Former top Kiwi still has the Midas touch

Richard Brosnan was regarded as one of the kings of harness racing in New Zealand and he’s still got a deft horseman’s touch, now on Australian soil.

Brosnan, 73, who is enjoying semi-retirement with his wife Julija, was again in the winners’ circle this week with chestnut trotting gelding Sun Body (Sundon USA-Body And Soul NZ (Frugal Gourmet USA).

“I still enjoy driving. I started off my career a long time ago with some very ordinary horses, so that taught me very early on to give them the best possible chance. But I did have a wee bit of luck at Melton,” he said.

The win last Monday was his second since his driving comeback after a layoff for cancer treatment.

Brosnan underwent chemotherapy for bowel cancer last year, diagnosed after he completed a test kit, but was recently given the green light to return to the driving ranks.

And he’s wasted no time in making his presence felt.

Both wins were registered on the same horse and at the same venue – while his other three comeback drives saw two placings and a sixth.

Brosnan was renowned in New Zealand for his patience and attention to detail, with a reputation for being very good at turning poor horses into average ones, and getting the best from all levels of his stable.

“Sun Body (a seven-year-old) is actually the last horse I bred,” Brosnan said.

“The mare (Body And Soul) was just in the paddock and she was empty and I’ve always been a great fan of Sundon as a (trotting) sire, so I sent her to him.

“In my time, I would say Sundon’s the best sire we’ve had in New Zealand. There’s been a lot of good pacing stallions, but what Sundon did was unreal. He sired youngsters who won races aged two right through to age 11.

“He sired Group winners and now he’s gone on to be a broodmare sire. He was the leading sire even over the pacing sires back home for a few years and in the early days, there’d only be two trot races on the card.”

Brosnan is co-trainer with son Emmett and the pair are setting up a new property on 150 acres at Meredith, between Ballarat and Geelong.

Emmett said he was more than happy for his father to stick to driving Sun Body, known as “Nelson” around the stables.

“I’ve had that many chances to land the money with him, but never quite got there,” he said.

“A few times I can say that I gave the horse some economical runs, but it’s definitely a case of horses for courses with him.

“Dad does everything with the horse and Nelson just goes good for him and while dad seems pretty unassuming, he knows his way around the track that’s for sure!”

The father-and-son training combination has a team of nine horses in work.

“The smaller number is a little bit by choice because the rain has been hampering us in setting up the training property. We couldn’t handle big numbers at the moment, but down the track we definitely are looking to attract new owners,” they said.

Richard Brosnan was a household name in New Zealand in the late 1970s and early 1980s, preparing two champions in No Response (1979 InterDominion Trot Final) and Bonnie’s Chance (1983 NZ Cup) as well as an impressive list of other open class stars.

“I’ve been fortunate to have won a few big races over the years, but as to how many race winners I’ve driven, I really wouldn’t have any idea,” he said.

“And trotters or pacers? No, I don’t care. As long as they can run!”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink