To a trained eye

Swayzee’s caretaker trainer Mark Jones has been able to observe first hand just how much time Australian trainer Jason Grimson spends with his horses and his deep understanding of each horse in his care.

“Jason is so one on one and goes out and works them on how they feel. He’s a bit of a freak of nature and knows every horse inside out. No horse is treated the same and he’s got Swayzee, as his record shows, pretty sorted,” Jones said.

Jones has had a bit to do with Grimson over the years in New Zealand and Australia and admires his talent.

“He came and stayed with me when he brought Majestic Cruiser over, who ran second in the Cup. He spent time in the paddock with him and is able to get inside horse’s heads, knows them and understands them very well. It’s a thing that few people have got. I remember a guy that worked for me for years who met Jason over at Menangle when Jason first started and before he made it. He made a comment that Jason Grimson is the closest person to Mark Purdon that he’d ever seen. This guy also worked for Mark Purdon.”

Purdon is widely recognised as one of the most respected horsemen this country has produced training 2,668 winners in the three decades of his training career.

Swayzee has been in New Zealand since early April and since The Race at Cambridge  has stayed on with Jones to target some of Auckland’s richest races.

“The horse flew in before Cambridge and he took him out and jogged him. In the afternoon he rode him round Pukekohe. He spends a lot of time with them. The horses love him and rely on him to be there. Having small numbers is probably why he’s successful too. He has his numbers and staff ratio good. He’s a bit of a freak to watch really.”

Jones says as a trainer no matter how long you’ve been in the game you never stop learning.

“A lot of Australians come and stay with us. It’s great. You get to know the people and you also get to see what they do with their horses. Everyone does things differently and you pick up new things from everybody.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink