OUR EXPERTS
Leonard Russo
Bloodstock Agent
Leonard (Lenny) Russo at Bluegrass Bloodstock is Toward Reward’s Bloodstock Agent. He helps us select our horses so that we have the best chance of success on the racetrack.
Leonard is an exceptional judge of thoroughbreds with extensive experience. He has worked all over the world for organisations including Ashwell Stud, Coolmore Stud, Cambridge Stud, Roger James Racing, John Hawkes Racing, and Tattersalls UK. Throughout his career, he has touched every part of the industry. He is one of Australia’s most successful bloodstock agents.
Leonard is a member of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia Limited (FBAA) and adheres to the organisation’s strict code of ethics. You can read more about him here.
Emma-Lee & David Browne – Sparta Racing
Trainers
Sparta Racing is led by Trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne, who each have over 20 years of experience in the horse racing industry. The pair are passionate about winning races, and know what it takes to keep horses competing at a top level, with recent successes with the likes of Belle du Nord (NZ), Elephant (NZ), Basilinna (NZ) and Le Zebra (NZ), to name a few.
David is the grandson of New Zealand Hall of Fame Trainers Ken and Ann Browne, and Emma-Lee is the daughter of three-time Australian Showjumping Olympian, Coach and Trainer Jeff McVean.
Emma-Lee and David relocated from New Zealand to Australia in 2022, having enjoyed numerous successes in their home country and successfully campaigned horses in Australia for many years. They have since set up base at the well-equipped Sportsbet-Pakenham Racecourse, which boasts a grass course proper, a polytrack, a hill track, two sand tracks, and a swimming pool.
A true family affair, Emma-Lee and David’s eldest children both take part in riding Sparta horses for trackwork, alongside David, and strap the horses on race days. Lucy also competes in jump outs for the stable.
Emma-Lee and David have endless time for their owners and share our vision to provide a top-notch race-day experience. They’re the first to invite owners to join them at the bar for a drink after a race, celebratory or otherwise!
Patrick Kearney
Trainer
Patrick (Pat) Kearney is a Trainer for Toward Reward horses and a young, up-and-coming trainer to have on your radar.
Pat started riding trackwork at 14 and gained his amateur jockey’s license at 16. Once he finished school, he relocated to Caulfield to work for Mick Price as his travelling foreman, where he worked and rode Group 1 winners, including Seabrook, Hiyaam and Grunt. His determination to learn as much as possible took him to Newmarket in the UK, where Pat worked as Hugo Palmer’s pupil assistant. His time in the UK was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but upon his return to Australia, he formed Patrick Kearney Racing and became a trainer.
Pat concluded his first season with a strike rate of 14% winners to runners and 46% place-getters. He has trained winners in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, including his current stable star Ashy Boy, who ran a gallant 2nd in the listed Tasmanian Derby.
Patrick Kearney Racing’s stables are located on-course at Ballarat and include access to the world-class Ballarat Training Complexes facilities all-weather uphill training track, grass training tracks, sand track, synthetic track, and swimming pool. You can learn more about Patrick Kearney Racing through their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter profiles.
Adam Trinder
Trainer
Adam Trinder is a third-generation trainer of the Trinder family in Tasmania. He is the son of Michael and the grandson of Ray, with all three men being inductees in the Tasmanian Racing Hall Of Fame.
Adam was a successful flat jockey in Tasmania but succumbed to weight quickly and turned to jumps riding at the age of 17. He quickly came into his own winning all major jumps races in Tasmania and quickly headed across Bass Strait to further his career. Once based in Melbourne it didn’t take Adam long to start notching up success at the highest level winning such races as the Australia Hurdle, Galleywood Hurdle, Grand National Hurdle and two Hiskens Steeples, just to mention a few.
Adam has quickly established himself as one of the state’s leading trainers by finishing in the top three of the trainer’s premiership consistently.
He has also notched up many feature wins already as a trainer including becoming the first Tasmanian based trainer to win a Group 1 race with Mystic Journey in the Australian Guineas. Mystic Journey has now won five stakes races and the richest mile race on turf the $5M All Star Mile.
Adam has also prepared 2012 Tasmanian triple crown WFA winner Youthful Jack, dual stakes winning juvenile Mystical Pursuit, 2015 Moonee Valley winner Valiant Warrior, multiple stakes winning Jerilderie Letter (2016 Tasmanian Derby) and 2019 Group 3 Vamos Stakes winner Twitchy Frank.
Being from a fierce jumps racing family, Adam has always had patience on his side and this has transpired into his training career giving every horse a chance to develop and come into their own.
Adam always lets his owners know “We’re a patient stable that likes to nurture each horse, and the horse always comes first!”
With a great team behind him which includes his fiancé Leah Goodrick, a former leading rider herself, Trinder Racing have the skills and experience to ensure your horse is given every opportunity to succeed on the track.
TOWARD REWARD THOROUGHBREDS PTY LTD (Authorised Representative No 001292019)
Being an Authorised Representative of Stable Connect Ltd (AFS Licence No. 336964)
Stable Connect is the Promotor and Offeror of all horses managed by Toward Reward Thoroughbreds
Toward Reward Thoroughbreds is proudly an Approved Promoter of Racing Victoria