Patience paying off with Stats for Massingham

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Stephen Massingham’s early patience with former Victorian sprinter Stats is reaping rewards in the state’s Far North.

Stats has won his past three starts and steps out against open class sprinters for the first time in the Open Handicap over 1200 metres at Bowen on Friday.

The Cairns-based Massingham trained his first winner in 2009 but has never had a starter at Bowen.

“I’ve never been to Bowen in my life and I’ve never had a runner there,” Massingham said.

Massingham is confident Stats can stretch his winning sequence to four in a small but strong field which includes top weight Prime Ruler.

Stats was a bargain buy off Victorian trainer Greg Eurell and races in the famous orange colours of Tom Hedley.

The seven-year-old has won his past three starts on his home track at Cairns including his latest victory when he edged out the Alwyn Bailey-trained Loburn Lass in a 1500 metre Benchmark race on September 13.

Hedley has a great eye for buying Victorian cast-off's with The Harrovian his most notable purchase.

The Harrovian produced an 11-win streak for Hedley under the care of Massingham and Gold Coast co-trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds including Listed wins in the Bernborough Handicap and Recognition Stakes in 2020.

He later placed in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in 2021.

Massingham, who claimed his fourth Cairns’ trainers’ premiership last season, is confident the seven-year-old can win again ahead of ambitious winter carnival plans in North Queensland next year.

“He’ll probably go out for a spell after this run and be set for the Cleveland Bay and Cairns Newmarket next winter,” Massingham said.

“He’s a pretty good horse but my biggest worry at Bowen is he’s coming back in distance from 1500 to 1200 metres."

Massingham drew favourable comparisons between Stats and his former promising sprinter Stormy Legend who won four straight. 

“Unfortunately, Stormy Legend had an infection after he won his last start at Townsville,” Massingham said.

“I had a big opinion of Stormy Legend and I rated him highly.

“One of my track riders came back after riding Stats one day and said his work was as good as Stormy Legend so that says how good he’s going.”

Massingham rates the Fred Wieland-trained Prime Ruler as the main threat to Stats making a successful open company debut.