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Cheeky Choice

GAI’S GAZETTE2ND EDITION/SEPTEMBER 2013

Find out more about racing a horse with Gai Waterhouse at www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au

Proudly Sponsored by Magic Millions

EDITORIAL Who wants to own a Group One Flight Stakes winner?

INDUSTRY FOCUS An interview with Widden’s Antony Thompson

THE PRIVATE TRACK DEBATE Rob Waterhouse on the “private track myth”

2 www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au

Fiorente and Carlton HouseBradley Photographers

www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au 3

From the Pen of the Lady Trainer...............................................................

Recent Winners.....................................................................................................

Who wants to own a Group One Flight Stakes Winner?.............

In the Spotlight: Antony Thompson.........................................................

Vale Northern Meteor.........................................................................................

Chris O’Sullivan on colic....................................................................................

Extra... Extra... Read all about it......................................................................

Performance of the Month.............................................................................

The Private Track Debate..................................................................................

Future Forecasts.....................................................................................................

The Overseas Influence......................................................................................

Instinction Joins Eliza Park International in QLD...............................

Behind the Scenes with jockey Thomas Huet....................................

Behind the Scenes with stable manager Mel Norton...................

Back in the Day with T.J. Smith......................................................................

Sunday at the stables...........................................................................................

INFORmATIONPages 4-5

Pages 6-7

Pages 8-9

Pages 10-11

Page 12

Pages 12-13

Page 14

Page 15

Pages 16-17

Page 18

Page 19

Page 20

Pages 22-23

Pages 24-25

Pages 26-28

Pages 30-31

Editor-in-Chief: Lea Stracey

Editor: Madison Whant

Production Manager: Adrian Bott

Advertising Manager: Adrian Bott

Journalists: Zeb Armstrong, Rob Waterhouse, James Harron,

Madison Whant, Grant Vandenberg and David Bay

Graphic Design and Layout: Madison Whant

Chief Photographer: Bradley Photographers

Major Sponsors: Magic Millions, Widden Stud and Emirates

Park Stud

Major contributors: Zeb Armstrong

Producers: Graphic Impressions

WHAT’S NEW?

GAI’S GAZETTE


FROm THE PEN OF THE LADY TRAINERI am lucky to have three sensational mid-

dle distance horses in the stable at the moment, all of whom are raring to go head-ing towards Flemington. The Melbourne Cup is the holy grail of Australian racing and it is such a thrill to have these three live chances this early in the build up towards the Cup. The leader of the pack is Fiorente (Monsun x Desert Bloom); the striking brown entire is again aimed at the first Tuesday in November after a brilliant runner up finish in the race that stops a nation in 2012. For one brief shining moment Fiorente returned for the 1400m All-Aged Stakes at Randwick in the autumn where he ran third. He was then spelled in preparation for the riches at Flemington in the spring.Australia’s richest and most competitive

race, the Melbourne Cup will be upon us before we know it. For racegoers the world stands still for the little over three minutes the race generally takes. For Australians everywhere the race draws us together in anticipation and excitement. For owners, jockeys, trainers, strappers and everyone else concerned with the industry the race

represents years of preparation in peaking a horse at that exact moment. Fiorente will not be on his own in the search for the ultimate racing glory. My hardy and durable front running Group One winner Glencadam Gold (Refuse to Bend x Sandrella) is also on a Melbourne Cup quest. This gelding was purchased for just 135,000 guineas at the Tattersall’s sales at Newmarket, England. Many bloodstock agents collectively raised an eyebrow when the son of Refuse to Bend was knocked down to Bruce Slade for Gai Waterhouse. Both Fiorente and Glencadam Gold have one thing in common… they both, through their form, caught the attention of Mr Rob Waterhouse. Rob has been a bookie for many a long year now and he is one of very few Australian bookmakers who still do their own form for the races. Rob’s keen eye spot-ted something in Glencadam Gold’s form that no one else could see. Glencadam Gold did not last long as a stallion in Australia. Before he was gelded his mind was on anything but racing. Glencadam Gold repaid our faith in him firstly by winning his first four starts culminating in the Group One Metropolitan

