Newcomers have Tritton camp tickled pink

Expat Aussie Team Tritton has had plenty to smile about in the first six-months of their USA move, but they are looking forward to the next few weeks with a great deal of excitement.

Former Sydneysiders Shane and Lauren Tritton are based at Pine Bush, one-and-a-half hours from New York City, and are set to unleash some "fresh faces" in the form of a handful of ex-Australian horses.

"We are really upbeat about it because there are some quality animals among them," Tritton said.

"There are some who've only recently come out to here, while a couple of others have joined our barn from other US stables," he said.

The husband-and-wife team recently chalked up their 20th winner since making the USA their home earlier this year.

"We've learnt heaps in our first season over here and hopefully we can keep getting better as we go along," Tritton said.

"We've found out the horses just don't need all the work that we used to give them back home, so we've made that adjustment and the horses are getting up in grade, but they're now racing with consistent form.

"When we first of all arrived, we set a goal-and that was to try and make a living out of the sport in the first six months. We're doing okay and we're excited that there are plans now for the Casinos to open back up (from COVID-19 shutdowns) and hopefully the purses will start to improve.

"So we hope that the next step can be now to keep things ticking over and to set ourselves up for the future."

Tritton said the family had settled in well to new ways – both the racing aspects and the practicalities of life in the Northern Hemisphere.

"On average, we're racing three and four times a week at three tracks that are all about one-and-a-half hours from Pine Bush," he said.

"We've got the hang of life here. Things like driving the US way (left-hand drive) on the 'wrong' side of the road, we don't even really think about now. It might probably sound a bit funny, but we kind of feel like we've been here forever."

The stable has been ticking over nicely with old-timer Flaming Flutter posting another victory at Yonkers recently, and the former West Australian-trained mare Lady De La Renta (Well Said-Flylika Byrd Lombo (Jet Laag) in brilliant form.

"She has won her last three starts for us and we really expect that she will step up and be among the better mares here down the track. We're so lucky to have her because she's a real nice horse," Tritton said.

Lady De La Renta won 14 races and was placed 12 times from 41 starts in Australia. Her biggest victory was in the 2018 3YO Diamond Classic of $50,000, run at Perth's Gloucester Park. She was driven by gun freelance reinsman Chris Voak.

Jordan Stratton and Lady De La Renta made it three in a row recently

There are also some exciting prospects among the ex-Aussies to recently join the stable, and due to step out in coming weeks.

"We have sent a few home in recent weeks, so it's good to have some new horses coming in. We qualified Sweet n Fast (a winner of 12 races in Australia) at Yonkers a few days ago and Pat Stanley will be next," Tritton said.

Talented gelding Pat Stanley (Western Ideal-Jaz Tanner (Artiscape) is a winner of 14 races and $147,000 in earnings. He had two trials in NZ before being transferred to Australia under the care of Blake Fitzpatrick and got the money at his race debut at Newcastle.

He continued to race at NSW tracks before being sent to Great Western world champion reinswoman Kerryn Manning for eight starts, ahead of shipping to the US. One of his biggest scalps was in February of this year when Manning piloted him to victory in the $60,000 G2 South Australian Pacing Cup. The pair also later won the Markovina FFA at Melton.

Another to come under the care of the Trittons is Maczaffair (Mach Three-Presidential Affair (Presidential Ball). The mare won 21 races and $500,000 when racing in West Australia, capturing the 2017 $150,000 WA Oaks and then the following year taking out the $50,000 WASBA Breeders Stakes Pace.

Others about to start racing in the Team Tritton colors will include Muscle Mach (15 wins), War Dan (11 wins) and Islandspecialmajor (21 wins).

"We keep an eye on what's happening back in Australia though, in particular at the stables of Roy Roots who is our brother-in-law. Prior to leaving we bought some shares in six two-year-olds Roy is training, and three of them have already won so that's been nice too!" Tritton said.

Terry Gange

NewsAlert PR Mildura