Adrian Olsen off to a flying start in training career

By Jordan Gerrans​

Adrian Olsen’s strike rate is booming in the early stages of his time as a hobby trainer as he plans towards preparing a bigger team of gallopers in the coming years.

With just three in work at Gympie, Olsen has produced four winners from just seven starters since late November last year.

He is doing all this while being in just the first year of his training career.

Olsen had his first runner in a race in late February last year and has quickly found the touch when it comes to preparing winners with tried horses from other stables.

“I couldn’t have asked for much more,” the 51-year-old said.

“I think the horses I have got are enjoying being in a small team as they come from big stables. I try and treat them as individuals and they seem to be relishing and loving it.”

Olsen has produced two victories each from Primary Witness and Yamumza in recent months.

It was Primary Witness who brought up Olsen's fourth winner as a trainer on Saturday on the sand at Bundaberg.

Olsen has been around the industry for long periods of his life but only recently opted to take out his training licence when he felt the time was right from an employment and family perspective.

He grew up around the caper with his father Kevin a jockey who rode in Melbourne and Queensland through the 1960s.

Adrian Olsen got too big to ride himself so he stayed connected with the game as a strapper for the late Queensland Hall Of Fame trainer Jim Griffiths as well as working as a farrier.

“It was an itch I wanted to scratch,” he said of training.

“I was obsessed with racing from a young age with my father being a jockey.”

Recent winners Primary Witness and Yamumza carry the flag for the stable at the moment and they will soon be joined by the recently acquired maiden galloper Our Esprit.

The Gympie trainer is hopeful his success in the early stages of training career can lead to more and new owners coming on board with his stable.

“If things go to plan – and they are so far – I would love to train horses on a full-time basis,” Olsen said.

“It is what I love doing, it is my passion. You are winning at life if you can get up every morning and enjoy what you do.

“If I could attract a couple of owners that would be great but it is something that may take a bit of time.”

Primary Witness previously did his racing at the Sunshine Coast with Billy Healey and failed to break through in 12 attempts before he arrived at Gympie.

He has quickly gone ‘bang - bang’ and put two victories together in a line.

The four-year-old won his maiden on his home track earlier this month before stepping up to a Benchmark 45 race over the sprint trip on Saturday at ‘Bundy’.

While Primary Witness has thrived on sand surfaces in his two most recent efforts, Olsen will find a suitable race for the gelding back on the grass for his next assignment.

The rookie trainer considered a tilt at a Polytrack race at the Sunshine and Gold Coasts but is likely to go to the grass.

“When I was looking at him online I was just looking at his soft form and I thought that sometimes equates to sand tracks and he seems to be relishing the sand,” the emerging trainer said of Primary Witness.

“He had a couple of good runs on soft tracks previously before he came to me and then he went to a good track and his form was not crash hot.

“He seems to be going good on the sand. He seems to be happy and comfortable where he is.”

Apprentice hoop Jack Baker has done the riding on both occasions in Primary Witness’ two victories and Olsen has been impressed with the young Gold Coast-based hoop's abilities.

Teenager Baker has five victories to his name in the young stages of his career after debuting on race day in late November of last year.

“Jack has been great, he has followed all the instructions really well,” Olsen said.

“You can't ask for much more than that with a young apprentice jockey. I will keep putting Jack on.”

The race Primary Witness won on Saturday was the Bob Gallagher Memorial Benchmark 45 Handicap, which was named after a long-standing volunteer of the regional club.

“We are honoured to remember our long-standing member and friend Bob Gallagher,” Bundaberg Race Club said on social media.

“Bob was a proud volunteer and supporter of our Club and he is dearly missed.

“Thank you to the Gallagher family for attending today to present the Bob Gallagher Memorial trophy.”