Tamworth trainer Wayne Brown eager to continue hot form with home track hat-trick

Wayne Brown will have a typically decent hand on home turf, headlined by the well-bred Deep Rouge on Thursday at Tamworth.

Deep Rouge is Wayne Brown's best chance at Tamworth. Picture: Bradley Photos

Trainer Wayne Brown will rely on some of his stable’s most consistent performers to continue his in-form yard’s rich week at Tamworth on Thursday.

Brown had a winning double and two placings from five starters at Gunnedah on Monday and has three runners on home turf.

The local conditioner already has 11 winners for the season – matching his winning total for 2023/24 – and is hoping to add to the haul with Deep Rouge, Cascade Mountain and Subuki.

Deep Rouge is a daughter of Deep Field out of Listed Mona Lisa Stakes Bouzy Rouge, which Brown owned and raced with success with trainer Luke Griffiths before taking to the training caper full time himself in recent years.

The bay mare has been a model of consistency for the stable with seven wins from 27 starts and looks well placed to claim another in the Shay Brennan Constructions Benchmark 82 Handicap (1200m).

Brown has called upon 4kg claiming apprentice Hannah Johnston to help ease the 62kg burden allocated to Deep Rouge for her second up assignment.

“She has improved with the first-up run and the 1200m on Thursday will suit her better,” Brown said.

“She has got the four kilo young apprentice on there so that’s the query but if the young girl handles her OK she will be hard to beat.

“The horse is easy to ride but she is a 4kg kid still learning and will get back in the field.

“She will be last early probably but if she can have a bit of luck on her, hopefully she can get the money.”

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Bouzy Rouge Picture: Simon Bullard.

Brown likens Subuki to Deep Rouge in the sense that both have been great money spinners for the stable.

While Subuki hasn’t won for nearly a year, the daughter Foxwedge has performed admirably over the past 12 months with seven placings since her last success.

She wasn’t far away last start when second in the Gilgandra Cup and gets the chance to go one better in the McDonald Tamworth Benchmark 82 (1600m) with Michael Heagney in the hot seat.

“Someone asked me if she’d lost a leg or something because he is $7 but I thought she’d be in with a chance,” Brown said.

“I think Mack Griffith’s horse (Jessandi) will be hard to beat but she is in with a chance with some luck in running.

“She hurts herself a little bit because she gets back in the field but her and Deep Rouge are both honest horses that you could put a couple of bucks each way every time they go around.”

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Jockey Michael Heagney rides two for Wayne Brown.

Brown accepted with Cascade Mountain and Zougo Boss in the Kel Penfold Finance Maiden (1600m) but neither horse will run in the race.

Zougo Boss will be saved for another day while Cascade Mountain ($21) links up with Heagney in the KCE Civil Contractors Maiden (1400m).

The son of Justify is yet to win and could find the seven furlong test short of his best.

“He needs a mile but I didn’t want to start him in that race because Annabel Neasham has a couple in and Paul Messara has one in so it’s a competitive race,” Brown said.

“He needs a mile but isn’t probably isn’t up to those horses standard and I thought the race he is in is a little bit weaker.

“It will be a nice top off for a mile later down the track.”

Zougo Boss is nominated for Deepwater on Saturday but Brown said the son of Zoustar, formerly trained by Tony Gollan, won’t line up at the meeting.

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ARDONAUGH CAN PULL OFF LAST-TO-FIRST EFFORT

Trainer Ray Hartley believes Ardonaugh is more than ready to complete a dramatic last-to-first form turnaround when she returns to home turf at Tamworth on Thursday.

Ardonaugh didn’t beat a runner home last start in town when she led the field up and was beaten by more than 14 lengths in a Highway race at Royal Randwick on December 28.

Hartley has happy to put a line through the run after his daughter of Press Statement was used up early to find in her front in her first attempt over 1200m before fading in the straight.

Ardonaugh can bounce back to her best in the Koobah Performance Horses Class 3 (1000m).

“She will appreciate the 1000m at home,” Hartley said.

“It was first try at 1200m in Sydney and she (apprentice Molly Bourke) jumped out and went with her but you can’t do that at both ends.

“The main thing is to get her to win another win and we will see what’s in store for her.”

Ardonaugh was a winner two starts ago at the same track and trip she faces on Thursday and is a $5 chance to return to winning way with apprentice Siena Grima aboard.

Heavyweight Sydney trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald will have the horse to beat in the form of three-time winner Zoubeauty ($2).

Hartley will be hunting a winning double on home turf with new addition Enniroc to make his debut for the stable in the Happy Birthday Shay Brennan Maiden Plate (1200m).

Enniroc is a son of Nostradamus would started his career in Victoria with Logan McGill but only had one start for his previous trainer before being sold online.

The four-year-old led the field up in his only race appearance before finishing third in a 1017m event at Moe in August last year.

Hartley has given Enniroc a private jumpout ahead of his stable debut and expects the gelding to be competitive with Michael Heagney in the saddle.

“He is a very nice horse,” Hartley said.

“The owners brought him online and he’s been working nice at home.

“We think he will go all right. We gave him a private jumpout.

“He should go pretty good, he did run well in his first start in Victoria.”

Enniroc is a $15 contender with Neasham and Archibald again saddling up the horse to beat with Anarita ($2.80 favourite).