Trainer Brian Costello looks to break city drought with Orsetto

By Glenn Davis

Ipswich trainer Brian Costello will be cashed up for another holiday if he can break a 16-year-old city drought with Orsetto at Doomben on Wednesday.

A family owned horse, Orsetto will be chasing a hat trick of wins when apprentice Yvette Lewis partners the six-year-old in the Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1050 metres.

Orsetto is raced by Costello, his brother Jim and son Matt and will record his eighth win in 33 starts if successful.

Costello’s recent trips away include New Zealand and Europe, a few years ago.

“My son, Matt, rides my horses in track work and Jim is a former president of the Warwick Turf Club,” Costello said.

“I’m not sure what we’ll do if he wins but we’ve had a few trips overseas and we might go away again.

“I’ve been breeding horses with Jim for 40 years.

“Jim does all the breeding stuff and he found him on the internet in foal to a Magnus mare and he was by Pellizotti.

“Jim rang the breeder and managed to buy his mother as we thought Pellizotti wouldn’t be that popular.”

Orsetto is unbeaten in two starts this campaign, winning on return over 800 metres at Ipswich in October, before a last start win over the same trip at Ipswich on November 26.

“He didn’t come up too well last campaign when we found he had a cough,” Costello said.

“He’s come back good this campaign and I’ve been keeping him to short courses.

“I thought his last win was his best but this looks a strong race on Wednesday and not much different to a Saturday race.”

Costello is a rising 74-year-old and has a small stable of four horses in work at Ipswich.

His last city winner was with Doonan Dancer who won a Welter Handicap at Doomben in June, 2006.

“He won at 80-1 one day in town and he ran fourth in a Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra,” Costello said.

Costello played at a high level in rugby league in his younger days while working as an administration officer for the Department of Primary Industries and the old SGIO (State Government Insurance Officer).

“I played rugby league and played in the last Bulimba Cup,” he said.

“I was fullback for the All Whites in Toowoomba but I lost my position to Wayne Bennett, who I was great friends with.”

Bennett went on to play for Queensland and Australia before launching his star-studded coaching career.

Costello has been based at Ipswich since he was transferred in his job from Toowoomba to Ipswich in 1972.

“I was great mates with Bennett and we went on together to play rugby league in Brisbane with Brothers,” he said.