Tuesday, 26 June 2012:
The success of bargain buy Ideal Position is helping fuel Jeff Brasch's ambitions to concentrate on a full-time career as a thoroughbred trainer.
Brasch, who combines training a small team with working as a stud manager in Mudgee, will saddle-up his first stakes runner at Rosehill on Saturday when Ideal Position runs in the Listed Civic Stakes (1400m).
For Brasch and Ideal Position, it will be a return to the track where three weeks ago they scored the biggest wins of their respective careers.
Purchased for just $1100 in March last year, Ideal Position has raced his way through the grades from a Gulgong picnic meeting maiden to earn himself a shot at black-type racing.
"As a trainer you always hope you can have a horse that can get to that (stakes) level," Brasch said.
"For me it has always been someone else's horse that has got there and this is the first time I'm the one who has got one to get to this level.
Brasch had prepared "two or three" horses for the past 10 years but five months ago decided to branch out and now has between eight and 10 in work.
"I like to keep that number and there's a few young horses coming through now that is something to look forward to," Brasch said.
"I've stepped it up a bit in the past four or five months and I'm looking to maybe go full time shortly."
Ideal Position earned a shot at the Listed feature with a 1-1/2-length Saturday-class victory over the Civic Stakes course and distance on June 9.
"This will be my first stakes runner and I'm really looking forward to getting him down there and giving him his opportunity in the Civic Stakes," Brasch said.
"It's a good field but the thing with him is that he's very fit and he's done so well since his win at Rosehill.
"I think it's a good opportunity to test him and find out where he is at."
Leading country jockey Greg Ryan again has the ride on Ideal Position and Brasch is hoping the bush connection can topple their city rivals - with trainers such as Chris Waller, John O'Shea, Lee Freedman, Graeme Rogerson and Peter Snowden having Civic Stakes entries.
"It doesn't happen very often so we've got to try to make the most of the opportunity," Brasch said.
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