Michael turns up the power

Tongala harness racing horseman Michael Watt is quick to admit that he’s enjoying full-time training, but he’s still working hard to keep the momentum rolling.

“I decided to have a crack at it about six months ago. I’ve got three main clients and a few others and we’re more than happy with the results,” he said.

“But I’ve learnt that you have to keep at it – if you back off even a bit you lose the edge on your rivals,” he said.

“It’s great when you are having a bit of a run, but you do learn to roll with the punches in this game. But I think with self-belief and hard work it always seems to come around.”

Watt has had his stable ticking along nicely with 13 wins and 20 placings for nearly $100K in stakemoney since he took the decision to turn his hobby into his full-time gig.

Last week the happy-go-lucky trainer was in fine form with two wins in two days at Echuca and then Bendigo.

Both of the winners were for long-time owner-breeders Norm and Joan Visca. Watt was successful first with Tasma Flash, then with Patchwork, both driven by James Herbertson.

Six-year-old gelding Tasma Flash (Mach Three-Tasma Walton (Walton Hanover) was having his first start for nearly 12 months at Echuca.

“I think he got tossed out into the paddock and forgotten about. The win wasn’t a total surprise as his work at home was pretty good. He’d been matching it with one of our better ones,” Watt said.

“Norm and Joan are terrific people, and it was great to win at Echuca because they’re both hard-working club members.”

Tasma Flash is a half-brother to another of the Visca horses in Master Mach Manus, who notched up 14 wins for $76,000 between 2013 and 2019.

Five-year-old bay mare Patchwork (Stonebridge Regal-Nirvana Castle (Safely Kept) continued the winning way for the stable with an all-the-way victory at Bendigo in the Aurora Australis Trot.

Patchwork was sent forward by Herbertson, but then had to dig deep over the concluding stages to hold off Settle The Bill (Eddie Conroy) by a half neck.

Watt said apart from Norm and Joan Visca, he had received great support from his nephew Robert Clarke, of Bacchus Marsh, and Rick Jones, who runs Numurkah Taxis.

“My parents have also got behind me and have some horses,” he said.

“It’s been really terrific this time around because I haven’t had to worry about picking up owners. We seem to have a good operation going, headed by Cameron ‘Squeak’ Farrar. He’s my stable foreman and he’s just so enthusiastic and positive – it keeps us going.

“Then there’s my partner Bronwyn who is in charge of the feeds and any other chores that bob up.”
Watt has 14 horses in work and is setting up an impressive property.

“We’re on 42 acres and there’s a 1000m track. We’ve got a new walker, a treadmill and a swimming dam, but there’s still some building to be done,” he said.

“I’m a firm believer in swimming them and put them in every second day.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink