Almost four decades after winning his first black-type race, Brett Lazzarini is rebuilding his training career at Kembla Grange.
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Lazzarini has taken over from the larrikin trainer Mick Tubman, who retired this year, after most famously taking fairytale filly Chance Bye to the Golden Slipper, after winning the Silver Slipper.
And so Lazzarini's life has come full circle in a remarkable way, having built a base at Ballina and claimed the Group 3 Canterbury Cup in 1983 with Lost Valley, who went on to run in the Group 1 Sydney Cup and Metropolitan races.
He takes on 15 stables and has seven horses in work, including the formerly Tubman-trained Mick's New Chick and debutant Most Deadly Kiss at Kembla Grange on Saturday.
Lazzarini said it was his son Wyatt who inspired him to take on the venture.
"He'd been wanting to be involved for a little while and it all just sort of fell into place when Mick retired," Lazzarini said. "Wyatt hadn't been involved with horses before, but he's taken to it like a duck to water and it's been great to get back into it with him.
"It's been a long time, we had bit of success there, getting to a few Group 1 races and winning a few Cups in Queensland as well, so it would be great to get to some good class races again.
"We're building up slowly, looking to build the stable up to at least 10 horses and go from there."
Lazzarini has since built a successful building company, before taking on the chairman's role at the The Gardens Greyhound Racing Club.
Among his new stable includes Dissolute, who ran five lengths fourth of five at $101 behind Alizee, in the Group 2 Missile Stakes and had six months off prior to a sixth on Heavy 8 in the Wellington Town Plate.
Mick's New Chick was eye-catching first-up in a Class 2 Handicap (1200m) at Gosford a fortnight ago, hooked to the back from a wide gate before peeling outside the field, to finish fifth behind Toro Toro. The five-year-old mare presents in a 55kg minimum Benchmark 70 at Kembla Grange on Saturday, in Lazzarini's first racing venture at his new home course.
"She was huge first-up and is really going well," he said.
"This time she's drawn well, so should be competitive."
Lazzarini said he's enjoyed moving into the Kembla Grange racing community.
"I knew Kerry Parker from when I was young, so it's been good to catch up," he said. "And I've caught up with Gwenda (Markwell) as well, everyone has been friendly and welcoming."
The first at Kembla Grange on Saturday jumps at 12.19pm.
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
