Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan makes Melbourne spring debut
Fresh off her Melbourne spring debut Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan was full of praise for her horse Echo Effect after his performance on Saturday.
Central Coast
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FRESH off her Melbourne spring debut Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan was full of praise for her horse Echo Effect after his performance on Saturday.
It was a superb run for the four-year-old gelding in the Moonga Stakes at Caulfield, as he finished the Group Three race third behind Ulmann and Burning Front.
“We’ve done a lot to try to not get him to over race. He made a mid-race move when the pace slackened and he just decided he wanted to get going,” Buchanan said.
“Caulfield is a notoriously tricky track, it’s uphill, downhill and there are tight turns. It’s not easy for a new horse that hasn’t raced there before. I was thrilled but wasn’t expecting any less.”
Saturday also marked Echo Effect’s first race with champion jockey Damien Oliver.
A trip to Ascot in Perth for a Group One race looks unlikely this year according to Buchanan, but she said there were still plenty of options for Echo Effect.
“I don’t think this year is the year to do it,” she said.
“He’s still immature mentally and he needed this trip away, but a trip to Perth is a very expensive exercise and you need to be 100 per cent on target for that.
“I’m still in Melbourne and we’ve got a few options in Group Three level throughout the carnival and what we’ll do is look to bring him back for the winter carnival in Queensland.”
Buchanan said she couldn’t be happier with the current set-up at Buchanan Racing, with plenty of promising youngsters coming through the ranks.
“Dual Escape is back, Texas Tycoon and Macquarie Magic has come up to Melbourne and has had two wins since he’s been in the stables,” she said.
“I feel like I’ve got my stable in a really great place.
“I love where I train from but I love that we’re going interstate with horses. I find it very fulfilling.
“I’m feeling very happy where things are going.”