IT’S safe to say there are few, if any, commercial fencers in Australia who also dabble in training racehorses.
Mark Howard is certainly one – and can boast a rather unique record.
The Wyong hobby trainer’s win with Senalda at Nowra on Sunday gave him a 100 per cent strike rate at the South Coast track, albeit his victories were 15 years apart.
“I have had only the two runners there, so it’s a pretty good strike rate,” Howard said on Monday morning.
“I first went there in July 2009 and won a 3YO Maiden Handicap (1000m) in a photo finish with a horse called Jackben, ridden by Terry Jones.”
Howard nearly didn’t go back to Nowra this time with Senalda, who had been unplaced at Bathurst only a week earlier.
“I was undecided whether to back her up after she ran 10th in a Benchmark 58 Handicap (1200m),” he said.
“Senalda’s rider Reece Jones said she felt great but just didn’t handle the turns.
“As she was back against her own sex at Nowra and Jenny Duggan was prepared to go and ride her, I decided to make the trip.”
The late decision paid off handsomely as Senalda ($11), a five-year-old daughter of Exosphere, came from a clear last at the 600m in the 1100m Benchmark 58 Handicap to overpower fancied pair Queen Calanthe ($4.20) and $2.60 favorite Champ De Mars.
Like the Leyland Brothers, Howard has travelled all over the countryside with Senalda this year to try to win races – and has now twice with her.
He’s been to Kempsey, Hawkesbury, Narromine, Armidale, Tamworth (twice), Scone, Bathurst and of course Nowra for her nine career starts.
Howard got Senalda to train from her Newcastle breeder Andrew Pacey.
“I leased a horse from Andrew (Helen’s Crown, a four-year-old mare who has raced only once and whose dam Our Ellen is a half-sister to Senalda’s dam Bonita), and he gave me this mare to train,” he explained.
Senalda is the first foal of five times winner Bonita, who was prepared at Newcastle by Jason Deamer.
Sadly, the Dubleo mare passed away in June this year.
Howard began training in 1998, and has taken a few breaks from the industry along the way.
But nothing greater than the time between June 2014 when Connubial ran fourth at Newcastle and November 2022 when Foxt on debut as a three-year-old ran last of eight at Armidale.
“With a young family, I gave the training away for about eight years,” he said.
“I’ve got four horses in work at Wyong, and my day starts at 3.30am.”
Connubial’s victory at Newcastle on May 31, 2014 in a 1400m Maiden Plate, ridden by Neil Paine, was his latest until Senalda broke through at Tamworth on August 16 this year in a 1000m Maiden Handicap on a very heavy track.
Senalda was Howard’s 27th career winner, and he also ran third with $16 chance Little Pattie in the Listed Angst Quality (1600m) at Royal Randwick in 1999 when she drew the outside barrier in a field of 12.
Story John Curtis, September 23, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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