Handicap, then by running a tremendous sixth in the 2012 Melbourne Cup. Carlton House (Street Cry x Talented) on the other hand was sent to me by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the recommendation of John Warren, Her Majesty’s bloodstock agent. John has first-hand experience of how my stable functions and how I communicate with my owners. John felt Tulloch Lodge was the perfect place for Carlton House to recapture his form after he seemingly was not performing at his best, especially at his last overseas run in the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin. So the entire was shipped Down Under and I gave him one start in the autumn where he finished midfield. Carlton House was then sent for a spell. Spelling a spring contender after one autumn start is a common practice among Australian trainers. Some might say it is done in order to free up boxes, but this could not be further from the truth. Spring horses enjoy coming back for one autumn start then heading back out because it breaks up the monotonous routine of being in a

Gai and Monty Roberts observe the Friday jumpouts on his visit to RandwickPhotograph by Need for Steed Australia


Have a message for Gai? Tell us your story..... Send your letters to [email protected] The deadline for our next issue is September 20.

box and completing track work each day. In this country of sunshine and energy

inducing feed, a horse when spelling will invariably grow. Their feet grow, their bones grow as does their overall size. Glencadam Gold, Fiorente and Carlton House are all remarkably bigger now. A spell after one quick start also freshens up a horse’s mind.

For the equine residents of Tulloch Lodge it is my way or the highway. I want my horses to be competitive at the highest level. That is my number one goal for each horse that walks through the gates. Some horses have an agenda and this can stop them achieving their best. Once a horse and I see eye to eye and understand each other perfectly we can get on with the business of winning Group One races.

Lloyd Williams knows better than anyone else what it takes to get a horse (especially a horse bred in Europe) to peak at around 3pm on the first Tuesday in November. When Lloyd speaks about a potential Cup preparation, the Lady Trainer listens intently.

Fiorente will follow a similar prep to that of Green Moon in 2012. I have been studying the lead up races of the past 20 Cup winners in an attempt to learn more and more about how to get a horse to peak for this legendary two mile race. There will be no stone left unturned in my attempt to take home the 2013 Melbourne Cup. Glencadam Gold will fly the flag in his home state of NSW before heading south. His preparation will kick off in the Chelmsford. Carlton House’s preparation is a slightly more open forum. While talking with Her Majesty at Royal

Ascot, Monty Roberts’ name came up as someone who could assist us in the solving of Carlton House’s barrier problems. Monty was in Australia this month and the world famous horse whisperer was not intending to visit Sydney while he was Down Under. However, after I called him, he was more than happy to come and see Carlton House in Sydney. ‘Anything I can do for Her Majesty, well, I am only too happy to help.’ He said, ‘Her Majesty is a big inspiration of mine and I

am glad you gave me a call.’ Even in its embryonic state I am much

enjoying the challenge and the team of peo-ple that have come together to produce the gazette. Zeb Armstrong is our driving force and fearless leader. Zeb is also the biggest contributor to the gazette. His knowledge of the Australian racing industry is jaw dropping and his enthusiasm is contagious. Madison Whant is our young and very tal-ented budding editor. Madison is just cutting her teeth in the industry and she is doing a fantastic job. Adrian Bott is our production and advertising manager. Adrian is doing an outstanding job of tying together all the threads as well as liaising with the gazette sponsors Magic Millions and the other major contributors. Lastly, but definitely not least, there is my dear friend Lea Stracey who proofreads all the separate articles, then edits, then edits again until the gazette is perfect for your reading.

I hope you enjoy our articles each month, and stay tuned…..

Tommy Berry on Glencadam GoldBradley Photographers


Forever LovedBradley Photographers

Aussies Love SportBradley Photographers

Order of the SunBradley Photographers

WarBradley Photographers


SOME RECENT

WINNERSWith Bradley Photographers

Star Thoroughbreds Mr JackmanBradley Photographers

SpurtonicBradley Photographers

WHO WANTS TO OWN

A GROUP ONE FLIGHT STAKES WINNER?

So you want to own a Flight Stakes win-ner? The best way to achieve this goal is

to make your way to the Gold Coast in any given January for the Magic Millions sales, find the Lady Trainer and ask nicely if you may take a percentage of a filly purchased by Gai. Why is this you may ask? Well Gai has trained seven Flight Stakes winners and five of these were purchased at the Magic Millions sales on the Gold Coast. These five Magic Millions graduates that have delivered a Flight Stakes trophy to Tulloch Lodge include three consecutive winners for Gai in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Has any other trainer in recent memory won the same Group One Classic three years in a row?

