When we purchased VERSETTO at the Magic Millions Sale in January 2016 we knew we would have to be patient. 

Despite every buyer at that sale dreaming of lining up in the rich two year old feature race twelve months later , he looked every bit a horse who would be at his prime as a three year old and it was hardly a surprise when he didn’t make it to the track as a two year old.

The ownership group were therefore entitled to be excited about his racing future when he won a barrier trial impressively on debut as a three year old at Warwick Farm in September 2017.

Those expectations only escalated when he trotted in a Kembla trial three weeks later by six lengths.

On the back of his impressive trial form he started a dominant $2.10 fav on debut at Wyong in late October 2017 , eventually finishing third behind PROGRESSIVE after racing greenly up the straight.

The owners were obviously disappointed and the decision was made to pull up stumps and give him a spell which would hopefully allow him to mature. 

The owners patience was again tested when not long after returning to training , we received the dreaded early morning call from the trainer advising the horse had injured his pelvis.

This was a devastating blow ,however we gave him the necessary time off to recover , spending six months under the watchful eye of Paul Blattman at Whispering Pines, the same farm where he was broken in. 

Come autumn 2018 and we were thrilled to have him back in training with Bjorn Baker and after two solid trials , headed to Scone during the rich May carnival eager to see his return to racing. 

Once again he was the medium of heavy betting , jumping as a dominant $3.50 favourite with leading hoop Blake Shinn on board .

He looked a key player rounding the turn , but again he was very green over the concluding stages ,finishing fourth behind eventual winner PIERINA. 

VERSETTO finally landed the chocolates a fortnight later (despite an alarming betting drift) arriving in the shadows of the post to break his maiden status in fine style. The form out of this race would go on to prove outstanding , with each of his opposition winning at its next start. 

With his maiden win out of the way , the road towards metropolitan class appeared a mere formality.

Little did the ownership group realise the tough few weeks ahead , confronted in no uncertain terms with the vagaries of racing.

He was scratched at the barriers when strongly fancied at Newcastle , resulting in a compulsory stewards ban requiring him to trial. He would continue to prove a handful at the barriers at his next two starts , doing all his racing in the parade ring and plodding into 4th and 7th respectively at his two Warwick Farm runs .

We had no other option than to tip him out again , knowing he was a much better horse than that, but conscious he was severely testing our resolve. 

Fast forward eight weeks and the hits just kept on coming with the realisation he had again reinjured the pelvis and this was most probably the cause of his rogue barrier manners.

We had no other option but to again give him a long spell and test the owners patience once more. 

To their credit , the ownership group were fully supportive of the plan and he was given 10 months in the paddock at Redbank North where he absolutely thrived.

He has put on significant condition and furnished into an imposing specimen. 

VERSETTO returned to work this week at Aquagait , the water exercise facility based at Warwick Farm,  and we will bring him back slowly over the coming weeks .

All going well he will be up and running this Spring. Hopefully we get to see the best of him .And reward the owners patience.