Luke Griffith is taking time to catch his breath after winning his second successive country training premiership and will have only one runner, Subtlety, at Scone on Sunday as the new racing season kicks off.
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“There was not much on the program at Scone that suited my horses,” Griffith said.
“In fact Subtlety was going to go to Quirindi until that meeting was called off.
“I just want a few days to catch my breath and re-group and then we will start chasing next season’s premiership.
“I have covered a lot of kilometres and been to a lot of race meetings but it has paid off.
“I just put my car in for a service and it covered more than 100,000 kilometres in the last 12 months.”
Griffith has easily won the country premiership with 65 winners from Albury’s Brett Cavanough who finished with 48.
Subtlety will start in the Dawson and Dawson Realty Benchmark 65 (1600m) following a win over 1200 metres at Tamworth in June and a seventh, beaten only a length, over 1400 metres at that track on July 11.
While Griffith is catching his breath Greg Bennett, who narrowly beat Kris Lees to win the Scone premiership, has headed north on a working holiday and will not have any runners at Scone.
Bennett will start Rossaritta (Anthony Allen) at Eagle Farm on Saturday and Pompidou and Pro Consul in the same race at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
“I can’t remember the last time I have not had a runner at Scone but it was a busy season and I just needed a break and a chance to get away for a while,” Bennett said.
“Wendy and I are staying at the Gold Coast, we have the horses stabled here, I have staff up here helping look after the horses and two more horses coming up at the weekend.
“We will be staying up here for another week or two to re-charge the batteries then it will be time to head home and get stuck in to training more winners.”
While Griffith and Bennett are catching their breaths, Lees has mounted a full scale attack on Sunday’s meeting, nominating 14 runners including Monaco Doll and Perfect Scout in the Benchmark 65.
Monaco Doll, a winner at Newcastle and Wyong last preparation, will be having her second start from a spell while Perfect Scout is coming off a last start fourth at Taree.
Lees has also nominated the promising Quietly Confident for the Percy Sykes Tribute Benchmark 60 (1300m) along with Speed Queen.
Quietly Confident won his first two starts at Cessnock and Newcastle then was stepped up to 1400 metres when he ran fourth at Newcastle at his last start after being freshened up.
