The opportunity to work with some of the world’s best trotting stallions and mares and to leave New Zealand’s handicapping system well behind him are the reasons Sean McCaffrey will leave Cambridge in the middle of next month (March).

The Waikato horseman has been living in Cambridge for 50 years, but said the lure to be farm manager at Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms in Ballarat, Victoria, was too great.

“I went to the Sales with Pat last September and built up a good rapport with him. Then not long ago he asked me if I wanted to relocate to his magnificent farm and after some thought my wife, Joanne, and I agreed to move.

McCaffrey said Anton Golino would continue as head trainer, while he would manage the 720 acre (almost 300 hectares) farm as well as conditioning the young horses at Yabby Dam Farms.

“I will retain my property in Cambridge and Ross Payne will take over our team of about 15. It’s a good opportunity for him and he has the support of our owners. My wife will follow me once the loose ends have been tied up,” he said.

McCaffrey, who is 57, has lived in Cambridge since he was seven. He said he had trained some very nice horses over the years, but the best of them was the 28-win ($780,386) multiple Group One winning trotter, Sovereignty.

All up he has trained 442 winners ($3.7m) from 1986 to 2016 and 40 ($366,076) more with Ross Paynter this season and last. He’s also trained about 50 others overseas taking his tally well beyond the 500 mark.

In the sulky McCaffrey saluted the judge 134 times ($903,524) between 1983 and 2017. However he wasn't always the stable's number one driver, often preferring to use Maurice McKendry.

McCaffrey said he was looking forward to working for O’Driscoll’s elaborate and state-of-the-art Yabby Dam Farms.

“I’m excited because I’ll be working with some of the best possible horse-flesh you could get. Pat has lured the best stallions and mares from all around the world,” he said.

O'Driscoll said it was great to have someone with McCaffrey's experience on board. He said he would compliment the professionalism he had at his Farm.

“The trotting world was undergoing something of a revolution as the best bloodlines of Europe and North America combined to produce horses of superior gait, outstanding speed and enhanced stamina.

"Our mission is to provide Australian and New Zealand breeders with access to the best and most modern trotting bloodlines available in the world,” O’Driscoll said.

He said his philosophy remains to continually evaluate and source the best available trotting genetics from around the globe and to make those genetics available to our clients, to assist them in breeding world-class Trotters in Australia and New Zealand."

O’Driscoll said he had been busy over the past 12 months, having built the training and breeding facility in Ballarat, where we stand our French group winning stallion Used to Me.

"Our roster of immaculately bred, race performed French stallions have continued to increasingly be influential with Love You being named ‘New Zealand Trotting Stallion of the Year’ and his son Monbet being crowned ‘New Zealand Horse of the Year’.

"How can you not be excited about working with quality horse-flesh like that? That’s not forgetting the world-class 50 or 60 mares Pat also has on his property.

“Sure the handicapping debacle was a reason why I’m leaving but the lure of Yabby Dam Farms and its state-of-the-art professionalism was the main reason,” McCaffrey said.

Some of those mares include: La Coocaracha, Showmethemaori, La Biscuit, Donegal Flat, Calder Luck, Glenferrie Elixir, and from New Zealand - Kincaslough, Arboe, and Parisian Chic.

Their best colt or gelding so far is the 17-win Ganymede (France) - Showmethemaori gelding, Vincennes.