The black and lime green colours of Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds syndication company have been carried to victory in a host of feature races around the country, including by the likes of 2023 The Everest winner Think About It (So You Think) and fellow Group One winner Private Eye (Al Maher).
On Tuesday, the colours are set to seen in a jumps race for the first time at the famed Warrnambool three-day carnival with multiple stakes-winning stayer Stockman (NZ) (Tavistock) entered to make his jumps debut in a Maiden Hurdle.
Stockman, a winner of nine of his 66 career starts on the flat and more than $1.8 million prizemoney, was formerly trained in Sydney by Joe Pride before a decision was made earlier this racing season to send the eight-year-old to Warrnambool trainer Symon Wilde with a view to a jumps career.
“The inspiration for the change actually came from Joe Pride, who when we asked all the owners who wanted to stay in should the horse go down to Victoria for a jumping career, one or two people dropped out and Joe and a few of his mates picked up a share,” Walter, Proven Thoroughbreds’ proprietor and managing director, said in the lead-up to this year’s Warrnambool carnival.
“The horse has had a couple of runs on the flat down there, from all reports he jumps well and is going well.”
Walter said Stockman seemed a “bit of a natural” when he did a little bit of jumping in training when based in Sydney and said the gelding’s trackwork rider at the time had also mentioned, “you’ve got to put this fella over the sticks”.
“But what he’s had to learn and adjust to, which I wasn’t aware of because I don’t know much about jumps racing, is it’s all very well being able to jump capably, it’s quite another doing it at speed,” Walter said.
“And they have to learn that.
“They have to learn how to present themselves and get their timing right to take on the jump.”
Stockman, who ran eighth in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, has finished seventh in the Listed Torney Night Cup (2500m) and sixth in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) in two starts on the flat this campaign since joining the Wilde stable, while his preparation has also included a couple of official hurdle trials.
Stockman on Sunday was second favourite behind Through Irish Eyes (NZ) (Tavistock) in an early market for Tuesday’s opening race of the carnival, a 3200m Maiden Hurdle, with Darryl Horner Junior booked for the ride.
Along with the Hurdle race, Stockman is also among Warrnambool Cup nominations on Thursday.
“His runs on the flat down there were pretty good and maiden hurdles are on fairly regularly, so my thoughts and Symon’s thoughts were we can always go to a maiden hurdle, if the Cup is a bit weak and on a wet track, we might give him a throw at the stumps” he said.
“But the forecast down there, it’s been pretty dry and our fella needs a bit of give in the ground.
“I think there’s showers (Sunday) and a few on Monday and then fine for the rest of the week, so he felt our best chance of getting a decent soft track was the first day.”
Walter said the plan was for Stockman to run in the Maiden Hurdle.
“Definitely run in the hurdle; should he win it impressively or something and they get further rain and he bounces out of the race, we might consider the Cup a couple of days later. But I doubt it,” he said.
Walter confirmed it would be the first time his colours are set to be carried in a jumps race.
“Absolutely,” Walter said. “And I’m really looking forward to it, because whilst jumps racing is in decline, it’s still a really good pursuit for older horses like him who are struggling on the flat.
“Because he’s a beautiful old sound horse, he loves being in work and this, hopefully, will prolong his career.”
Walter said he would be at Warrnambool to see Stockman in action.
“I will, actually. I can’t wait,” he said.
“I’ve never been. It’s on the bucket list.”