It’s been one heck of a season for Dubbo based Clint Lundholm. With just over two and a half weeks remaining in the 2022/2023 year, Clint is sitting in 8th spot on the NSW ladder with 71 wins and 113 placings including two dead heats. He and his team have worked hard and travelled extensively to make those statistics a reality.
Clint’s six win haul for the month of June makes him a worthy recipient of the Pryde’s EasiFeed Country Trainer of The Month Award. Just An Upstart (Wendy Peel) got the stable away with a win at Dubbo on June 2nd. A week later Starlink (Robert Simpson) and Plenitude (Grant Buckley) notched a double for the Lundholm yard on their hometrack. In form apprentice Robert Simpson won another three races for Clint in June - Venatic at Coonamble, Smooth Esprit at Dubbo and Obey at Scone.
Clint’s professional riding career lasted only three years before rapidly increasing weight saw him switch to the picnic circuit. He rode dozens of winners with his 2007 Gunnedah Cup win on Zedevain perhaps his most memorable. His last winning ride was on the fourteen time winner King Rex in an open sprint at Dubbo in July of 2008. He actually won three races on King Rex who earned more than half a million dollars in a sixty five start career.
Image 15 - Clint Lundholm is currently in 8th spot on the NSW trainer's ladder with 71 wins as at 12/07/2023 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Clint was apprenticed to his grandfather, legendary horseman John Lundholm who passed away in 2016 at 85 years of age. John Lundholm’s training career was highlighted by numerous western districts premierships, a host of country cup wins and a brilliant strike rate on metropolitan tracks. Clint’s father John Lundholm Jnr, a very talented horseman in his own right also made his mark as a trainer. John is still a valued member of Clint’s “on ground” team.
Nowadays the regular TAB Highways are the primary focus of country trainers who have the right horse in the stable. Clint has two Highway wins on his CV with Larlabrook (Greg Ryan) in 2017 and Smooth Esprit (Kerrin McEvoy) at Rosehill last September. He’s hoping the former Victorian Skyforger will measure up to Highway class in the near future. The son of Deep Field is a ten start maiden as this story is posted, but has a string of minor placings to his credit.
Clint says the talented veteran Listen To The Band is his favourite horse to date. Despite major knee issues, the rising nine year old made it four on the trot with a strong win in the Coonamble Country Championship Qualifier in March. Sadly his ongoing problems kept him out of the Randwick Final, and he had to undergo a second arthroscopic procedure. Clint says Kosciuszko plans have been abandoned, but the old warrior will be aimed at next year’s Country Championship series. The trainer is also looking forward to Quasimoto’s return to work in a few weeks. The rising three year old gave connections a massive thrill when he beat all but Sovereign Fund in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic last December.
Twelve bags of Pryde’s EasiPerformance will land in Clint Lundholm’s feed room in the near future - a great way to start the new racing season.
Smooth Esprit (Kerrin McEvoy) gives Clint his 2nd TAB Highway - Rosehill 24/09/2022 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Larlabrook (Greg Ryan) gives Clint his first TAB Highway win at Randwick 2017 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)