The Flight Stakes is a wonderful race named after a wonderful race mare. Flight was a champion mare in the final years of World War II and in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. The durable champion was one of the main reasons racing enjoyed a ‘boom’ period directly after WWII. She had 65 starts for 24 wins including two Cox Plates plus many more feature races; Flight also had the unnerving privilege of regularly running against immortal champions Bernborough and Shannon. After racing for five full sea-sons, Flight produced just one foal, the aptly named Flight’s Daughter.

This mare produced two full brothers both by legendary stallion Star Kingdom; they

were Skyline who won a Golden Slipper and an AJC Derby and the immortal Sky High who is one of the best ten horses to ever grace the Australian turf. The race that honours Flight - The Flight Stakes is run over 1600m in the Sydney Spring for three-year-old fillies.

It is a Group One event. Gai has trained seven Flight Stakes winners in total; they are Assertive Lass (1996), Danglissa (1999), Ha Ha (2001), Lotteria (2004), Fashions Afield (2005), Cheeky Choice (2006) and More Joyous (2009). The middle five winners were all purchased at the Magic Millions sales on the Gold Coast and these five were all very special fillies.

Danglissa (Danzero x Vreeland) was purchased by Gai in conjunction with Denise Martin from Star Thoroughbreds at the 1998 Magic Millions for just $45,000. The daughter of Danzero had a brilliant three-year-old season; in fact almost all of her $864,415 was won during her three-year-old season. Danglissa resumed as a three-year-old in a 1500m Magic Millions race at Rosehill where she ran second, beaten by less than half a length. After this second, Danglissa won the two

traditional Flight Stakes lead up races, the Group Three Furious Stakes and the Group Two Tea Rose. Danglissa won these races

very easily both as a short priced favourite. Then on Epsom Day 1999, Danglissa bolted in in the Flight Stakes as an odds on favou-rite. After this monumental win, Danglissa went south and was narrowly beaten in the Thousand Guineas, the Wakeful and the VRC Oaks. After her Melbourne spring efforts, Danglissa returned to Sydney for the autumn and put an exclamation mark on her career with a win in the Queen of the Turf Stakes. This race is now a Group One. She was retired having won six races (four at Group or Listed level) and having made almost 20 times her purchase price on the track.

Ha Ha (Danehill x Very Droll) cost $300,000 as a yearling at the 2000 Magic Millions sales. $300,000 is quite a price to pay for a yearling - in fact Ha Ha was the most expensive of Gai’s five Flight Stakes winners that were purchased at the Magic Millions sales. But $300,000 seems like a bargain when compared to Ha Ha’s career earnings of $2,989,465. This filly was another example of a brilliant purchase by Gai at the Magic Millions. Ha Ha won eight races in her career and six of these were at Group or Listed level. The filly’s best wins were no doubt the 2001 Golden Slipper as well as the 2001 Flight Stakes. Ha Ha was placed in the Furious before winning the Tea Rose and the Flight Stakes. In winning the Flight Stakes, Ha Ha beat the super filly Hosannah.

Fashions Afield (Redoute’s Choice x Attire) was purchased by Gai at the 2004 Magic Millions sales for $230,000. The speedy filly through dogged determina-tion and a will to win managed to bank $1,974,110 on the track during her 22 start race career.

In all of Fashions Afield’s best wins includ-ing the 2005 Flight Stakes, she beat the gun Ingham owned and multiple Group One winning filly Mnemosyne. The two clashed as two-year-olds with Fashions Afield com-ing out on top in the Riesling and the Group One Sires’ and as three-year-olds where Fashions Afield maintained her

DanglissaBradley Photographers


BY ZEB ARmSTRONG

advantage in the Flight Stakes. In five clashes, Fashions Afield won three while Mnemosyne won two. Fashions Afield is another example of a very affordable filly chosen by Gai that went on to make a huge amount of money on the track. Anytime a filly makes eight times more on the track than its sale price as Fashions Afield did, is a success story. Gai seems to have young horses under her watch that achieve these statistics very frequently.

