Trent Moffat gets some education in the jog cart at Gateway Farms, New Jersey Photo by Brittany Graham
Queensland young guns Brittany Graham and Trent Moffat jetted into New York on Sunday and have quickly settled in nicely to racing USA style.
The two winners of the Centenary Classic Mercedes Benz (Toowong) Young Achievers Award at last years RQ Industry Awards, commenced their one month educational prize this week easily filling in their first two days in North America at expat Aussie trainer Ross Croghan’s Gateway Farms, New Jersey.
“What an amazing place,” Graham said. “There are about 600 horses on the property which is privately owned and trainers rent barns. “(On our first day) Trent and I both got to do two jog trips which was exciting. “
Day two delivered even more positive experiences for the two Queenslanders.
“We both got the opportunity to do trainers (fast workers) so that was very exciting, and I drove a two-year-old colt out of a half-sister to Rocknroll Hanover and Trent drove two other pretty promising colts,” an excited Graham said. “I also got the opportunity to train a mare called Sudoku who has paced a mile in 1.51.4 this season. “As well as that I got to jog a mare called Single Me who is in a half-million dollar (US$500,000) race on Saturday night! “All in all a good day. “We are sitting and watching some races at Pocono Downs now and trying to learn what we can, which will hopefully help us out!”
The education prize of the trip to the USA was the brainchild of Queensland’s young guns ‘supremo’, Kevin Seymour. With the assistance of Racing Queensland's management, Albion Park Harness Racing Manager Damian Raedler and Management at The Meadowlands, Seymour was able to initiate a harness racing educational trip of a life-time for the star young drivers. The duo is being mentored by Croghan and the team at Gateway Farms in all facets of training and driving. They will return after an Los Angeles stopover at the end of this month.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Seymour has already selected another two young Queensland drivers, Danielle McMullen and Hayden Barnes to be educated in Canada next month.
