Mark Minervini is quietly chuffed with the way his boutique stable has been chugging along since the beginning of 2025. With a team of just twenty horses in work at Newcastle, the former South Australian has posted the impressive statistic of seventeen wins and eighteen placings since the middle of January. His tally includes four winning doubles.
Mark got on the board on January 10th when Shall Be strolled home in a BM64 at Newcastle with Brazilian Jose Severo in the saddle. Two weeks later King’s Duty (Lee Magorrian) won easily at Wyong and then it was a Newcastle double with Shall Be and Ocean Joy both well ridden by Magorrian. Smiling Prophet (Will Stanley) continued the stable’s momentum with a win at Scone followed by Madame Bonjour’s Taree victory on March 17th with Luke Rolls on board. One week later Rolls got Bold Design home at Taree and repeated the dose on Cool Space at Port Macquarie four days later.
Another double came up at Newcastle on April 12th when Luke Rolls was successful on Bella Kathleen and Rose Of Dubai. Only five days later it was another brace of wins at Wyong with Shall Be (his third win in five starts) and Bonjour Madame both handled by in form Braith Nock. May 2nd saw Gemologist (Aaron Bullock) salute at Muswellbrook. Stable newcomer Pratt then put together two on the trot at Newcastle and Wyong with Aaron Bullock doing the honours. Mark’s fourth double for the year came up at Port Macquarie on June 24th when Luke Rolls won on three year olds Tickle Me Pink and Mirai San.
Shall Be (Braith Nock) wins a BM68 at Wyong 17/04/2025 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Wauchope based Luke Rolls has been the trainer’s most successful jockey for 2025 handling seven of his eighteen winners. “I first met Luke when I took Vormista to Queensland for a few big races seventeen years ago,” recalled Mark. “He was riding plenty of winners at the time and I’ve watched his progress ever since. All these years later he’s one of my “go-to” jockeys in the Hunter and mid north coast region. He’s never ridden better than he is currently.”
Mark was delighted to see Pratt win at his first two starts for the stable. This son of Exceed And Excel was originally a $270,000 purchase by Suman Hedge Bloodstock at the 2023 Inglis Easter Sale. He subsequently contested six barrier trials before finally going to the races as a colt for the Waller stable. He failed to place in three runs and suddenly appeared in the catalogue for the February Ingis Digital Sale. “We were pleased to nail him for just $45,000,” said Mark. “He’d been OK in a couple of those runs for Chris Waller, but his owners obviously gave up on him. We were pleased to learn that he’d been gelded before the online sale which saved us the trouble. He’s two for two so far and currently having a break.”
Another winner to give the trainer a special thrill was Rose of Dubai who was having her first race start when she emphatically won a Newcastle maiden. “She’s part owned by Eddie Boas who only recently returned to the ranks of Sydney owners after a lengthy absence,” said Mark. “Eddie is best remembered as the owner of that consistent performer Stony Bay who raced at the top level in the late 1990’s. He won two Gr 1’s and was placed in a couple of others. Eddie was tickled pink when his co-owners agreed to race Rose Of Dubai in Stony Bay’s colours.”
Rose Of Dubai (Luke Rolls) wins her maiden at Newcastle in the colours of part-owner Eddie Boas - the colours carried in 2 Gr. 1 wins by Stony Bay in the late 1990's - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Had the 2023 South Australian prize money increases been in the pipeline a few years earlier, Mark Minervini may never have left his native state. He’d enjoyed a wonderful journey with his bonny mare Vormista who won a Gr 2 at Flemington and was placed three times at Gr 1 level - BTC Cup, Manikato Stakes and Australia Stakes. Mark had also enjoyed great success with consistent horses like Go The Knuckle, Mr. Sands, Sure Bet, Linbird, Hanabananah, Red Labelle, In The Mist and General.
Shortly before his move to NSW Mark acquired a mare called Mica Lil for $20,000 in the early days of the Inglis Digital Sale. No wonder he remains enamoured of the online auction. Mica Lil, who’d previously won four races in WA won first up at Morphettville and followed up with a second in a $100,000 mares race on the same track. Two weeks later the daughter of Testa Rossa finished third in the Gr 1 Robert Sangster Stakes. She didn’t win again in seven starts but realised $220,000 when sold on as a broodmare.
Mark with Mica Lil - A $20,000 purchase on an early Inglis Digital Sale, turned out to be a great business proposition for her new owners.
In 2019 he made the very courageous decision to relocate to NSW where prize money levels were climbing rapidly. He opted for Newcastle as the most logical location for an interstate trainer with no superstars on the team. The close proximity of several Hunter and mid north coast tracks appealed greatly, as did a fast freeway to Sydney should a city class horse come along. Mark remains eternally grateful to the Newcastle Jockey Club whose administrators bent over backwards to assist.