Lotteria (Redoute’s Choice x Rose Reward) won the Flight Stakes in 2004, but unlike Gai’s previous winners in this great race, Lotteria won not as a juvenile champion, but as a filly on the rise. This daughter of Redoute’s Choice was pur-chased by Gai at the 2003 Magic Millions sales for $260,000. In hindsight this seems like a bargain especially since Redoute’s Choice was flying as a stallion in 2003 and also the fact that Lotteria picked up $1,491,560 on the track in her 17 start race career. Lotteria may have made even more on the track had she not run into a couple of Australia’s best ever horses, but, even so, this wonderful filly was simply breathtaking on the track and she more than held her own in the biggest races on the Australian racing calendar. Whereas Danglissa and Ha Ha won the Flight Stakes off the back of great performances in the Furious and Tea Rose, Lotteria took out the classic after a trip to Newcastle. After just holding on in the Spring Classic in Newcastle, Gai felt her gun filly was going well enough to be given her chance in the Group One Flight Stakes. Again this was a masterstroke from the Lady Trainer because as the $4 second favourite, Lotteria produced one of the best Flight Stakes performances in the 66 year history of the race to win by seven lengths. After this win Lotteria came back in the autumn and won the Surround Stakes, then as a four-year-old in the following spring the now mare won the Shannon, ran a place in the Epsom (beaten by Desert War by a length), ran second to Makybe Diva in the Cox Plate then won the Myer Classic at Flemington. Lotteria did make almost six times her purchase price on the track and performed so beautifully well against the likes of Desert War at his best and a near-on unbeatable Makybe Diva in that mare’s history defining 2005 spring.

Cheeky Choice (Redoute’s Choice x Christchurch) was purchased by Gai at the 2005 Magic Millions sales for $200,000.

The filly repaid Gai’s faith firstly by winning $595,425 on the track and secondly, after retirement, by being sold while in foal to More Than Ready for over one million dollars. On the track, Cheeky Choice was a cheeky front runner that fought exception-ally hard and was very hard to get past. She won four from fifteen, all at the top level and was only unplaced five times in her career. Cheeky Choice was a winner at two and three but no doubt the best win of her career was the 2006 Flight Stakes. On this fine October day in 2006, Hugh Bowman from barrier 17 managed to position Cheeky Choice firstly outside the leader, then even-tually in the lead. The filly showed all her tenacity to not only hold on to win after

a hard run, but to actually extend in the straight and beat a crack field by 2.5 lengths.

The evidence is conclusive. Winning a Group One race seven times in fourteen years (1996 – 2009) is remarkable enough, but when five of these wins including three in three consecutive years were all purchased at the Magic Millions, well that is a truly outstanding achievement. Gai Waterhouse and the Magic Millions sales when combined clearly have an unbeliev-able record in the Flight Stakes. Join Gai and the team at the Magic Millions sales from January 8 to 14 2014 and you never know, you might leave owning a percentage of a future Flight Stakes winner. The form guide says you have a big chance!

Cheeky ChoiceBradley Photographers


LotteriaBradley Photographers


IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ANTONY THOmPSON & WIDDEN STUD

Widden Stud is widely known as one of the most successful thoroughbred studs in Australia. Zeb Armstrong interviews Widden owner and breeder, Antony Thompson.

You are a 7th generation breeder at a stud that has been in the family for

140 years. The stud has once been home to three of Australia’s greatest ever horses in Ajax, Todman and Vain. These three horses fit comfortably in the top ten in Australian racing history and they all ended up at Widden as sires after their brilliant careers were finished. How do you uphold the level of excellence that is expected at Widden in this age of compet-itiveness and technology after being on top for over 100 years? Like all businesses we must continue to evolve and reinvest. We have reinvested heavily into some great young stallions, quality mares, facilities on the farm and the people that work here. Having great young people involved in the stud makes the evolv-ing part much easier as they bring new ideas and technology. Ensuring we implement this technology to communicate effectively

with our clients is one example of how we are able to continue to uphold our level of excellence.

Gai always makes mention of one specific thing when it comes to promising year-lings; the importance of the paddocks that they are allowed to play and graze in which allows them to develop and grow in their first year. Gai also regularly makes mention of the ground in the Hunter Valley and how it is perfect ‘horse country.’ What can you tell us about the geography of Widden Stud, and the beautiful fenced paddocks where the yearlings spend their first year?The Widden Valley is very unique, stun-ningly beautiful and fertile. As we own over 8000 acres we are able to provide lovely big paddocks for the young horses to grow in and develop. At the sales we commonly receive feedback on how well-grown and

muscled our yearlings are in addition to them having great bone but ultimately it is the level of success on the race track where you are judged and our record for producing the winners of big races is second to none.

