It's Tritton time

By Adam Hamilton

TEAM Tritton formally start an exciting new chapter of their career in the US on Saturday morning (NZ time).

Husband and wife, Shane and Lauren Tritton, moved to the US a couple of months back and have their first two starters at the famed Meadowlands track in New Jersey.

Kiwi-bred pair My Ruebe Star and Gods Spirit fly the stable flag.

There will be some familiar faces against them with Dexter Dunn and Aussie Andy McCarthy driving at the meeting.

“We’ve got 18 in work, 12 we brought across from Australia and six we’ve picked-up over here,” Tritton said. “It’s great to be having our first runners, but we are taking is nice and steadily over here and think we’ll get better with time.

“There are so many different viruses over here, you can’t go anywhere near as hard at the horses in training as we did back home, especially in their first few months here.

“We’ve had quite a few qualify and they all get in quite well here under the stakemoney handicapping system.”

Tritton expects solid showings from Gods Spirit and My Ruebe Star.

“Gods Spirit is probably the best up-and-comer we have here. He qualified well with a second to the star here, Wiggle It Jiggleit,” Tritton said.

“Of the horses we’ve got, Gods Spirit is the up-and-comer, but the proven Group 1 horses from back home, headed by Flaming Flutter and Yayas Hot Spot, are working well and should do a good job when they start racing soon.

“We’re also looking forward to racing Letsspendanitetogetha. He’s come up really well.”

Lauren Tritton has been driving at the qualifiers and won two of them last weekend, but will watch from the sidelines for now.

“Lauren’s all set to drive when the time is right, but wants to let the horses have a few runs and watch some of the racing before getting amongst it herself. It might be a few weeks I think,” Shane said.

Jordan Stratton, a long-time stable driver for Shane’s father, Peter, will drive Gods Spirit and My Ruebe Star this week.

“We’re training from the farm Dad trained at, about a hour north of New York City, and Jordan’s had a long association with Dad. He’s especially good as knowing how to drive these former Down Under horses without gassing them too much in their early runs,” Shane said.

Team Tritton will race mainly at the Meadowlands and Yonkers, when it re-opens for racing post-COVID on June 22.

“It’s been a bit of a blessing the suspension of racing because of COVID for us. It’s given us extra time to get settled-in and find our way. Now we’re keen to get into it,” Shane said.