Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston is happy to have exceeded the goal he set himself for the 2018/19 racing season, whilst maintaining a consistent win count. This time last year Carston, who had just won the Gavelhouse Newcomer to Training Award, stated that his goal for the new season was to win a stakes race. “It was my best season yet,” Carston said. “Not by number of wins but I wanted to get a stakes winner this season and I got one – well two really, a Listed and a Group 3 win.”

The stakes wins came in the form of Miss Federer, a filly that he selected as a yearling for just $10,000. She won both the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) and the Group 3 Woburn Farm 2YO Classic (1200m). The daughter of Swiss Ace's season was unfortunately cut short when a bone chip was discovered in her off foreleg while she was being prepared for the Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m). She's since had minor surgery and Carston reports that she is back in training. “She'll trial towards the end of August,” he said. “She's come through the surgery perfect and she's just started fast work again.”

Now in just his fifth full season as a trainer, Carston is paving a consistent path, with a solid 20 to 22 winners in each of his four completed seasons to date. “I haven't had any more than 30 horses in work at a time so it's a good achievement,” Carston said. “I don't plan to get any bigger so the focus will remain on the quality of runners rather than quantity.”

Carston is happy with the equine team he has in work for the new season and he's confident of another good season ahead. “The old stable stalwarts are back in work,” he said. “Severine goes pretty well and Hee's Our Secret is consistent too. “I've got a bunch of just turned three-year-olds and nine just turned two-year-olds which is the most I've ever had, so that's pretty exciting. “It's so important to have young horses coming into the stable.”