What does a normal day entail during breeding season?Long hours and lots of hard work from the team at Widden.

What about during the sales?The hours are still long however the work is not that hard for me as I get to talk to the buyers while they inspect our yearlings. The yearling grooms have very busy days ensur-ing each yearling looks magnificent and is paraded well for each individual inspection.

Leaving aside the immortal stallions that have stood at Widden, what is the best horse that has ever set foot on the

property?A couple of the greatest ever to grace the Australian turf in Ajax and Kingston Town spring to mind as both had incredible race records and a huge following.

How about one of your favourite ‘Widden Graduates’ in your time in charge? There are many on the list. Selling three recent Caulfield Guineas winners in Helenus, Whobegotyou and Anacheeva gave us huge satisfaction. Dane Ripper and Sun Classique were foaled and raised at Widden and seeing them win the Cox Plate and the Dubai World Cup was exciting. This year, we have been enjoying Pitcrew’s success as he was Sebring’s first foal and a real character. Obviously many of the same team that raced Sebring also race Pitcrew with Gai which is very fitting.

Todman only ever lost one race (he broke down in his other loss) and it was to Tulloch. The colt was the first and one of the most dominant Golden Slipper win-ners ever. Perhaps the only horse that has been more dominant in the Golden Slipper was Vain. Then there are other Slipper winners Marscay, Stratum and Sebring. All these champions have stood at Widden (Sebring and Stratum currently). Why has Widden always targeted the best Slipper winners? The Golden Slipper is Australia’s sire making race. It is the ultimate test of a young horse’s speed, soundness and constitution. For a colt to be able to cope with this early pressure and excel, it proves they are very sound of mind and limb. These qualities undoubtedly attract the commercial breeders looking to breed a horse that can inherit these import-ant traits.

Gai has the runs on the board to indicate that she has one of the best eyes for a yearling in the entire industry. How are things at Widden when the Gai juggernaut arrives each year to inspect the yearlings? Gai and her team work very hard at securing the right yearlings and this involves at least two trips to the farm each year to inspect them, as well as many parades at the sales prior to the yearlings being auctioned. They’re a very professional team and we are always pleased to see Gai none more so than my children Amy and Sam who get very excited whenever Gai is coming and there is always a great deal of fun and lots of pranks!

From Marscay to Sebring, what are the most noticeable changes in the breeding industry?The level of care for both the horses and clients is much higher and as a result the breeding industry has become much more labour intensive. Competition is far greater than it’s ever been in Australia with the introduction of major international conglomerates to the market. This is why now more than ever we need to maintain a very close relationship with our clients. Ultimately, we are in the business to achieve success for our clients, produce race horses of the highest standard and offer stallions that are suited to Australian conditions.

The Hunter Valley is famous for three things: wine, horses and coal. It is remark-

i

able that arguably the best of these threeindustries all come from the Hunter. How does one relatively small area cope with three such fundamental Australian industries in almost perfect harmony? The wine and horses produced in the Hunter have co-existed and complemented each other very well as both industries are environmentally friendly and have quite a common client base.

Unfortunately the rapid expansion of the coal mines in the past ten years has encroached on much of the prime land of the Hunter region and is threatening both the horse and wine industry in some parts. It is very important that the Government protects the prime horse land of the Hunter from any further expansions from these mines.


Antony and Gai with Sebring


CHRIS O’SULLIVAN ON COLIC

VALE NORTHERN mETEOR

Northern Meteor (Encosta de Lago x Explosive) had just nine starts for Gai

Waterhouse. His first two starts were less than average leading the colt to be given a freshen up by Gai. This little break really switched him on and at his next two starts he broke track records: the 1250m record at Canterbury and the 1200m record at Randwick. Then he won the Group One Coolmore Stakes down the Flemington straight. With these three performances the colt had stamped his papers as a future stallion. He was then sent for a break before coming back with a brilliant fourth first up in the Newmarket at Flemington. After this race Northern Meteor had just three more starts, the best being a second to Takeover Target in the TJ Smith at Randwick. He was then retired and sent to stud.

