A new Brave Warrior to star at Ipswich

By Glenn Davis

Brave Warrior will attempt to go back-to-back at Ipswich on Wednesday!

No, it’s not a flashback to the 1990s when former star galloper Brave Warrior dominated local and interstate racing winning eight races in 22 starts.

The current Brave Warrior steps out for only the fourth time in the Class 1 Handicap over 1350 metres and has a long way to go to emulate his namesake.

The son of Exceed And Excel was a $725,000 purchase by Aquis Farm at the Sydney Easter sales in 2019.

He started his career with Kacy Fogden before being moved on to Gold Coast trainer Maryann Brosnan who races him in partnership with Nicola Lloyd.

Lloyd is the wife of former champion jockey Jeff Lloyd and is the mother of Brisbane’s promising apprentices Zac and Jayden Lloyd.

Jayden Lloyd is indentured to Brosnan and has ridden Brave Warrior in all his three starts.

“He’s a former Aquis horse and is coming along well,” Brosnan said.

“Hopefully, he can race well in this again.”

Brosnan took Brave Warrior across the border to Grafton for his first start where he finished a game second on a heavy track over 950 metres in July.

The four-year-old then was placed on another heavy track in a 1000-metre maiden at Ballina on July 22 before scoring an all the way win to break his maiden status over 1350 metres at Ipswich on August 28.

The Brave Warrior of old was one of the stars of his era which included famous victories in the 1994 Magic Millions Classic and Group 2s in the Peter Pan, the Gloaming and the Phar Lap Stakes.

He also was placed on four occasions at the highest level in the George Main Stakes, George Ryder Stakes, Doncaster Handicap and Queensland Derby in the mid-1990s.

His career cut short by injury and went on to be a success at stud before passing away after standing only two seasons at Eureka Stud at Cambooya on Queensland’s Darling Downs.