Mathrin marvels as Travers banks Albury and Wagga doubles
Winning doubles at Albury and Wagga, on the back of recent victories at Dubbo and Narrandera, has helped Michael Travers to one of his best weeks as a trainer.
Brutal Force (Jean Van Overmeire) kicked off a busy month, winning the 1100m Class One Handicap at Dubbo on June 5, before Roullottie (Pierre Boudvillain) triumphed in the 1175m Benchmark 50 Handicap at Narrandera on June 13.
Then, racing at Albury on Tuesday, Travers combined with Blaike McDougall as Iroquai won the 1175m Maiden Handicap and Demi God saluted in the 1400m Class Two Handicap.
On his home deck at Wagga on Sunday, Travers watched the in-form Brutal Force, again ridden by Van Overmeire, make it back-to-back victories in the 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Purchased for just $3,000 via Inglis Digital earlier this year, the four-year-old son of Brutal has proven a bargain buy — Sunday's win taking his record for the stable to an impressive three wins and $41,925 from just five starts.
Capping off a remarkable day and week, stable stalwart Mathrin added another chapter to her storied career, relishing the Heavy 10 conditions to claim the 1600m Benchmark 82 Handicap by a whopping 3.47 lengths.
The Queen of the MTR stable, the tough mare dug deep for Carly Frater when it mattered most, showcasing the determination and heart that have made her such a valued member of the team.
The victory was the 10th of her career and came at her 97th start — a testament to her durability, consistency and sheer will to win.
"She's a marvel, isn't she?" Travers said of Mathrin. "She has held the stable together for years, and hopefully we can keep her around a little bit longer.
"We had her here on a wet track last start, and she had to perform. We got a little bit unlucky and just missed the run at the top of the straight, but she hit the line powerfully to run third at big odds. Today, with a really heavy track, I was pretty confident."
When asked about his big week, Travers put the results down to a team thriving on rain-affected tracks.
"It's been a fantastic couple of weeks, and this is my time of year," he said. "When it starts getting wet, it suits us. They're all thriving at the moment, and hopefully we can keep them going."
Travers is now on 97 career wins and is rocketing toward the century mark, after only deciding to take up training in 2020.
The former respected jockey, who rode nearly 1,000 winners, landed his first career victory as a trainer in April 2021 — becoming the first NSW-licensed trainer/jockey to win a race when Estaverdi broke through at Gundagai.
Two years later, Travers hung up his riding boots and turned his attention to training full-time, and has already tasted plenty of success.
In 2023/24, Travers won 19 races; last season, he brought up a career-best 26.
In 2025/26, with over a month of the season remaining, he is up to 32 victories, ranking 16th on the NSW country trainers' premiership.
This week, the stable will look to continue the hot run, with Travers targeting meetings at Rosehill Gardens and Gundagai on Saturday, and potentially Dubbo on Sunday.
Words: Jeff Hanson/Dusty Hooves Media
Image: Kylie Shaw/Trackpix
