Today, Marshall deliberately keeps his operation small, a change that has come about as his son Kyle has charted his own successful path across the Tasman. Kyle, together with partner Sophie Jeffries, has built a thriving training business in Victoria.
“He’s doing so well there, I’m really proud of him,” Marshall said. “He and Sophie are really committed to it. It’s great, especially because they did it all on their own.”
At home, Marshall has opted for quality over quantity, with only two horses currently working. Both are fillies, both are home bred and both have been produced entirely by Marshall from the start.
Those two fillies are Lil Mac and Arose, who meet tonight (6:22 p.m.). Both are long odds, with Arose at $31 and Lil Mac at $61.
Having already assessed the conditions on race day, Arose made her debut and finished sixth at Cambridge on November 14. Marshall was more than pleased with what he saw.
“I thought it was really good,” he said. “I told Todd (Mitchell) that I would be happy if we got a soft trip and a nice run home, and that’s exactly what we got. To be honest, she was a bit unlucky, the gap just closed as she went into the straight, but I was very happy with her run.”
Lil Mac performs for her debut tonight. Marshall admits it took her a little longer to get there, but patience was the key.
“She doesn’t have the best conformation and she’s a little nervous,” he explained. “But when she’s in gear, she’s absolutely fine. Because of her conformation, I didn’t do much with her. She ended up in a qualifying test because there were no learning series and she qualified, so I thought she could race this week and then hit the road for a while.”
Marshall believes time will be Lil Mac’s greatest ally.
“I think she’ll come back a nice three-year-old,” he said. “She is a big filly, so we had to take it easy, but she has come a long way in a short time.”
When asked if he could split the couple, Marshall responded diplomatically.
“They are quite even at this stage,” he said. “We will know a little more in six months. Arose is probably doing a little better at the moment, but she has done a lot more than the other filly.”
For full race entries, click here.
Through Jordyn Bublitz for Harness Racing New Zealand
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