McLean delivers for Archer Park team

By Jordan Gerrans

The Gold Coast’s Stephen McLean was glad to be able to repay a couple of long-term backers of his training venture when O'caldino won under lights at Clifford Park on Saturday evening. 

The son of Dundeel races in Archer Park’s colours of white, royal blue stars, royal blue and white stars sleeves and cap. 

The Archer Park Racing team consists of McLean’s father Mark and Chris Wessel as the ownership group race a number of gallopers with several trainers across Australia. 

McLean previously was in a training partnership with Toby Edmonds at the Gold Coast before venturing out on his own in recent weeks. 

O'caldino’s strong performance in the last event from Toowoomba on Saturday evening was McLean’s maiden victory after going out on his own and training solo. 

Going forward, the bulk of McLean’s runners are likely to be owned by the Archer Park Racing team, so he was proud to be able to deliver on their investment in his fledgling barn. 

“I have been doing this since I was 14 or 15 and everyone has offered their advice or opinion and you take everything on board,” the young trainer said.

“You take great satisfaction in actually piecing together everything they have all taught me and put it all together and make it work.

“It was more satisfying because of the colours the horse was wearing and that my partner Nicole, she looks after him, as well.

“I grew up in Bundaberg around Chris and his son Jarrod.

“Hopefully I can string a few wins together for them and get the ball rolling.”

In a somewhat fitting result, O'caldino was McLean’s first runner once the partnership with Edmonds was dissolved and the four-year-old stayer in the maker broke his maiden status as a standalone conditioner. 

It took 16 attempts for the gelding to land the prize for the first time, but he had been knocking on the door in his last couple of attempts over more ground.

“I was very pleased to see him win,” the trainer said.

“The horse himself has been a work in progress and has taken some figuring out, I suppose you could call it.

“There is a lot more of the 1700 or 1800 metre maidens as such and I was a bit sceptical of him at the 2200 metres last time, jumping up from 1800 metres.

“It was my error last start with my instructions to jockey Brandon Lerena, but I have been nothing but happy with the horse since that last run and it was good to see him get the job done.”

With Jake Molloy doing the steering, O'caldino scored by three lengths over 2000 metres. 

The 33-year-old McLean has 20 boxes at the Gold Coast Turf Club and has a mixture of older horses and yearlings in his growing team. 

He has retained a couple of smart gallopers from his partnership with Edmonds including city winners Show Some Decorum and Scheherazade.

After going into partnership with the Group 1-winner Edmonds in the latter stages of 2024, McLean says the time was right to go out on his own.

“You have got an itch and you need to scratch it,” he said.

“Every result that happens moving forward from now on and are based on decisions I make.”

McLean cut his teeth in the ‘Rum City’ of Bundaberg in Central Queensland, dreaming of eventually preparing gallopers for a day job.

The sport has taken the enthusiastic horseman across the globe as he has tried to pick up as much knowledge and tricks of the trade from as many top trainers as possible. 

After growing up in the Sunshine State, McLean went across the ditch to New Zealand, over to the United Kingdom, on to the USA, as well as working in several states of Australia.