AT THE BARRIERS Tasmania

July 30-2026

John Blacker may have claimed another Tasmanian trainers’ premiership, but few stables could match the remarkable efficiency and quality achieved by Barry Campbell and his Ensign Lodge team during the 2025/26 racing season.

Blacker finished the season on top of the premiership with 68 winners, ahead of Glenn Stevenson on 53 and Campbell, who rounded out the top three with an outstanding 50 victories.

For a stable that operates with a relatively small but carefully selected team from its Spreyton base on Tasmania’s North West Coast, Campbell’s achievements stand among the state’s most impressive training performances of the season.

The campaign also carried special significance personally, with Campbell celebrating the 1,000th winner of his training career, a milestone that recognised decades of dedication to the sport.

Campbell prepares many of his horses for Star Thoroughbreds principal Denise Martin, one of Australia’s most successful racing syndicators. Martin, who was born and raised in Tasmania, is the daughter of Tasmanian football legend “Paddy” Martin and has maintained strong ties to her home state through her racing interests.

While the numbers alone paint an impressive picture, they only tell part of the story.

During the season, Ensign Lodge saddled up 178 runners, producing 50 winners at an exceptional winning strike rate of 28.09 per cent. The stable also amassed more than $1.73 million in prizemoney, underlining both the consistency and quality of its performers.

Recording almost one winner for every three starters is an outstanding achievement by any standard, but it was the calibre of those victories that truly elevated the season.

Campbell enjoyed Group 3 success with the talented mare Sanniya, who captured both the Mystic Journey Stakes and the Vamos Stakes, establishing herself among Tasmania’s elite gallopers.

The evergreen Durazzo added further black-type success with Listed victories in the Newmarket Handicap, Conquering Stakes and The Inevitable Stakes, while Mazzini continued the stable’s outstanding season by claiming the Listed Tasmanian Guineas.

Those feature race victories highlighted the strength of Campbell’s carefully managed team and reinforced Ensign Lodge’s reputation as one of Tasmania’s premier boutique racing operations.

Behind every winner is a dedicated team, and Campbell was quick to acknowledge the collective effort that made the season possible. The combination of quality horses, loyal owners, meticulous planning and an experienced stable staff allowed Ensign Lodge to consistently compete at the highest level throughout the season.

While another trainers’ title went to John Blacker, the 2025/26 season will long be remembered at Spreyton as one of the finest in Ensign Lodge’s history—a campaign that delivered a career milestone, black-type success and statistics that most stables can only aspire to achieve.