SHAY Brennan is helping Tamworth Jockey Club construct a young racing climate.
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The Tamworth builder is the sponsor of Monday’s Rising Star heat at Tamworth.
The Shay Brennan Construction Benchmark 60 Handicap – Heat of the Rising Star (1400m) has drawn a full field of 12 for the $20,000 race.
Alena Skerritt won the latest TAFE Western Sydney Institute Rising Star Apprentice Heat at Taree earlier this week but Mikayla Weir moved into contention for the prestigious Rising Star Cup when she finished second to Skerritt, who won aboard Manhattan Road for trainer Tracey Bartley.
The win was Skerritt’s first in the series and jumped her to equal 7th spot (10pts) while Weir's runner-up effort aboard I’ll Take Money earned her five points to climb to second on the leaderboard, one behind Nyssa Burrells (20).
Weir has been booked to ride the Sally Torrens-trained Buck Rogers at Tamworth, which will be the 15th heat of the series. They have drawn badly though and go from the outside barrier (12).
Brennan is delighted to sponsor the heat for the apprentices.
“Good to sponsor a race for the kids,” he laughed.
“I enjoy sponsoring races, it’s a pretty good deal (with the TJC).”
That Brennan is a keen race goer and owner is one reason. Another is his support and sponsorship of the TJC for a number of years.
“We’ve had some great days out there,” he said.
“I enjoy going to the races and enjoy sponsoring as well.”
The heat of the Rising Star is race five on Monday’s program which starts with the Easters Sand, Soil and Gravel 2YO Handicap (1000m) at 1.55pm.
He won’t have any runners in that or the Rising Star heat, but Armidale’s Stirling Osland has Prada Miss running in the JR Richards and Sons Class 1 Handicap.
At Muswellbrook on Thursday, Osland’s staying bred mare Zarabeel came back in distance and needed every metre of the 1750m to win the Hollydene Estate Wines Class One and Maiden.
At her previous start she won a 1900m Class One at Armidale by more than 10 lengths but had to work a lot harder for this win.
“She needed every metre to win,” jockey Greg Ryan said.
“At one stage I didn’t think we were going to win and that it would just be a nice race but in the last 100m she really started to extend and I could feel her getting stronger.”
Osland fears he is going to have to step her up to open company.
“It is difficult to find restricted class races over a middle distance,” he said.
“I wasn’t keen to back her up after Armidale but this looked a nice race for her and it turned out to be the right decision.
“I don’t think she relished being among other horses and there wasn’t the early pace in this race that there was at Armidale.
“I think she is at her best with the speed on and on the outside of other horses.
“I will take her home and let her have a bit of time off then decide where to go with her.”