Brosnan team fancies its chances

It's a formidable partnership on paper and the Emmett and Richard Brosnan team is hoping to build into a successful force out of their new base in Meredith.

Richard, a semi-retired champion trainer/driver from New Zealand, moved to Australia to be closer to his children and taken up a co-licence with his son, who has gone alone after a decade-long grounding with Geoff Webster in Bannockburn.

It's only a part-time venture at this stage for Emmett, who works full-time as an equine sports therapist, but it's one that has been enjoyable since moving to the new property at the start of the year.

"It's really a two-way street. Dad's brought horses over and they wanted to scale down a little bit and I wanted to have a few extra ones so we took a partnership. It's been working really well," Emmett said. "We kind of met in the middle."

Emmett said he had originally just trained some of his own horses out of Webster's stables, but had decided it was time to expand.

"It basically just got to a point where I had to make a decision … if I just kept one or two horses and had horses at Geoff's place and continued as I was going or whether I started growing it a little bit more, which, obviously at that point, you need your own space," he said.

"I am pleased I made the move, but at the same time it's really early days. At the moment it's a really basic set-up and we are just working hard to get it to a point where it's fully operational. It's a pretty low-key set-up right at the moment, but the horses are still training good off the property."

The team fancies its chances tonight at Tabcorp Park Melton with one of the few horses to have connections outside the family. That is Betta Bopper, who is raced by the Ballarat and District Trotting Club Standardbred Group.

The daughter of Betterthancheddar has drawn the outside barrier in the small field of six, which will contest the Catanach's Jewellers Pace (1720m, mares NR 55-66).

The Melton circuit is one that Betta Bopper enjoys, with two of her four career wins having come at the venue.

"I actually think she's right in it," Emmett said. "She does race really good at Melton and does have good closing speed and finishes off her races well. If they do run it along, she'll be right there."

Once again, it's a seven-race card at Victorian harness racing headquarters this evening, with the first event set to go at 5.37pm.

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