Placement key for young trainer Indiana Turner

By Jordan Gerrans

A product of the prolific Michael Costa team, young trainer Indiana Turner aims to implement the learnings he took from his old boss in his own stable.

The former Gold Coast-based Costa was often lauded for his impressive strike-rate when he prepared his team in Australia, before taking up an offer as the private trainer for Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai.

The 24-year-old Turner believes perfect placement of gallopers was key to Costa’s success and it is something he is working towards with his own horses.

That is highlighted by Turner travelling to the non-TAB NSW track of Walcha earlier this month.

The Aquis Park-based conditioner heads to where he would prefer to race his horses this Saturday, with his second metropolitan starter of his young career at Doomben with gelding Tanker.

“While I have not had a huge amount of winners, the 70 per cent place rate for the last 10 runners is something achieved by good placement and travelling the horses,” Turner said.

“It is something we are fairly proud of at current and the statistics for 2023 are also quite solid.

“Placing your horses is a big thing for me and that is something I really learnt from Michael.

“There is no point running a horse or going somewhere if you do not think it can win.

“I am more than happy to jump in the car myself and drive a couple of hours if it means we are going to have our statistics rolling forward and creating a bit of awareness about the stable.

“If there is anything niggling wrong with a horse – Michael would always scratch – he was always horse first and I learnt so much from him.

“From that, it had a flow on impact and the horses usually ran well where they were placed.”

Turner and Costa remain in regular contact.

Before spending five years as Costa’s foreman, Turner originally worked for the Kacy Fogden team at their Aquis operation, focusing in on pre-training and breakers.

Turner began preparing his own yard in the 2019-20 campaign and has collected two winners so far.

He broke through for his maiden triumph on his home track at Bundall in March of 2022 before adding his second victory at Walcha last Saturday afternoon.

While it was a lowly Benchmark 45 Handicap at Walcha over 1000 metres, Turner was proud to see mare Devine Factor break through after a consistent four runs to begin her preparation.

“I am happy to travel if they are going to win,” he said.

“We have had a great prep – Devine Factor has not missed a place – after we took her back in grade to where she is at now.”

He is optimistic the winning ways for the stable can roll on towards Doomben this Saturday afternoon.

Turner’s Tanker will contest the Colts, Geldings and Entires Benchmark 80 Handicap over 1350 metres after two scratching’s handed the emergency a start.

Tanker was previously prepared by the powerful Ciaron Maher and David Eustace team and is yet to put it all together for his new trainer in three starts.

The son of Pride Of Dubai – who was purchased for just $5,000 - trialled nicely at Murwillumbah late last month ahead of Saturday’s assignment.

“He led all the way – he was not touched – and he put a couple of Matthew Dunn’s Saturday horses on notice in that and ran time,” Turner said of the trial. 

“We have been ticking over trying to find the right race for him and I think this one will suit him.”

With the TAB, Tanker opened up as much as $81 but as of Thursday afternoon, the Gold Coast galloper was as short as $34 in fixed markets.

“I think he will run the best of what he has run since he has been with us,” he said.

“He probably went to the races a bit underdone the first few starts for us but third-up he finished off really well in the concluding stages.

“I think if he had a fair jump at his last start instead of rearing up the barriers, he would have finished a lot better that day.”

Turner leases 10 boxes at the Gold Coast.