Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick eyes off group 1 aim

Sunshine Coast’s leading racing trainer has recorded another consecutive premiership win as he reveals his stable’s best chances for his new group 1 aim.

Sunshine Coast racing trainer Stuart Kendrick.

After taking out this year’s Sunshine Coast premiership Caloundra trainer Stuart Kendrick has revealed his big aims for the new season.

Kendrick took out the season with 51.5 wins, 24.5 more than Brisbane and metropolitan champion Tony Gollan who finished in second spot.

After winning the Mackay trainers’ premiership for five years straight, Kendrick relocated to the Sunshine Coast in 2013 and has come away with the title every year since.

“We’ve obviously had a good team behind us again this year and I keep saying each season it’s getting harder and harder given the quality of trainers and horses that are up here,” he said.

“I think for us to win as comfortably as we did this year is great because it’s getting much harder to win races.”

Sunshine Coast racing trainer Stuart Kendrick. Picture: Patrick Woods

He said he was proud of how his runners performed, with a personal highlight coming on Caloundra Cup day.

“It’s obviously difficult to win on those metropolitan Saturdays but we won the provincial sprint final with Win Burn and then Defiant Spirit was our other winner on the day and he looks really promising,” he said.

“To get two good metro winners, on your home track and on a day with good prize money makes it standout.”

After three consecutive Queensland provincial titles, Kendrick finished in second place, 21 wins behind Toowoomba trainer Mark Currie.

Stuart Kendrick-trained two-year-old Defiant Spirit, pictured when winning his first start on the Sunshine Coast on June 2. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

With his Palmwoods farm gaining a new exercise track, the stable has reduced overall numbers.

“We’ve moved into the new barns on course which are outstanding and we’ve actually condensed our numbers a bit as we really go for quality over quantity,” Kendrick said.

“We previously had 64 horses at Caloundra but we’ve now got 48 on track and we’re working really hard to try and get that Group one winner this season.”

He said he was looking forward to seeing how his younger horses performed across the spring carnival.

“We’ve got some nice babies coming through and one of those would be Lost In Transit who has won his last two, one in Brisbane and one at the Sunshine Coast by almost five lengths so he’s fairly promising going forward,” Kendrick said.

“Another nice little horse running on the weekend called Heartoni has won his last couple of trials really well.”