Sargent Close To Making Warwick Farm Move

Monday, 16 July 2012 04:15

John Sargent will use a trans Tasman blueprint which has produced outstanding results for a fellow New Zealand trainer as he prepares to open a Sydney stable next month.

"I would like to get to the stage where my New Zealand stable will be a feeder stable for Sydney," Sargent said.

"It would be worked on a similar model to the one Mike Moroney uses."

Moroney has a Matamata base but he has climbed the Australasian training ranks on the back of consistent Group One results from his Flemington stable.

Sargent, who also trains out of Matamata, is close to opening a Sydney stable after securing an off-track facility at Warwick Farm.

"I'm in the process of checking out accommodation for my staff but I hope to be up and running in the first week of August," he said.

His Queensland Oaks winner Quintessential and Group One-placed two-year-old Magic Shaft promise to be early mainstays of his full-time foray into Australian racing.

Sargent, who will take a hands-on role at Warwick Farm, says he will have a select number of runners as he settles in.

"I'm planning to start off with eight to ten horses but I'll have access to 25 boxes," he said.

"I expect I'll be spending a lot of time in Sydney because I don't think satellite stables work properly if you are not there.

"I'm thinking I'll be in Sydney about 20 of the 30 days of the month."

Sargent will be in Australia on Tuesday to inspect Quintessential who is in pre-training on the NSW south coast, about two hours from Sydney.

He said a definitive spring campaign had not been confirmed for the Fast `n' Famous filly who belied her sire's speed influence to claim the Queensland Oaks and run second in the Queensland Derby during the Brisbane winter carnival.

"She'll run in Sydney and I had it in mind for her to resume in the Warwick Stakes (next month) but it might be too soon for her," he said.

"There's the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne but again it might come around a bit too quickly.

"If not, she might go down for the Mackinnon (Stakes). She's not a big horse and she doesn't need a lot of fast gallops."

Sargent said recent NSW prizemoney increases made Sydney an obvious centre to expand his stable.

"It's a no-brainer really but you can't expect to go in and rip and tear," he said.

"You have to have the right horse who can be placed in the right races."