Smooth Change At Ballymore Stables

It is business as usual at Ballymore Stables’ Matamata base.

Andrew Clarken, who has been the New Zealand trainer for Ballymore Stables since the beginning of the 2010/11 season, will cease this role on April 30 in preparation for a new partnership with Gareth McRae.

Chad Ormsby will take over from Andrew on April 30 at Ballymore. “We are confident of a smooth transition, as Chad has already been riding regular track work, he knows our horses well and has had a big involvement in the stables for the past 18 months,” says Ballymore Stables’ Michael Moroney.

“Chad will cease riding by April 14, at which point he will work full time in the stables,” he said.

“Andrew departs with my full support and we wish him well with his new training endeavours. However, I am very excited about Chad and Aliesha (Moroney taking over,” says Michael.

“I really think they have the skills as a team to bring the New Zealand stables back to the standard it was when I was training in New Zealand. Aliesha was there and part of the stable during this time so she knows what it takes to get a stable to this level,” Michael says.

“I have huge confidence in Chad’s ability to train and believe his in-depth knowledge of New Zealand racing and racetracks will be invaluable for the stable. I have no doubts that he will be successful as a trainer as were the likes of Dave O’Sullivan, Colin Jillings and Jim Gibbs, who were all natural horsemen like Chad but who had to give up riding at a young age due to problems with their weight”.

“Chad spent three months with myself in Caloundra riding for the stable, working with the horses and discussing race plans with me. He then moved to Melbourne for a month to look at our working and feeding regime so he knows how we operate. During this time Chad really impressed me with his horsemanship and way of thinking. At the Karaka Sales this year Paul also spent time with Chad and was impressed with his keen eye.

“While with us Andrew was supported by a large group of people who will also continue to be there to support Chad. I really believe results are not achieved by one person in a racing stable, but by a whole team. My brother, Paul, and I will continue to remain actively involved on a daily basis setting training and racing programmes for all of our New Zealand stable’s horses,” says Michael.

“My daughter (and Chad’s partner), Aliesha, will also play a significant role as our business development manager, as she has done over the past 18 months. Aliesha has a lot of new ideas and business experience which I feel will help to take our business to the next level. She is also an established horse woman in her own right. She brings a different skill set to Chad and together they will utilise their new property to not only agist horses but to mentally freshen or rehabilitate horses using their sand arena and jumps. This will be a huge asset to the stable,” Michael says.

Chad, 22, is an accomplished jockey having ridden for eight seasons and completed more than 500 wins on the flat and over fences. He has enjoyed another successful season as a jockey. One of his highlights this season was a Group 2 success in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day aboard the Ballymore Stables-trained Chicharita.

Michael Moroney, and his brother, Paul, remain actively involved on a daily basis in setting training and racing programmes for all of the stable’s horses.

Chad’s partner, Aliesha, is the business manager at Ballymore Stables. A past World Challenge dressage event winner and previous New Zealand Dressage Champion, Aliesha graduated from Waikato University’s Business Management course three years ago and worked for Delloites in Hamilton before joining Ballymore full time a year ago.

Contact: Aliesha Moroney 0273 473 191