Oamaru racecourse may not have been a welcoming place for horses or humans yesterday, but Timaru trainer Kevin Brosnahan is partial to the track.
Brosnahan's game mare It's Happen'en returned to the birdcage as a winner at her 24th start yesterday - and Brosnahan revealed the track had been kind to him in the past, even if the wind was blowing and the rain was falling at times yesterday.
Allan James provided Brosnahan with his first winner ''a long time ago'' at Oamaru -a time period Brosnahan later pinpointed as almost 40 years ago.
''I've won a few races, but I've never had a big team or anything,'' Brosnahan said.
Brosnahan trains the 8yr-old for oil rig worker Basil Mischefski, who bred It's Happen'en from the Vice Regal mare Zdena.
''We stood the stallion [Tristaking] and he couldn't really afford to race him, so he said do you want to go half a share and train it so that's what we're doing.
''We broke her in so it's been a long time, isn't it - but she didn't start racing until she was 5.''
Brosnahan was prepared to keep trying with It's Happen'en, especially as she kept providing him with a glimmer of hope, placing 10 times before yesterday's win.
''She's a real stayer - she'd probably make a nice jumper but I'm getting a bit old for that.
''We'll just play it by ear. There's not many distances races coming up for a while. We'll give her a few days off, and have a think about things.''
