After more than three decades working at Flemington Racecourse, trainer Saab Hasan has opted to close his Headquarters training operation as of this weekend.
All of Hasan’s horses will now be trained from his new property at Tabilk north of Melbourne, in a move which he says was a long time coming.
“I’m just moving my last five horses out of there (Flemington) now,” Hasan said.
“It’s a decision that I’ve contemplated for a while now. When I got the farm, I didn’t know how it was going to go, so I kept Flemington open thinking it was the right thing to do.
“I initially thought we could manage with two stables, but COVID’s played a role.”
Hasan says the decision to close the Flemington stable has lifted an enormous weight off his shoulders, and he says his horses, too, are flourishing in their new surroundings.
“I was suffering health-wise, my mental status wasn’t too good, I’m going to be 51 this year, so I just felt this was the right thing for me and my family,” Hasan said.
“The biggest factor here is my health, I was mentally exhausted, it doesn’t matter where you train, if you’re not mentally into it you’re as good as a beaten favourite.
“I just thought it’s time, I’ve been working at Flemington for 36 years, I know all the ins and outs, it’s been a terrific base but now it’s time for us to reinvent our training.
“The proof’s been in the pudding, most of our horses enjoy being trained out of that environment.”
The farm, which is still being developed, boasts a sand track and spacious boxes for horses to soak in the country lifestyle.
“The facilities are still being developed but we’ve got enough there to train our horses,” Hasan said.
“We’ve got a 1450-metre sand track, we’re constructing a grass track, we’ve just started building a swimming pool and the treadmills are here now, a 10-horse walker, 11 day yards – they’re 20 metres by 60 metres.
“It’s taken me two years before I can show everybody what we can do from there, I always knew it was going to work but it’s a matter of proving it.
“The horses are all a lot happier, they’re really thriving up there.”
One horse reaping the benefits of being trained rurally is Hasan’s stable star Sirius Suspect.
The eight-year-old son of Wanted is in blistering form, winning the Listed Sprint Series Final (1200m) and the Group 3 Aurie’s Star (1200m) at his past two starts.
“We’ll press ahead to the Bobbie Lewis (1200m) now, he’s had a shoe off with a little hoof prick, nothing serious, but we’ll see how he gallops over the next two weeks or so,” Hasan says.
“We’ve got him right now, we’ve got heaps of time, he’s pretty fit the horse.”