Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Ahead of Ellerslie’s marquee race night, Andrew Forsman reflects on the strategies that have propelled his success while offering insights into how ownership changes are influencing the sport’s next chapter.
He emphasised the changing dynamics, noting a shift away from larger syndicates to smaller, more intimate groups of owners.
“As time has gone on, we probably have less and less major owners. We don’t have that many syndicates, but more so groups of owners that join together to race a horse,” he explained. “Groups of loyal stable clients joining together seems to be the new way.”
This collaborative ownership model, Forsman believes, aligns well with his philosophy of buying genuine racehorses that can perform regardless of their origins. When it comes to purchasing at sales, his approach is both discerning and pragmatic.
“We like having a look at all of the horses. There's plenty of good bloodstock around, and they can't all sell for big money—it is one of the main reasons why I do look to shop around,” he said.
“We like having a look at all of the horses. There's plenty of good bloodstock around, and they can't all sell for big money—it is one of the main reasons why I do look to shop around.” - Andrew Forsman
Forsman recently purchased at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale, acquiring a colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) in partnership with Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA). Looking ahead to the NZB National Yearling Sales Series, he remarked, “It’s a good value sale, and Kiwi-breds always punch well above their weight. I like the proven stallions, and they will be on my target list, but we will also be looking for value.”
Ownership incentives tied to different sales are another factor Forsman considers, but he remains focused on the quality of the horse above all else.
“We worry about it afterwards. Each sale has nice horses and incentives attached, whether it's a Magic Millions series, Inglis series, Karaka Millions, or The Kiwi,” he said. “Our approach is to go to each sale and buy genuine racehorses, and whatever happens after that works itself out.”
“Our approach is to go to each sale and buy genuine racehorses, and whatever happens after that works itself out.” - Andrew Forsman
Forsman has also been strengthening his presence in Australia, he has a base at Flemington, where his team is expanding.
“We are now at the stage where we are established and have got a good foothold at Flemington. We feel we have found our feet there, and it is time to introduce new owners in Australia,” he explained. “In saying that, we have a nice enough Australian client base, but we do want to build that up now over the next few seasons.”
Forsman Racing team are in good form
Forsman’s team have been in solid form this season and he currently sits in seventh spot on the New Zealand trainers premiership with 27 wins. The stakes wins included amongst this total have been via Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan) winning the G2 Auckland Guineas and Mustang Morgan (NZ) (Preferment {NZ}) who was successful in the Listed Gingernuts Salver.
There is a nice mix of experienced and promising horses within the Forsman stable, the stable stalwart Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}), the proven bunch of Almanzor (Fr) mares Moonlight Magic (NZ), Mary Shan (NZ) and Positivity (NZ) and some very promising 3-year-olds such as the aforementioned Yaldi and Mustang Morgan, Macaluso (NZ) (Savabeel), Hinekaha (NZ) (Savabeel) and Kitty Flash (NZ) (Ace High).
Yaldi (NZ) | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
As the conversation turned to the TAB Karaka 3YO Classic and the NZB Kiwi, Forsman highlighted the importance of these races in shaping his stable’s future.
“The Kiwi has added a lot of intrigue. I think people are still working it out. It’s a great initiative, and now that it's close, it is quite exciting,” he said. “Being a small owner in a slot (with the King’s Men group), we still have some thinking and work to do. But even away from that, hopefully, I am training one or two runners that we can get into the race. There's no doubt everyone is talking about the race, and I'm sure there will be more and more chat at Karaka over the next week.”
Good hopes at Ellerslie
As for the TAB Karaka 3YO Classic itself, Forsman’s talented duo of 3-year-olds is poised to make an impact. Yaldi and Retrostar (NZ) (Vespa {NZ}) will represent his stable in the prestigious event.
Forsman is particularly optimistic about Yaldi, explaining, “Yaldi is going very well. With the blinkers on last time, he probably presented and got there a bit soon. Blinkers off will give him every chance to run a strong mile. It may be a little beyond him distance wise, but on ability, he has a great chance.”
Retrostar’s prospects, while more cautious, are not without promise. “His last couple have been a bit disappointing, but things haven’t quite worked out. He is a two-win horse, he deserves his spot, and he is certainly capable of featuring,” Forsman said.
Beyond the Classic, Forsman has other strong contenders for Ellerslie’s big night. Mary Shan (NZ), a dual Group 2 placegetter and runner-up in the Listed Matamata Cup is targeting her first stakes win in the Listed Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic.
Reflecting on her chances, Forsman noted, “She has been very unlucky. She got caught in all sorts of trouble last time, and her run was full of merit—she never really got a crack at them. If the tempo is on and she gets a fair chance, she is a big hope.”
Gallery: Forsmans' other strong contenders for Ellerslie’s big night, images courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Kitty Flash (NZ), another promising runner, will contest the Listed Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy.
“Unfortunately with the draw she is going to be up against it dropping back from 1400 metres back to the 1200 metres, but she was relatively fresh for Trentham, so she should have improved off that. Hopefully there is genuine tempo on and she can follow something into the race, if she is to run well it opens up lots of options for the rest of her campaign,” Forsman said.
With a well-rounded perspective on ownership and a stable full of promising runners, Forsman is poised for a successful night at Ellerslie.
“It should be a great night of racing, great prizemoney, competitive racing, and everyone wants to be there,” he said.
