park earlier this month.
“It was a nice win last start and she has come on from that as well,” Shearing said.
Shearing, who shares in the ownership of the mare, has been impressed with what she has shown to date and is thankful to Marsh’s assistant trainer Rhys Mildon for putting her onto the mare.
“I had a bit to do with the foreman (Rhys Mildon) at (Stephen) Marsh’s barn. He is mostly up north, but he gives me a message when they have a nice one which isn’t going as good up there,” Shearing said.
“He offered me her about a year ago. She ran a couple of nice fifths up there and I thought she would go pretty well down here, and she has.”
Shearing will utilise the two-kilogram claim of northern apprentice jockey Bailey Rogerson this weekend, and is hopeful for some rain ahead of Sunday, with the track rated a Good4 on Friday morning.
“I don’t want the track to get any firmer for her just because she has had foot problems, and I would hate for it to upset her again,” she said.
“It will be good to have Bailey on her with her claim, and with the scratching she comes into one.
“I think she is my best of the day, she is feeling super well and she should get forward from there (ace barrier), which she likes.”
She will be joined in her race by new stablemate Choux In (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), while last start runner-up Choux Macher (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), who is also raced by The Roaring Hoarse Syndicate, will be out to go one better in the Liquorland Mosgiel 65 1400m.
“I haven’t had her (Choux In) too long,” Shearing said. “She is enjoying working on the beach at the moment, so hopefully that changes her up a wee bit. I got Choux Macher from the same stable, so hopefully she takes his tune.
“She has got ability and I think she might even be better over the shorter distances. We will make that assessment after I have had her for a little bit longer and I am looking forward to getting a line on her on Sunday.
“I like Choux Macher, he always tries hard. I don’t know about the Good track for him, but he will try his best and he should be up there. He is working really well.
“The inside draw is perfect for him and hopefully he can be a bit handier this time.
“Don Nicholson (The Roaring Hoarse Syndicate manager) has been good to me, he has had horses with me for quite a long time. I used to just pre-train them and they would go to Stephen Blair-Edie, but he is just leaving them with me now, so that is nice.”
Shearing is in her second season of training after several years working for a number of South Island trainers, and she is enjoying running her own barn.
“We used to live across the road from the racecourse and I used to go as a kid to feed up for Rebecca Black. That sparked my interest in racing, but it wasn’t until after school that I really go into it,” she said.
“I got a job out of school for Bruce Tapper. I was there for five years and I moved up to Timaru for a year when he moved up there, but I didn’t want to stay up there so I came back home.
“I ended up going to Terri Rae’s in Christchurch and I was there until COVID. I then came home and worked for Kelvin (Tyler) and now I just do my own thing.
“I am working about 12 at the moment, a lot of them are babies and pre-trainers.”
From a sport horse and showing background, Shearing still keeps her hand in that pursuit and even shows some of her upcoming racing team.
“I did a lot of showing and I still do it now,” she said. “I have got about three ponies, a two-year-old, and I ride horses for Allie Harper in Winton.
“We got a few Champions at the latest New Zealand Ag Show. We were Champion Performance Sport horse, and he was reserve adult warmblood. That was really cool, it was his first year, he is only four.
“I took a Jon Snow two-year-old, who I not long broke in and he is obviously going to race, to a show the other day as an in-hand for something different, and he won both of his classes.
“I really enjoy showing and it is good to do something different and have a change from racing.”
