Trainer Joshua King dares to dream of first city winner

By Glenn Davis

After training his first winner with only his second starter, rookie trainer Joshua King is daring to dream for his first metropolitan victory at Doomben on Wednesday.

King, a former bush jockey, recently took over training the bulk of Steve Tregea’s stable after the Toowoomba trainer decided to scale down his day-to-day activities.

He has only been licensed three weeks and has 12 horses in work, eight from Tregea’s stable and four outside clients on his books.

King’s first runner as a trainer was Enabler, who ran in a three-year-old race at Eagle Farm on July 30.

Enabler lines-up in the Benchmark 65 Handicap over 1200 metres and will be ridden by Anthony Allen and has drawn perfectly in barrier three.

“He’s got a good alley so he’ll definitely be running and hopefully he can stay out of trouble,” King said.

Enabler had seven starts for Tregea, winning three times, and is expected to take a lot of benefit from his first-up run for King.

“He had every chance last start but he just raced a bit too keenly that’s why we’re dropping him back in distance,” King said.

“I think he’s improved since his first run for me and he’ll be competitive.

“He’s just got to learn to relax more but that will come with maturity.”

Tregea took Enabler to Rockhampton in June in search of a big track where he easily won a Class 3 before he had his last run for him finishing fourth at Eagle Farm in mid-July.

King is highly regarded for his horsemanship and is a son of Norma King, who trains at Miles.

He rode 105 winners in nine years as a jockey and trained his first winner when Incentivise’s half-brother Argyle Lane won at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

The highly promising Argyle Lane maintained his unbeaten record from two starts when he strolled home to win a Class 1 by more than two lengths.

Argyle Lane is the last foal of Tregea’s Windemere Stud mare Miss Argyle who tragically died last year while foaling.