Homecoming for Michael Brennan after sales blitz

By Jordan Gerrans

Multiple Group 1-winning trainer Michael Brennan says he is in for the long haul in the Sunshine State as he aims to have his Queensland stable established by April.

It will be a homecoming, as well, for the 49-year-old who grew up on the Darling Downs before relocating to Western Australia as a teenager.

Brennan and his group of owners were active at Sunday’s Sunshine Stars Yearling Sales and aim to be major players on the QBRED front over the coming years.

With six Group 1 titles to his name with horses such as Im Victorious and Pinny Tiger, among others, Brennan and his family see his home state as their long-term base after landing a property in South East Queensland.

“I am really looking forward to setting up in Queensland,” Brennan said.

“We are in it for the long haul. The Queensland-bred bonuses were one of the real attractions for us.

“It is exciting to try and build something. We are giving ourselves the best opportunity to do that.”

Brennan is in Sydney at the moment with a couple of runners in Saturday’s NSW Derby heats at Menangle and will then head back to WA before packing up his stable and shifting across the country.

While Brennan has made a name for himself in the pacing code, it was another game that he departed Queensland for to chase his dreams in as a teenager from Toowoomba.

He won two Olympic medals for Australia in men’s hockey: bronze in 2000 and gold in 2004.

The Queensland midfielder retired after Sydney, but returned to the sport and was instrumental in the Athens success, which was Australia’s first gold medal in men’s hockey.

Alongside prominent owner Joshua Davine and N40 Racing, the Brennan barn was busy at Sunday’s sales.

They purchased Lot 61, who is the full-brother to Jewel Melody, securing the Captaintreacherous colt for $80,000 before going to $32,500 for a Captain Crunch and Victree Bette colt.

They also secured Lot 19.

The Art Major and Classical Music colt went for $100,000.

“It is a great buy, I thought we got it a bit cheaper than what I thought we may have had to pay for,” Davine said of Lot 19.

“We are really happy to take him home.”

The Art Major and Classical Music colt sold for $100,000 was the sale topper on Sunday, with Brennan looking forward to welcoming him into his team.

“We were pretty active, which is good,” Brennan said.

“We got good value for money for the quality of horse that we got, we couldn’t be happier. Five from the sales will come to me and there will be some purchases coming from New Zealand, Tasmania and Sydney, as well.

“We are stocking up with the young horses.”

Brennan says his stable will have 15 racehorses when he kicks-off in April, comprising of recent purchases as well as established pacers he is bringing across from Western Australia.

“It was a really good opportunity, Joshua Davine and N40 Racing have been pretty active,” Brennan said.

“He is a good mate of mine and he floated a proposal to us and the offer was too good to refuse, to be honest.

“For me, it is an opportunity to come home as Queensland harness racing is going great guns at the moment.

“The horses have always been in my blood and I have always owned them before going into training, so I have gone down this path.”

Brennan’s current stable star Pinny Tiger has raced in Group company across Australia throughout his career.

With the Queensland Constellations and Inter Dominion Championship on the horizon in 2025, the trainer is hopeful Pinny Tiger will be able to compete against the best.

“I have always wanted to bring horses over for the carnival such as Im Victorious and Pinny Tiger,” he said.

“But, it did not work out. I have enough time now if I get there in April to get these horses ready for the carnival and the feature races. Pinny Tiger is a high quality horse and will thrive there.

“He is going to enjoy Albion Park, there is no doubt about that.”

Brennan will also bring over a crop of broodmares.