CONSIDERING he keeps only a small team in work, Wayne Seelin is on the cusp of
an important milestone.
The Wyong trainer moved to within two wins of a century when he clinched a first-up victory at Muswellbrook today with $14 chance Sapphire Kiss in the Class 1 Handicap (900m).
Whilst he wasn’t oozing confidence about getting that result, he still expected the five-year-old mare to run well – and a superb Anna Roper ride put the icing on the cake.
Roper followed $3.20 favorite, Gosford trainer Kylie Gavenlock’s Gogmagog, into the straight before switching around his heels into clear running and finishing strongly to get the job done.
Seelin, the man who prepared the now 14-year-old warrior Isorich (who won 16 races and was
placed 37 times from 155 starts), never has more than half a dozen horses in work and was quick to praise the Wyong apprentice.
“Anna makes a lot of good decisions in races,” he said.
“She could have gone to the extreme outside, but waited and got a gap at the right time.
“Anna has a very bright future.”
Seelin did not trial Sapphire Kiss, pointing out he kept her fresh for the 900m.
“I only trial my horses if I have to,” he said.
Sapphire Kiss has now won two races – and has been at good odds on both occasions.
She started at $51 ($81 was offered) when she broke through in an 1100m Maiden on her home track last August.
Seelin was on hand when owners Toshi and Keiko Yano paid $20,000 for Sapphire Kiss as a weanling in Sydney.
“Toshi isn’t well at present, and that win will be a nice tonic,” he said.
“Whilst we got her as a weanling, Sapphire Kiss didn’t begin her career until last season as a four- year-old.
“She went shin sore a couple of times, and had growing up issues.”
Seelin also trained Invincible Kiss for the same owners, and won nine races with her.
Like Sapphire Kiss, she was also at good odds when she won two of those races in town.
Invincible Kiss was at $19 in her Midway Handicap victory at Royal Randwick in February 2012, and $21 when she won another Midway at Rosehill Gardens the following month.
Newcastle jockey Ash Morgan followed up a Wyong double at The Lakes meeting last Saturday by doing the same at Muswellbrook.
He scored on the Jan Bowen stablemates Pelette ($3.20) and Withstand ($2.80 favorite) to take his season’s tally to 54. Story by John Curtis, 13 January, 2025.
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