LIKE all good horse trainers, Kym Hann constantly has one eye on the future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is why a modest start to the 2020-21 racing season did little to faze the reigning Bendigo trainer of the year.
But as he had hoped, Hann has rapidly gathered momentum in recent weeks and is doing all in his power to end the calendar year with a bang.
A double at Corowa last Thursday gave Hann an impressive four winners from his last seven starters, stretching back to Swing With Junior's victory at Ararat on December 8.
Just as importantly - and to the stable's delight - the win to Our Destrier in the fourth race lifted the astute young trainer to 100 career wins.
He would end the day on 101 following the success of the promising mare Big Boy's Girl in the sixth race.
Hann is chuffed to have clocked up an important milestone.
"It's definitely something we have been aiming for, so it was good to finally pull it off," he said.
"It came quickly towards the end, but we'd had a bit of a quiet spell," he added in reference to his recent win spree.
"But we've had a few there that have been ready to fire and we've had about seven or eight horses ready to win, it's just a matter of finding the right races for them.
"A few of them have been knocking on the door and not far off, so we weren't too worried. We thought it would happen eventually."
On Thursday's winners, Hann believed Big Boy's Girl, who has now won two of four career starts, was a sprinter with considerable promise.
"She's a very fast horse, probably one of the fastest I've had," he said.
"Probably 1000-metres will pull her up and we will keep her to that 1000.
"We tried to stretch her out (beyond 1000m) last time, but it just wasn't her go, so we'll keep her to those short trips.
"She's tough, she's fast and she can be hard to get past.
"I'd like to get her down to the 955m at The Valley on Friday nights. That will be the aim."
Our Destrier, by dual Group 1-winner Zoustar, is among a handful of horses to have made their way to Hann from Shayne Fisher at Warrnambool, and looks to have an exciting future at the 1600 to 2000m range.
As does another of those former Fisher-trained gallopers Filip's Star, who will contest a benchmark 64 (1200m) event at Caulfield this Wednesday.
Undoubtedly the stable's brightest prospect, Rogue Star will step out again at either Geelong this Tuesday or Sandown on Wednesday.
The Wanted gelding will be chasing his third win in just four starts, after notching a tough victory at Geelong in his second start back from a long spell at Geelong on December 11.
"We're really keen to get his rating up," Hann said.
"There are some VOBIS Gold races we'd like to head towards next year.
"Once he learns how to do it all, he will be a very nice horse. He just doesn't know how to win properly yet and how to put them away.
"Once he does that, he'll be a very good horse."
With 2020 rapidly drawing to a close, Hann has set his sights on carrying over his recent run of strong form into the new year.
"We'd just like to keep getting plenty of winners and working these horses through their grades, and hopefully get them down to town and on to better things," he said.
"There's a couple of nice horses here that I feel can be around for a few years to come and can keep flying the flag.
"Rogue Star is obviously one, and Filip's Star. They're horses I think can be fairly consistent for us."
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
