But, he’s not talking about one of his horses.

Trinder’s high expectations are for his new apprentice Alex Patis who has been on loan to the trainer for the past three months and has now had her papers transferred permanently.

She was previously apprenticed to Victorian trainer Paul Banks.

Patis, 18, won her first race for Trinder at Spreyton on Sunday when she led all the way on Kyogle Son.

“It was a good ride – she set a moderate pace through the middle stages before kicking at the top of the straight,” the trainer said.

“We’ve been working on a few things since Alex has been here and I’m pleased with the way she’s progressing.

“I’m sure she’s going to get some good opportunities.”

Trinder, one of Australia’s top jumps jockey before he turned to training, is also the master of the state’s leading apprentice Chris Graham.

The trainer described Kyogle Son’s win as “a really good result” but was even more pleased with stablemate Khatun’s fourth placing.

“I thought Khatun was fantastic – we’ve had a hell of a go with her over the past six weeks with foot abscesses and tying up issues,” he said.

Trainer Graeme McCulloch will appeal his conviction for a positive swab that stewards conceded was “most likely” due to contaminated feed.

The McCulloch-trained Windrider tested positive to oripavine after winning at Mowbray in April.

The horse was disqualified and the trainer fined $2500 (wholly suspended for two years).

Oripavine is described in the Rules Of Racing as an analgesic substance that can be found in opium poppies.

McCulloch is licenced to grow poppies on his Whitemore property and also grows other crops used for horse feed.

He said that he made every attempt to prevent regrowth of poppies after harvesting to avoid contamination to other crops.

“That’s why I have to appeal – this could happen to me again next week,” the trainer said.

The types of poppies that contain oripavine are grown almost exclusively in Tasmania and nearly all the positive swabs related to the drug have been in this state.

Trainers that have been affected believe if it was a nationwide problem Racing Australia would have been more sympathetic to calls to have oripavine removed from the prohibited substances’ list.

In a letter to its CEO Barry O’Farrell, Mowbray trainer Marion Dalco said Racing Australia either didn’t understand the issue or “simply does not care.”

A positive from Sunday’s Spreyton meeting was that Craig Newitt reported the track raced much better than the previous week, with a lot less kick-back.

But the negative was that the photo finish equipment is still substandard and requires further urgent attention.