Weir Smashing Records
Everest Contender, Brave Smash is trained Australia’s leading conditioner Darren Weir. He is said to be the most famous person in his hometown Berriwillock whose population is probably smaller than the number of staff members employed by Weir. Although Brave Smash is his only contender for The Everest, the 2015 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer believes his other Japanese horse Kings Will Dream will be at the top of the markets for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Darren Weir talks to Everest Diaries about his sprinter Brave Smash and their plans for him in the coming months.
Q: The Japanese bred Brave Smash came to you as Stayer trained in Japan. What do you remember most about those initial days?
A: He was very bullish and arrogant when he first arrived and he took a bit of settling in his work. He was a nice compacted horse that had a motor that’s why he stayed at the shorter trips.
Q: How has he changed?
A: His attitude started to change and was a little bit more pleasant to work with by the end.
Q: Where did you get the faith to accept Brave Smash? Australia is known for it’s own homebred sprinters, which are known as best in the world. But here you accepted an international stayer who wasn’t doing well as a stayer in his home country into your tutelage. What was it about the horse which gave you confidence to accept him?
A: Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett and Luke Murrell do a terrific job of sourcing and purchasing the right imports to bring over to Australia. They were extremely upbeat about the potential of this horse and what he was capable of achieving over here. We always back their judgment and this is what gave us the confidence to accept the horse.
Q: As his trainer and perhaps as a person who enjoys watching top class horses race, which race would you say was his best?
A: It would have to be his win at the highest level in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield last February, but his 3rd placing in The Everest was also a terrific effort.
Q: What kind of a personality does he have?
A: He was a angry horse and very hot when he wasn’t relaxed. He did settle down a lot by the end of it.
Q: Tell us about your training methods especially on the beach. Does Brave Smash like the water? What kind of a horse is he to train? Did he take to training in the English language when he was probably trained in Japanese earlier? What were changes you introduced into his training regimen to change the stayer from Japan to a sprinter from Australian?
A: He loved being down on the beach and working in the sand and water. He loved the water and probably made him relax the environment. We just got him use to our working system and he just pointed us in the direction that he was a sprinter not a stayer.
Q: With so many top horses in your stable, does Brave Smash come back to stable as one among many or is he special at the stable too?
A: To win a Group 1 is no mean feat so he is definitely held in high regard by the stable.
Q: Has he gone into training for The Everest? Are there any big races before the Everest which he will participate in as a lead-up? What is the plan for him after the Everest?
A: Yes he has been in training for some time now as he prepares for another tilt at The Everest. He will most likely contest the Group 3 ‘The Heath’ over 1100m at Caulfield on September 1, followed by the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis over 1200m at Flemington on September 15 with his final hit-out possibly being the Group 2 Premiere Stakes over 1200m at Randwick on September 29, two weeks before The Everest.
Q: What about Nature Strip? Are there any developments on his selection as an Everest contender? When do expect to hear??
A: Talks are still ongoing between the owners and slot holders. There is no set deadline that we are aware of, but his racing program will allow him to head up for The Everest should he secure a slot.
Published In EverestDiaries Issue 5, Vol 2
click To view the complete The Everest library - http://secretariatsworld.com/magazines/The_ED_5_Final_29_08.pdf
Credit: Pallvai Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com