Colt Prosser has enjoyed a sensational run of results, with the Wauchope trainer bringing up seven victories from just his last 21 starters.
He kicked off his stellar run at Armidale on October 9, with Skates On (Ben Looker, $12) winning the 1100m Maiden Handicap.
On his home track on October 14, Royal Kew (Zac Wadick, $5) was a class above its rivals in the 1240m Class One Handicap.
Two weeks later, Prosser took two to Grafton and landed a double, with Little Prophet (Luke Rolls, $8) just getting home in the 1400m Benchmark 66 Handicap before Dis Is Heaven (Peter Graham, $6) won impressively in the 1000m Class Three Handicap.
Low Profile ($7.50) then won at Taree on Melbourne Cup day, with Mollie Fitzgerald guiding the Rebel Dane mare to victory in the 1007m Class One Handicap.
Then, teaming up with Ben Looker at Armidale on Sunday, Prosser brought up a race-to-race double, winning on Hell Ofa Toughsun ($41) in the 1400m Maiden Handicap and Skates On ($9) in the 1300m Class One Handicap.
“I’ve got a few young horses coming of age,” Prosser told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“We’ve got Skates On, Hell Ofa Toughsun, Bjorn Ironside, and Dis Is Heaven all hitting four, and they are starting to come into their own.”
Prosser has been through the many ups and downs of racing and the NSW flood crisis, admitting it was a miracle that his horses were still alive.
With the region going through two very tough seasons, his current crop of gallopers didn’t have as much early education and preparation as they usually would.
“I thought this was the best crop of yearlings I’ve had for years, but they were two going on three when the floods hit, and they didn’t get that training or chance to progress.
“Now they are getting into rhythm and catching up.”
While the NSW flood crisis knocked the NSW racing industry around, Prosser said it was a blessing in disguise for his stable, with his current gallopers all given the chance to fill out and grow up before having too much pressure applied.
“We’re seeing the profits now, and that’s probably because they had that time to mature,” Prosser said.
“It hasn’t done them any harm, and I don’t aim to be too heavy on two-year-olds, and most of them coming through, I have in mind the Country Champs or Highway Handicaps, so having them peaking a little later on isn’t a bad thing.”
When asked about his recent winning form, Prosser said he was enjoying the ride.
“When you only have a stable of 20, you do seem to have those runs, especially when you have a new wave of horses coming through,” Prosser said.
“It’s a really good run, and I can’t complain, and now the hardest bit is keeping it going.”
Prosser and connections went agonisingly close victory in the $40,000 Kempsey Cup last Friday, with Little Prophet (Luke Rolls, $4) just pipped by the fast-finishing Aheadofhistime (Matthew Palmer, $21) from the Trevor Hardy stable.
“She ran really well; I’ve always had a good opinion of her,” Prosser said.
“She qualified for the County Championships final as a lightly-raced three-year-old, but that took its toll on her as they benchmarked her so high, and it was tough to place a filly of that level.
“Plus, she gets herself hot and flustered; when we’ve gone to Sydney with her, she has failed, and even at Kempsey, she got wound up with the big crowd and music.”
Prosser will look at his options for the five-year-old, who might be set for some Country Cup features in the winter months.
Prosser was set to race the highly-fancied Kaihoko in the 1206m Maiden Handicap at Grafton today, while he will trek to Sydney on Wednesday with up-and-comer Dis Is Heaven likely to contest the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).
The three-time winner has brought up victories at Port Macquarie, Taree, and Grafton, and Prosser has some bigger races in mind for the Dissident horse.
“Dis Is Heaven will aim for a Highway, and it looks like we’ll take him down to Warwick Farm for a run next week and poke along from there,” Prosser said.
