Fabio Martino, a trainer in his sixth season, is aiming to continue his stable’s positive run at Newcastle’s premier meeting of the year, less than two weeks after securing his inaugural Randwick victory with All Star on Melbourne Cup Day.
Operating out of Hawkesbury, Martino is set to debut Acrozina, a two-year-old filly, in the Max Lees Classic (900m).
The juvenile missed a start as an emergency for last week’s Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill and will enter Saturday’s race following a single barrier trial.
Martino indicated that the filly has performed well at home, though he anticipates she will gain considerable experience from her race day debut.
“I have a nice opinion of her, obviously. Since we purchased her at the Classic Sale with the owner, she trialled here at Hawkesbury, and I was pretty happy with it,” Martino stated.
“She did very well. She behaved professionally before the trial, after the trial, during the trial. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“I believe at this stage of her career, she’ll learn much more out of a race than another trial.”
With a modest stable size of 20-24 horses, Martino has had limited success with juvenile runners, particularly those competing before Christmas.
He recalled having success with a filly named Gail Jeanette two years prior, who secured a substantial return for her connections.
“I had a runner in the Gimcrack (Stakes) and the same horse raced into the (Inglis) Nursery in the first week of December, Gail Jeanette,” Martino recalled.
“She won the Pink Bonus for me in the Nursery. It was better than winning a race with the money we got.”
Despite his relatively early stage in training, Martino has cultivated his skills by working under prominent Sydney trainers such as Chris Waller, David Payne, and Michael Freedman.
He has integrated lessons learned from each into his personal training methodology.
“I got bits and pieces from them all and tried to work out my own training regime,” he commented.
Reece Jones is scheduled to ride Acrozina. While Martino does not expect a major upset, he is hopeful of a respectable performance from the filly, particularly in the latter stages of the race.
“I’m going there to see a professional horse that does everything right and hits the line strongly,” he stated.
“I know 900 metres at Newcastle, you’ve got to be a weapon, so I won’t be too disappointed if she runs midfield.”
Martino confirmed that All Star is currently enjoying a brief spell after his Melbourne Cup Day win and is being prepared for the Festival Stakes at Rosehill later in the month.
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