“The Committee were so welcoming from the time I applied for boxes,” recalled Mark. “They gave me twelve to start with and added another eight in a short time. I’ve already put my hand up for a few more, when the proposed new stabling becomes a reality. Without such tremendous support the move would have been very intimidating. Remember I knew nobody. I didn’t know a single trainer, jockey, strapper, official or farrier. I didn’t know which direction to take to Scone, Muswellbrook or Taree.”
The Minervini stable got away to a dream start when their very first runner Calipari comfortably won a 900m maiden at Newcastle with Aaron Bullock in the saddle. Calipari was yet another purchase from the Inglis Digital Sale ($42,500), and yet another high priced colt to visit the surgeon on arriving at Newcastle.
Calipari was Mark's first NSW runner. The gelding won a Newcastle maiden by a big space with Aaron Bullock on board - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Mark’s most expensive online purchase to date was imported gelding Hosier who’d been brought to Australia by Lloyd Williams after two average runs in Ireland. Lloyd was on good terms with himself when the son of Camelot won five of his first six Victorian starts, but felt he wasn’t going to measure up to better class horses. Hosier then entered the Kris Lees stable and got away to a flyer with a win in the Coffs Harbour Cup, quickly followed by a BM88 success at Randwick. However, his next two runs were below par prompting Williams to enter him for an upcoming Inglis Digital Sale.
Enter Mark Minervini. After extensive research he committed to acquiring Hosier and actually had clients interested to the tune of $80,000 as the deadline drew near. It was Mark’s final bid of $100,000 that brought Hosier back to Newcastle. At just his fourth start for the new stable Hoisier blew the opposition away in the Gr 3 Premier’s Cup at Randwick with Jason Collett in the saddle. It was Mark’s first win on the famous Sydney course. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life,” said the trainer. “From my teen years in Adelaide I had an obsession about Randwick and dreamed of training a winner there one day.”
Hosier was the horse to give Mark his first Randwick win - the Gr. 3 Premier's Cup with Jason Collett 19/08/2023 - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
The trainer immediately planned an assault on the Wyong/Newcastle Cup double. The gelding was perfectly placed in the middle stages at Wyong when The Mediterranean racing outside the leader, broke down hopelessly and fell at the 700m. The field was completely disorganised with Hosier one of the chief sufferers. Jason Collett wasn’t happy with his action and eased him right out of the race to finish 100m from winner Benaud. Two weeks later Hosier looked the winner at the 200m in the Newcastle Cup before weakening slightly to finish third less than a length from winner Military Mission. “I have no doubt he would have won the Newcastle Cup had it not been for that freak mishap at Wyong,” said Mark. “He needed that solid run to top him off for a pretty tough 2300m at Newcastle.”
Mark Minervini doesn’t have a single regret about his life changing move to the famous regional racing precinct. The winners have flowed at a steady rate, the stable has garnered a very loyal owner base and the many tracks within manageable distances have given the trainer a wide range of options. Hosier aside there have been several multiple winners for the stable including New Republic, Fire ‘N’ Ice, Bubbles For Me, Diamond Lily, Star Impact, Super (8 wins including 7 at Newcastle), and Quick Tempo whose wins include a Saturday metro win on Gong day at Kembla.
Quick Tempo (Jason Collett) wins a BM78 on Gong day at Kembla 2022 - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Mark’s the first to admit his wife Michelle is deserving of a Gr 1 ranking when it comes to the administration side of the business. Her use of social media to keep owners informed of the slightest development with their horses is done with expertise. Mark speaks highly of the work being done by his stable foreman Selim Agbal, a former jumps jockey who spent most of his early life in Paris. “Selim regards himself as a Frenchman, but was actually born in Turkey,” says the trainer. ‘He was well regarded as a jumps jockey but had to quit after a couple of nasty falls. He’s a very good horseman and is across the characteristics of every horse in the place.”
If there’s a negative to Mark and Michelle’s new life in NSW it’s obviously their separation from son Adam and daughter Nicolle who chose to stay in Adelaide when their parents made the very important move six years ago. ‘It was understandable in view of the fact that Adelaide had been their home since birth, the centrepoint of their education and the home of their many friends,” said Mark. “In the six years since we left Adelaide Nicolle has presented us with two little grandsons, Flynn who’ll soon be four, and Beau who’s just two months old. Michelle gets over there whenever commitments allow. I’m going to have to get my act together in the future.”
Like another famous trainer of yesteryear whose career began in Adelaide, Mark Minervini places enormous credence in plain old patience. He’ll wait another week or two rather than risk undermining an entire preparation. Most times he’s right. For owners who appreciate a face to face chat with their trainer, it’s a certainty Mark will be on track the next time their horse goes around. There’s a splash of the old world horse trainer about Mark Minervini and his owners wouldn’t have it any other way.
Mark Minervini has no regrets about his surprise move to Newcastle in 2019 - no credit
(Banner image - Pratt looked like a horse with upside as he strolled home in a Newcastle maiden 26/05/2025 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)