Dean Wiles is making every post a winner from his new Cambridge base. The former Pukekohe trainer bought a property close to the Cambridge training track in January and has developed the bare land with paddocks and a new barn, and he's seeing immediate results. “The horses have hit the ground running since I've been here. I've had eight horses to the trials in the last few weeks for five wins so it looks like it's been a good move,” Wiles said.
Wiles has sold his Waiuku property but has two years before settlement so he is using that property as a spelling base while he puts the finishing polish on his new farm. He has 40 horses to his name, among them 28 rising two-year-olds as he prepares to make an early splash on the coming season's juvenile races. “A lot of those 28 are in work ready for the new season. I'd hope to have 10 to 15 up and ready for those early two-year-old races,” Wiles said.
He will aim to add to his two-year-old tally this season when he saddles Dalghar colt Flash Warrior in the Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO (1000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Flash Warrior had two starts in February for a third placing at Te Rapa leading to a Wanganui win. He won a 700m trial at Ellerslie last month for rider Sam Spratt, who takes the mount at Te Rapa. “He trialled up really well. I didn't want to do too much with him that day though because we were planning on running him at Pukekohe the next Saturday,” Wiles said.
“But then they didn't have a two-year-old race. It's probably worked out better with the break of two weeks and he's drawn perfectly in barrier two so it's unfolding nicely for us. “He worked outstandingly this (Wednesday) morning and I couldn't be happier with him. From that barrier (2), he'll sit somewhere near the speed though not necessarily in the lead. I expect him to be a first-three chance, given the way he trialled and the way he's worked since.”
Wiles said there was good interest in Flash Warrior from Hong Kong bloodstock agents and he was happy to sell the colt. “I've had a lot of interest in him from Hong Kong and if he wins on Saturday, he's probably sold,” Wiles said. “I own him myself and he's on the market anyway. If that happened, it would help pay off the Cambridge property too.”
Wiles' other entry on Saturday is Swagger in the NZB Ready To Run Sale 1400, though barrier 20 has thrown a spanner into the works. “He's owned by Gerry Harvey so I'll talk to Russell Warwick, his racing manager, and see what he wants to do. He's probably better off running at Te Rapa because the other tracks coming up might be even wetter again,” Wiles said. “He ran second at his last start and won his trial at Ellerslie by 4-1/2 lengths so if he gets a bit of luck, he should be thereabouts.”