In his brief time at stud Northern Meteor sired Group One winner and promising Waterhouse gelding Romantic Touch, plus

city winners Cosmic Endeavour, Zoustar, Northern Glory, Eurozone and other prom-ising horses Equator, The Voice, Bound For Earth, Mount Zero and Swing Vote

among others. Sadly Northern Meteor died of colic

recently and we are only left to wonder how great his legacy may have been.....

Northern MeteorBradley Photographers

Colic is a word used to describe abdominal pain. While there are many

potential causes of colic, horses typically manifest signs of ‘colic’ similarly. Signs typical of a horse with abdominal pain include: pawing, flank watching, rolling and lying down. The intensity of the signs seen is directly related to the severity of the pain. (Figure 1)

Colic in young thoroughbred horses in race training is not common, particularly when compared to the general horse population. The incidence of colic in the general horse population is somewhere around about 5% having a colic episode per year. The resultant mortality (death) rate is less than 0.5% per year. In the past, parasites did play a major role in many cases of colic. With the advent of effective anthelmintics (wormers) combined with worming strategies, parasite burdens in well maintained thoroughbred racehorses are minimal. We do occasionally still see weanling aged thoroughbreds with parasite burdens, particularly tape worms

that can be a predisposing factor in some colic cases.

Horses evolved on the grass plains and have developed a very efficient gastrointesti-nal system for the digestion of plant material. The resultant anatomy of their gastrointesti-nal system is not however without its flaws.

Horses have a very mobile large colon that can end up in the wrong position within the abdomen or worse twist upon itself. They also have up to 60 feet of small intestine that is spread throughout the abdomen and is rel-atively mobile. Even in the normal abdomen there are areas where the bowel can become entrapped or incarcerated. Occasionally congenital abnormalities can also contribute to a bowel obstruction or strangulation. The horse’s gut is designed to be working

all the time as at pasture horses are grazing approximately 22 of the 24 hours in a day. Any disruption to this constant transit of food immediately results in a back up of gas, fluid and ingesta. Such disruptions also result in rapid systemic dehydration since

large volumes of saliva and gastrointestinal secretions fail to transit to the hind gut where they are absorbed under normal circumstances.

The horse also does not have a functional vomit reflex and obstructions of the fore gut can result in stomach rupture and loss of the animal.

Generally the pain seen in colic is due to tension on the bowel. The tension may occur at the site of the blockage or as a result of a back up of gas and ingesta oral to the site. In most cases of colic the normal flow of ingesta is disrupted. This may be due to a temporary loss of co-ordinated bowel move-ment resulting in a failure of normal transit or it may be a more permanent disruption to the flow of ingesta. These may be due to an intra-luminal obstruction within the bowel such as a foreign body, impaction of feed material, gravel or sand or an obstruction due to the bowel being displaced, entrapped or incarcerated within the abdomen causing an extra-luminal obstruction. Obstructions

SPECIaLIST EquINE SuRGEON aT RaNdwICk EquINE CENTRE, SydNEy. (BVSC,MS,dIP aCVS)

BY ZEB ARmSTRONG


may also affect blood supply to the bowel which can lead to death of that section of the bowel and eventual rupture. Rupture of the bowel within the abdominal cavity in all circumstances results in loss of the animal due to overwhelming peritonitis.The colic caseThe primary goal of the veterinary

examination in a case of colic is to deter-mine the most appropriate treatment. While the cause may not be apparent, the horse should be classified as a case that should be treated medically, or one that would require surgery. This distinction is often difficult to make early in a colic episode. Apart from the history and a basic clinical examination a variety of diagnostic tools are available to the veterinarian including but not limited to nasogastric intubation, rectal examination, ultrasonographic examination, blood work, abdominocentesis (abdominal fluid analysis) and radiography. These tools when used appropriately contribute to the decision making process.

Medical colic casesThe majority of colic cases fall into this

category, with most responding to one dose of analgesics (pain killers). Others will require more supportive therapy including oral fluids, mineral oil or cathartics (such as magnesium sulfate) in order to resolve the problem. Occasionally horses will require hospitalisation in order to be monitored and treated appropri-ately with the occasional case requiring intravenous fluid support and electrolyte replacement. (Figure 2)

Surgical colic casesOccasionally a colic case will require

surgical intervention. The key to success in surgical cases is early identification and rapid correction of the problem (Figures 3 and 4). It is these surgical cases, that if not identified and dealt with appropriately initially, will have a poor to grave prog-nosis. Even a couple of hours can make the difference between a good and grave prognosis. For this reason it is important for all colic cases to be properly assessed by a veterinarian in order to identify potential surgical cases as early as possible. The success rates for surgical colic have

improved dramatically over the last 20 years with improvements in pre-opera-tive, intra-operative and post operative management of these cases. An uncom-plicated surgical case should be able to re-enter race training as early as 60 days after surgery.

