Generation Next: 'The more you learn, the more you realise the less you know'

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

A handy galloper bred by his aunt got Todd Pollard hooked on horse racing as a kid - now the Kiwi runs the Queensland branch of Annabel Neasham Racing, with aspirations to train on his own.

“That was the first horse that hooked me on racing, when I was about nine or ten years old,” Pollard told TTR AusNZ, reminiscing about placing his first bets on the Robert Priscott-trained Rosetti Bay (NZ) (Pins), whose eight wins were crowned by victory in the G3 Evergreen S. at Hawera.

Bred by Pollard’s paternal aunt, Elizabeth Pollard of Rosehill Stud (NZ), the mare’s career would open Pollard’s eyes to the world of racing, and he knocked on the door of Matamata veteran trainer Graham Richardson for his first industry job at twelve.

“I was young and keen and enthusiastic about it,” said Pollard. “I loved it so much; I was there mucking out boxes before school and knew from the early days that I wanted to one day train horses.”

Pollard spent five years building his foundations while working for Richardson, before setting his sights on the Godolphin Flying Start. After high school, he undertook a Bachelor of Business degree at Massey University, majoring in marketing, and sought to bolster his resume along the way.

“The ticket onto the Flying Start is that you have to have the right CV,” said Pollard, who worked for Waikato Stud and Palmerston North based trainer Lisa Latta around his studies. “I was very tactical about who I worked for; I’d always try to get to Australia on my summer holidays to build up my connections.”

This included working for esteemed trainer John O’Shea, training for Godolphin at the time, during the last summer of his degree.

“I built good connections not only through employers, but also the people I worked with,” said Pollard, who returned to work for O’Shea for six months following graduation.

Off to a Flying Start

The strength of these connections and experience granted Pollard a spot in the Godolphin Flying Start’s 2016 intake, where the Kiwi would realise the true scope of the international thoroughbred industry.

“It was fantastic, it exceeded expectations,” Pollard was humbled by the intercontinental experience of the programme. “You think they (Australia and New Zealand) are the biggest and brightest industries in the world, then you fly to Ireland and realise how small Australia really is in the grand scheme of things. It was a good realisation. You really start to get a bit of a feel for each country, they all train so differently.

“America was possibly my favourite because it was such a new experience, I was oblivious to everything there and had no idea about the races, it’s such a massive industry.”

Pollard was placed with Phillip D’Amato in California, in the year that D’Amato trained Ransom The Moon (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}) to win the G1 Bing Crosby S.

“It was a great place to be at the time, Phil was the young up and coming trainer,” said Pollard, who still keeps track of D’Amato’s horses. “It was so interesting– completely different training methods. American racing is survival of the fittest, who has the endurance to keep racing a little bit longer.”

D’Amato has since chalked up fourteen more wins at the highest level and Ransom The Moon has retired to stand at Calumet Farm in Kentucky.

Pollard fondly recalls seeing 2016 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Arrogate (USA), trained by Bob Baffert, “I got to see (Arrogate) at his morning work, which was quite cool. He was one of the world’s best horses at the time, which was definitely special.”

Arrogate took out the G1 Dubai World Cup later that year, his seventh consecutive win and fourth at the highest level, before embarking on a tragically brief stud career.

After the Flying Start, Pollard returned to New Zealand to work for leading trainer Stephen Marsh as his racing manager.

“He’s (Marsh) a good trainer, but he’s a great person as well,” said Pollard of his time with Marsh. “I learned a lot from him, as much about training as dealing with the staff and the owners. He was always very positive and I think I took a lot away from how he managed people.”

In early 2021, after two and a half years with Marsh, Pollard would reach out to newly minted trainer Annabel Neasham.

“I knew she (Neasham) was going to be a big name and a force to be reckoned with in the coming years,” Pollard said, who joined Neasham as her assistant trainer at her fledgling Warwick Farm stables. “I was always keeping an eye on who across the ditch I could get in contact with.” Since joining, the operation has, in his words, “exploded” to include stables at Rosehill, Pakenham, and Eagle Farm.

The ride of Zaaki

Pollard’s move to Australia coincided with the arrival of rockstar racehorse Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux {BRZ}), with Pollard bearing witness to his first trials on Australian soil. The import would cap that preparation with a trio of black type wins, highlighted by 7l demolition job in the G1 Doomben Cup.

“There’s nothing he (couldn’t) do,” said Pollard, who travelled down to Melbourne with Zaaki and regular trackwork rider Raphael Marchelli later that year, when a second wave of COVID lockdowns made interstate transport difficult. He would tend to Zaaki’s every need, and report back to Neasham daily on her rising star’s progress.

“It was such an eye opener, you would take him (Zaaki) down the beach, and there would be all the news cameras and reporters wanting to get a bit of the action of Zaaki. He was one of the best in Australia at the time.”

Zaaki’s spring carnival preparation would almost be derailed by an elevated temperature on the morning of the Cox Plate, where he was to start as the $2 dollar favourite - the scratching was a “bitter pill to swallow”.

“One of the tougher days you could have,” Pollard recalled, “but he bounced back.” And bounce back he did, taking out the G1 Mackinnon S. at Flemington a fortnight later, with Neasham’s maiden Group 1 winner Mo’Unga (NZ) in third. “Annabel had a lot of support before that, but it catapulted her even more.”

Pollard is proud to have been part of the team from the very beginning, and now oversees the Eagle Farm arm of the operation, where the 2023/24 racing season has been highlighted by Bois D’argent’s (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) win in the Doomben Cup and the exciting Fawkner Park (Zoffany {Ire}) capturing the G2 The Q22.

“(Fawkner Park) is probably the best horse of them all, probably the most exciting,” Pollard said. “I’m looking forward to following him into the spring, and seeing how he can perform in the Caulfield Cup and races like that.”

Pollard is confident in the strength of his relationship with his boss, “She (Neasham) has a lot of trust and confidence in me to do the right thing. She’s always there to chat to and get feedback, but if it’s straightforward, she will let you do your own thing. It’s a really good learning curve and when I do eventually go out on my own, I’ll be much better for it, as I’ve been able to make these decisions.”

Despite his aspirations, Pollard is not in a hurry to get his trainer’s licence: “you’re constantly evolving and learning. The more you learn, the more you realise the less you know.” He encourages others with the same goals to gain as much varied experience as possible, and to always seek to broaden their horizons.

“Work for the best - every trainer is different,” Pollard said. “Shake as many hands as you can on the way through. The older you get, the smaller the industry is, and you’ll realise how valuable those connections can be.”