Patience paying off for Sixtus in standout season

By Jordan Gerrans

Warwick trainer Stephanie Sixtus is on the verge of posting a career-best season and she is optimistic Tigermoth can keep the positive results rolling on her home deck on Tuesday.

The Kiwi native has called the Southern Downs of Queensland home for almost two decades after a lengthy career as a trackwork rider across Australia.

With a relatively small in work at Allman Park at Warwick, Sixtus has delivered one of her best campaigns as a trainer since taking out her own training ticket in the season of 2018-19.

She has six winners to her name to go along with 18 minor placings from 115 runners.

Southampton Nicco has provided two of the victories while stablemate Denetta won in March and has placed on a few other occasions.

“We are probably getting a couple of slightly better horses,” she said.

“They're still down the bottom of the ranks, but they're happy and racing well.

“We got Southampton Nicco because my son rides trackwork for Leo Roche and the opportunity came up to lease him.

“So, we took him and he's won his last two, so that's pretty handy. So, just getting a horse like that to win two, that's helped get the winners up.

“I bought Denetta online and she has been consistent. It has been good.”

Sixtus is on track to post her best season since taking out her licence.

She prepared seven winners in the 2021-22 term, but she is a good chance of surpassing that with plenty of time left in the 2025-26 campaign.

In terms of placed runners, Sixtus has already surpassed her previous high mark and is going at a strike-rate of 20% for her runners finishing in the top three this season, which is as prolific as she has ever recorded. 

In her younger days, Sixtus rode trackwork in Sydney for Grahame Begg and John O’Shea before relocating to the Sunshine State after she welcomed her son Jake into the world.

The 49-year-old has remained at Warwick and has graduated from trackwork rider to trainer over the last seven years.

While she still rides her own trackwork, she is no longer helping out other trainers, while her son Jake rides trackwork for Roche and Cameron Byrne, among other trainers.

Maiden runner Tigermoth is only a newcomer to Sixtus’ team, but she is hopeful the gelding will be competitive over 1500 metres on Tuesday.

The son of So You Think ran into fourth at Ballina last start which followed a fifth-placed effort at Warwick in early March.

“He acts like a horse that probably needs a little bit more ground,” the trainer said.

“But, I think if he gets a softish lead, he'll just keep fighting on. He's just a bit one-paced.

“At Ballina the other day, he was three and four wide, but he kept pushing forward and still kept fighting on.

“So, if he can just get a softish lead, he will just keep plodding along.”

Tigermoth is raced by the same ownership group as Heavenly Az who won in January for the Sixtus barn.

As well as Tigermoth, stablemate Denetta was also accepted to face the starter on Tuesday at Warwick.

The mare has since been scratched with a minor injury.

Sixtus is keen to take seven-year-old mare Denetta to a few country meetings in the coming weeks and months to ensure she is eligible for the Country Cups Challenge series later in the year.