SA trainer Sarah Rutten thriving on her own after seven years under Tony McEvoy

Sarah Rutten is the rising star in South Australia’s training ranks, and given her background in the industry, it should come as a surprise to no one.

Sarah Rutten is the rising star in South Australia’s training ranks, and given her background in the industry, it should come as a surprise to no one.

Working under master trainer Tony McEvoy for seven years, notably as the strapper, trackwork rider and travelling companion for Group 1-winning mare Sunlight, Rutten endured an apprenticeship that had her destined for success when it came time to training in her own right.

That journey begun in February 2023, when Rutten saddled up her first runner, Kristobel, a month later she scored her first winner with the mare at Balaklava.

A little over 18 months on and Rutten has snared 17 winners at a strike rate of 12 per cent with her small team, and her stable is currently in the midst of a purple patch that has seen her notch five winners from her past 18 runners.

A landmark day on October 7 saw Rutten score an interstate double, with Eventually and Lift The Bar winning at Gawler and Mildura, while last Monday’s meeting at Penola reaped another double for the stable as Mr Whitacre and Fizique saluted the judge.

The talented horsewoman also notched a metro win with veteran galloper Obi at Morphettville on Saturday.

Sarah Rutten (left) poses with Obi after his win at Morphettville on Saturday. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

Swiftly stamping herself as an astute trainer in SA, Rutten’s years spent as a strapper for McEvoy have equipped her with the tools required to succeed.

“Tony and Jo McEvoy are more like family, even now I still speak to him if I have any questions,” Rutten, who trains at Murray Bridge, said.

“I travelled with one of the best Group 1 sprinters around that time, I had that responsibility, there was a lot of pressure.

“A lot of people know how to train, but dealing with the pressure and owners (is different). I think travelling with those horses got me ready for that side of things.”

Obi steals it at some price 💰

Who had that one punters? pic.twitter.com/lK3AnvxGkd

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2024

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Stepping out on her own was always going to be a challenge, but one that has seen Rutten flourish.

“When you’re doing it on your own, you’re making your own decisions, and in the beginning you question, ‘is that the right decision?’,” she said.

“Until you get a couple of months in, you go on feel, until you’ve got yourself into a real routine – and do things your own way.

“I knew what he (Tony) did with the horses, I knew what had to be done, but doing it for myself, that was the hardest part.”

In the same way that Rutten was an important cog in the McEvoy operation, the promising trainer has acquired her own strong support team, which includes her partner, Josh.

“We’re going really well. We’ve probably got about 20 (racehorses) of our own, we do a couple of pre-trainers as well,” Rutten said

“He’s (Josh) my biggest support, he rides as well, we ride our own work.

“I also have my foreman Madi, and then I’ve got five girls that have just come out of school that are really passionate and are going to go really far. I’ve been very lucky with all these girls, they love horses and they’re there all the time.”

Tony McEvoy (left) and Sarah Rutten (right) pose with Sunlight. Picture: Darryl Sherer

Rutten has also been well supported by ex-trainer Sam Burford, who has half of Rutten’s horses at his property near her Murray Bridge stables.

“The horses that don’t really thrive in stables, they live there. Sam treadmills them, he helps me a lot too,” she said.

The obsession with horses manifested itself early in her childhood, and once she was hit by the racing bug, there was no turning back.

“Horses have always been number one in life,” Rutten said.

“I always had horses, I got my first pony when I was five.

“It was always a passion, and once I started for Tony (McEvoy), it was the best experience ever, not many people are lucky enough to experience those things.”

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That passion is an asset, yet it has its challenges when tragedy strikes.

“We’ve been a bit unlucky, we’ve had a few colics this year, and a couple of horses have had surgeries,” she said.

“I’m not very good at that side of things, that’s probably my biggest downfall, I need to become a bit tougher, because you do lose horses.

“That is not a good side of me when I lose a horse, I don’t deal with it very well. That’s just the person I am.”

Sarah Rutten with Sunlight after winning the Gilgai Stakes at Flemington in 2019. Picture: George Salpigtidis/Racing Photos via Getty Images

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Currently enjoying a healthy 13.5 per cent strike rate so far this season, the promising handler is determined to maximise her potential as a trainer.

“I’d probably like a maximum of 30 horses, I wouldn’t want too much more than that,” she said.

“Everyone wants to be the best in their state, obviously that’s what I want to be.

“When you’re competing with the big stables, you’ve got to respect them. Obviously I’m only just over my first year of training, but I don’t want to be a trainer that just trains a couple of winners, I want to be the best that I can be.”

Rutten is inspired by some of racing’s leading ladies, such as trainers Gai Waterhouse and Annabel Neasham.

“Being a female, you look at the likes of Gai and Annabel, those high profile female trainers, and that’s the dream,” she said.

“To be one of the best female trainers – that’s probably my goal.”

Ask any trainer, and they’ll admit it’s not an easy caper, which makes the backing of owners imperative to a trainer’s success.

“I am very thankful for the owners that have supported me,” Rutten said.

“I’ve grown quite quickly, and the horses that I’ve got, they’re not slow horses and they’ve trusted me with them.

“My parents, who are the best parents, they’ve supported me through everything, even now they worry that I sometimes get a bit tired, but they are just happy to see me succeed.”

Originally published as SA trainer Sarah Rutten thriving on her own after seven years under Tony McEvoy