Toowoomba-based Steve Tregea in awe of Incentivise after tough-as-teak win

Australia’s newest boom horse was more of a problem child than a budding Group 1 star when growing up at Windermere Stud on Queensland’s Darling Downs, near Toowoomba.

Brett Prebble salutes after riding Incentivise to victory in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. Picture: Vince Caligiuri—Getty Images.

Incentivise may be the tough-as-teak stayer with a never say die attitude following his second Group 1 victory in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday but there was a time where it looked like he’d never amount to much.

Breeder and former trainer Steve Tregea still remains in awe of Australia’s newest boom horse, who he says will only relish more racing as he continues his march towards the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in a fortnight’s time.

The Toowoomba-based Tregea is still Incentivise’s managing owner and says his will to win has only improved since making the move to Victoria to be trained by fellow Queenslander Peter Moody.

“He was good wasn’t he? He’s pretty tough,” a matter of fact Tregea said. “I never really thought of him as a particularly tough horse but that’s because he was so immature for a long period of time.

“He’s turned into a good racehorse. Up here he was so far in front of them he never had anything to compete with but now he does so it’s an extra string to his bow.”

Tregea has been reluctant to buy into the hype surrounding his home-bred star, but says that stems from his memories of the knock-kneed foal who was more of a problem child than a budding Group 1 star in the making at his Windermere Stud operation on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

Incentivise digs deep to win the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday. Picture: Scott Barbour — Racing Photos via Getty Images.

“I have the hangover from how I felt about the horse because he was such a pain in the neck,” Tregea laughed. “It is his reputation but as he has grown up, he has developed.

“He has done it so quickly, matured and furnished like you wouldn’t believe in what is probably six months, it probably won’t happen with the next 2000 horses we breed here.”

While the Turnbull Stakes was billed as a match race between Incentivise and Verry Elleegant, the Queenslander dropped the nine-time Group 1 winner like she was standing still.

Tregea, as humble as ever says the cards fell their way on Saturday however.

Backed into $2.30 for the Caulfield Cup, Incentivise now has a stranglehold on the race and connections believe he will get better as he steps up over more ground.

“We know he runs the journey and we know he improves into his races as the momentum builds,” he said. “It seems ridiculous to say but he should be better suited in these longer races, he had to travel a bit quicker than he would have liked on Saturday because that horse (Mount Popa) was outside him.”

“Peter has believed all the way along the Caulfield Cup is his race. Nothing is off the table but I tend to agree with Peter.”

Incentivise is currently rated a $15 chance with TAB for the Cox Plate should connections decide to go there after the Caulfield Cup while he is a $5 favourite for the Melbourne Cup.