Shall Be has returned from a break a winner, and continued the good run of form for Minervini Racing in the early part of 2025.
The son of the Woodside Park Stud Stallion in Shalaa (IRE) showed in his first preparation that he was a gelding that was going places with a tidy maiden win at this same track in April of 2024.
Patience from Mark Minervini saw Shall Be then turned out for an extended period, and he did not reappear at our Newcastle base until late last year.
That decision appears to have paid handsome dividends as the gelding showed his customary gate speed under Jose Severo, settling just off the pace in a 900m scamper, before burrowing through the race leader and running away to a comfortable fresh win.
Shall Be was an $8,000 purchase by Mark Minervini from the Willow Park Stud draft at the 2023 Inglis HTBA Sale.
The win was the gelding’s second from only four runs and takes his stake earnings to over $64,000.
Congratulations to his owners Grant Boyes, Kevin Dagg, Bill & Kristina Goldthorp OAM, Mike Lum, Colin Wightman, Dailey Racing (Mgr: Bob Dailey) & Minervini Racing (Mgr: Michelle Minervini).
Meanwhile, Minervini says 2025 brings a new chapter for Minervini Racing, and has announced three new significant appointments to the management structure.
Former jumps jockey Selim Agbal takes the role as stable foreman, with 12 years’ experience in the racing industry both in Australia and Europe.
He has ridden trackwork for the stables of leading trainers Chris Waller, David Hayes, Freedman brothers and Ciaron Maher.
Most recently he has worked for Maher as stable foreman at the Ballarat training facility, managing 170 horses and around 50 staff.
Agbal and his partner Ruby have moved to Newcastle to be closer to Ruby’s family.
Damien Fitton is Minervini’s new Racing Manager. The 27-year-old has been in the thoroughbred industry since he was 15.
He started his career under the guidance of Gai Waterhouse before moving to the Hunter Valley to work for breeding powerhouse Arrowfield Stud.
Fitton was awarded the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association Irish National scholarship in 2017 where he was the Australian representative.
More recently he has been Chris Waller Racing’s racing manager for six and a half years, and has recently branched out to build his own name as a bloodstock agent and jockey manager.
Mitch McBride joins Minervini Racing as equine science specialist.
He brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of equine welfare, his skills including horse nutrition, heart rate data analysis, trigger point reactions and identifying blood picture profiles.
McBride will physically inspect each horse every two weeks while in training and assist the team with feedback in regard to each animal’s fitness and soundness.
In thanking clients and friends for their continued support, Minervini also acknowledged the dedication of his stable staff Scott Martin, Will Forbes, Tori Jolley, Leah Mathieson, Bradley Larkin and Noah Montgomery.
Photo: Bradley Photos