Figure 1. Uncontrollable rolling is often associated with more severe cases of colic.

Figure 2. Medical management such as intravenous fluids are required in some medical cases and most surgical cases of colic.

Figure 3. Surgical colic cases require a large well trained team to maximise successful outcomes.

Figure 4. The large colon is a large and mobile structure, as seen here with the majority of the colon exteriorised out of the abdomen on a purpose built tray.


ExTRA... ExTRA...

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Spring is on the forefront of everyone’s mind because it is currently freezing,

and also because a few of the better horses are starting to make it back to the track. Puissance de Lune, the current Melbourne Cup favourite and potential Spring drawcard returned with an effortless win in the Group Two Lawrence Stakes. Fellow Melbourne Cup fancy Fiorente is back. The stunning entire has been training the house down at Randwick.

The Melbourne Cup has already started its annual Australia wide tour en-route to Flemington in preparation for one of the estimated 150 nominations to claim it come 3pm, on the first Tuesday in November 2013. This is a fabulous initiative from the VRC because it starts the hype for the race that stops a nation nice and early.

Fiorente and Puissance De Lune will be much discussed in the coming months, but there are at least 150 other horses that will carry someone’s dreams and someone else’s hard earned at some stage in the next few

months.The Golden Rose will be upon us very

soon in Sydney and this usually provides one of the best and most competitive Group One races for the year.

There is always a certain mystery about whether or not the gun two-year-olds from the previous season will come back and be the best three-year-olds. Overreach from the Waterhouse yard and Miracles of Life from Adelaide are the two major winners from last season, and both will be seen back at the track very soon and both are generating plenty of excitement. Atlantic Jewel has already made a huge

return from a long term injury by winning the Memsie Stakes. This mare is unbeaten in her eight starts and has come back really well and looks as big and as fit as ever.

Then there is It’s A Dundeel. This four time Group One winner is at the top of the Cox Plate market and a definite Melbourne Cup fancy. Only Makybe Diva, Saintly, Nightmarch, Phar Lap and Rising Fast have

ever won the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup in the same year.

It’s A Dundeel, like Fiorente and Puissance de Lune and all the other horses nominated for these races certainly have a big job ahead of them if history is anything to go by. There are dozens of other horses, many of whom are Group One winners that are fast getting fit and waiting to start their spring cam-paigns. Glencadam Gold, Carlton house, Shoot Out,

Super Cool, Commanding Jewel, Green Moon and Happy Trails are all in work and getting fitter each day. These are just a few of the known horses that will excite the masses come the spring.

There may yet be a horse pop up that no one knows anything about that will take all before it like Savabeel did in 2004 or So You Think did in 2009. It is indeed a very exciting time of year.

Tommy Berry is back from Hong Kong and riding winners galore, while Glen Boss has had a minor operation on his knee but is back, and already in-form. Damien Oliver will be back before we know it, while Nash Rawiller and Hugh Bowman are coming off a great premiership battle. Jim Cassidy is as hungry as ever and last year’s Melbourne Cup quinella jockeys Brett Prebble (Hong Kong) and James McDonald (New Zealand) are both on Australian shores.

The jockeys are ready, the horses are getting fit and the races are getting richer. Spring is coming and we cannot wait.

It’s a DundeelBradley Photographers

BY ZEB ARmSTRONG


The winner of the coveted ‘Performance of the Month’ award for this issue

of Gai’s Gazette is The Great Snowman (Brilliance x Penelope Pitstop) after the sta-ble favourite strung together two great wins and a second after looking to be completely out of form. The Great Snowman, named after the Bob Luman song of the same name, was completely out of form after returning from a spell; there is no other way to say it. The gelding had run a ninth, then a fourth then a tenth. Then all of a sudden on a heavy 9 track at Warwick Farm, Nash Rawiller found the best ground aboard the gelding and steered him to a tremendous win. The Great Snowman was wide early, then found the lead, then was wide again. To the untrained eye it looked as if Nash was sitting out four wide for no real reason, but really he was just making use of the best ground. It was a great ride and a credit to both horse and jockey. The Great Snowman did his best by galloping beautifully and Nash played his part by navigating onto the best part of the track. The result was a one length win, but more importantly it was a big confidence boosting win for The Great Snowman.

