THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - TOP COAST TRAINER PLOTS A NEW PATH INTO THE FUTURE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, November 11, 2012

Sunshine Coast Premiership winning trainer Len Treloar is in the process of ‘re-inventing’ his stable.

That is no easy undertaking at the best of times and it obviously takes on a greater degree of difficulty when it is set against the depressed, current economic climate, but Treloar clearly believes in the old adage that the future belongs to those who plan for it. He has drawn a line in the sand and has set about defining the new path he intends to follow.

Treloar’s decision to significantly alter the profile of his stable by trading numbers for quality is something that is on most trainer’s wish-lists, but few are proactive in trying to achieve that goal.

In Treloar’s case, that decision is as brave as it is risky, but the fact that it is based on a set of principles and standards he refuses to compromise, a trait which has served Treloar well in the past, could well be the foundation for future success.

Treloar takes up the story.

“It was great to win the Premiership in my first full season here after returning from Singapore. It was a good buzz and a great experience having started from scratch.

“My stable has been quiet since then largely because of certain decisions I have made.

“I have dropped my numbers down to probably half of what they were because I just found that some of the horses that were coming into the stable were not of the type I was looking for.

“I don’t mind having taken those horses and given them a try. They helped me win my first Premiership at the Sunshine Coast and I am grateful for that and to their owners for their support, but the greater percentage of those horses were not going anywhere, so I was happy enough to cull them out of the system.

“I certainly don’t mind placing horses in the provincials for their education and to allow them to go through their classes, but eventually my horses have got to lead me to the better quality city races and I’m after the type of horse that will take me there.

“Once I took stock of where the stable stood with regard to that situation, I found that the horses that were starting to be around me were not that type of horse, so I decided to cull back on those horses who are not up to city standard and concentrate on trying to get those sort of horses I am looking for into the stable.

“It is going to take time to get it right, but I have learnt over the years that if you allow yourself to accept mediocrity, that’s the level on which you will stay.

“So, as much as it is tough to do from a financial perspective, I don’t allow the finances to always influence the decisions. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions to get the right results and, for me, this decision is a means to an end. It is designed to take me where I want to go.”

There can be no doubt Treloar has set himself a stiff challenge … but then again, this is a man who had a provincial Premiership behind his name only eighteen months after returning to this country.

While provincial and metropolitan racing are two different beasts, the fact is that Treloar has already shown that he possesses a combination of focus, patience and expertise that can pay dividends, so it would not be wise to underestimate his chances of coming out on top in his latest venture.

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