10 Feb French trainer Louis Baudron breaks through for maiden success in Australia
THE trainer had never won a race in Australia, his French stayer had not had a start in nine months and was first-up at 2400m — but this unlikely combination produced an upset win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
In a remarkable training performance Louis Baudron — the Parisian who now calls Sydney home — had Evason fit and ready to lower the might of the Chris Waller stable in the McGrath Handicap.
Evason came with a strong finishing burst to run down the Waller trio of Springbok Flyer, Ashkannd and Anglo Irish to give Baudron his first winner since he moved Down Under last winter.
Baudron got his start in harness racing in France, training over 500 winners before he switched to thoroughbreds about three years ago, preparing more than 50 winners before he took the gamble and moved to Sydney.
“This is a nice country and the racing industry is going up all the time,’’ Baudron said when asked why he left France and moved to Warwick Farm where he has 10 horses in work.
Baudron has only had a handful of starters so far for a couple of minor placings with Orion Love before Evason’s breakthrough success.
Evason is a six-year-old entire by Europe’s super sire Galileo and had won two of his seven starts overseas, a 1600m race in Ireland and then over 2200m in France.
Evason has been in work since September but had had only one barrier trial leading into Wednesday’s assignment.
“This horse needs the longer distance, that is why we chose to run him (first-up) today,’’ Baudron said. “He did the distance in France and it was better to go directly to this race, there was no sense for him to run in a sprint.
“When he arrived, he had long hair and needed to adapt to Australia — and me, too!’’
Earlier in the day, trainer Anthony Cummings produced a promising three-year-old Montaigne to take out the TAB More Than Just Winning Handicap (1400m).
Montaigne had finished second at his debut on a heavy Warwick Farm track earlier this month but adapted to the firm surface to win comfortably on Wednesday.
“He put the writing on the wall at his debut,’’ stable representative Edward Cummings said. “That was on a heavy track and the test was going to be whether he could race as well on the firm track.
“He is a nice horse and we are hoping he take on the better three-year-olds during the autumn but for now it is all about taking him through the classes, teaching him to race.’’
Soure: Daily Telegraph, January 20, 2016