A pleased Matt Cumani walked back into his Ballarat stables on Tuesday after serving a suspension handed down to him on May 16.
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The dedicated trainer copped the suspension after it was found he chose to self-contain rather than report an outbreak of the infectious disease strangles in his stables. But with that now behind him, he is excited for what the future holds.
Cumani said it had been a strange feeling not having his regular duties, but he managed to make the most of his time off.
On a personal note, Cumani got engaged. While the last couple of months, while not ideal, had given him a chance to reflect on his business.
“For something I wouldn’t wish on any trainer it’s gone relatively smoothly,” Cumani said.
“It’s obviously not ideal and not something you want to do, but I’ve managed to take the time to sit back and reflect on what the business has done over the last 12 months, make a few changes and see where we can make improvements.
“Hopefully I can turn that into a bit of a positive.”
Cumani said it was a peculiar feeling going from such a busy lifestyle to so little, but he expected to return to the fast-paced day-to-day life of a trainer very quickly.
“It’s such an intense job, you go from having four hours sleep a night and working all day to suddenly having nothing to do and twiddling your thumbs.
“I definitely took a bit of time to adapt into the retiree’s life, and likewise it will take me a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things – but it definitely feels like I’m putting on an old pair of boots again.”
Cumani praised the work of his team and in particular Simon Morrish who took the reins in Cumani’s absence.
“Simon (Morrish) has left the horses in great shape and has done a great job in the mean time.
“It’s a real testament to him and my team – a fantastic, recently put together team who have pulled together and kept the whole show on the road.
“It’s a young business, it needs to keep improving if it’s going to get anywhere and they’ve managed to do that over the last couple of months.”
Cumani said he was excited to continue to improve his stable and recently bought five “top class” young horses as he sets his sights on the spring carnival.