In the second verse of the Bob Luman song

The Great Snowman the rockabilly singer states that Jimmy aka The Great Snowman,

‘had good looks and a big fine car. He went around breaking all the girlie’s hearts.’

The equine version of The Great Snowman certainly shares Jimmy’s good looks and he definitely has an engine like a big fine car. As for breaking the hearts of the girls, well this is exactly what The Great Snowman did in his second win; this time Randwick was the venue and the win marked four in a row for Nash Rawiller on the day and gave Gai an early double on her way to four for the day also. Yes the field that The Great Snowman beat

this day was half mares and half males, so there were definitely some girls left with broken hearts after the race. Despite looking

beaten in the straight, The Great Snowman found more in the final furlong to come back and win. He did not just break the hearts of the fillies in the field but of the geldings as well. He was beaten. He had done all the hard work, the field had swamped him and he was gone. Nash would have been for-given had he decided to accept his fate and glide his mount to the finish line for a nice well fought fourth or fifth. But no - Nash was going for four winners in a row and he somehow got The Great Snowman to dig deep, perhaps deeper than the gelding ever had before, and they got off the canvas as a team to regain the lead and win.The Great Snowman is an example of a

horse that any trainer would be happy to train and any owner would be happy to own. He gives his best on any track surface over any distance at any venue. At the time of print, The Great Snowman had just been beaten by half an inch in a good race at Randwick to run a brilliant second place after having a wide run from a bad barrier. Again, the gelding could have wilted but instead he gave everything he had and again he did everyone proud. That ‘will to win’ is just so special.

THE GREAT SNOWmAN

Mark Newnham, Nash Rawiller, Motto Hosoya and Greg Kolivos with The Great SnowmanBradley Photographers

BY ZEB ARmSTRONG

“He gave everything he had and again he did everyone proud. That ‘will to win’ is just so special.....”

PERFORMaNCE OF THE MONTH

I concede this piece is an unashamed advertorial for my dear wife, Gai, but I

say: private training tracks are a myth. Most people would reject that notion. They

see the argument in these terms: ‘Horses are naturally paddock dwellers, city tracks and stables must be bad; country, private tracks must be good’. It is almost ‘motherhoodish!’ As A. B. Patterson summed up our innate love of the bush when he wrote:

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him

In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit

plains extended,And at night the wondrous glory of the

everlasting stars.Private tracks would appear to have lots of

advantages, like being able to train all day, no pressure, everything as a trainer would want it, etc. Moreover, private training is totally the norm in Europe in general and England in particular. Works well there.

I remember putting the ‘private track argument’ to Gai’s dad, Tommy Smith, 35 years ago. It seemed self-evident to me then. Tommy dismissed me very smartly:

“They’re all failures. They pour fortunes into them. All do no good.” The champion trainer added: “I chose 16 Bowral Street, not just because Phar Lap had been stabled there, but because the stable is beside a noisy school, with bells ringing and kids shouting. Good for racehorses. Prepares them for race day.” He won a few premierships. And had extraordinary wisdom.

But how a respected advisor sees itThe private training track argument was

succinctly put recently by a respected bloodstock agent writing to Gai, explaining his decision to send two well-bred fillies to a private training track, saying in part: “‘kin-dergarten-to-covering’ system, which offers an idyllic breaking, training and spelling environment that obviates the necessity (and associated risks) of intermittent travel between and adaptation to new properties.”

One was a tautly-strung sales filly who did

little bits of - and constantly threatened to do more - damage to herself in her sales stable and in the scoping box. I’m pleased to report, having seen her only a fortnight ago, that she is a different filly entirely, who has settled into her environment, does her work calmly and cooperatively in those idyllic training surroundings and enjoys her daily sessions out of her box in a paddock.As TJ said, many rich people have put for-

tunes into private facilities and have stocked them with expensive animals which have under performed (an arguable exception is Lloyd Williams’ training complex – a total passion for Mr. Williams). Additionally, all the major stallion stations support, own or are building private tracks. Remarkable. And confounding. Especially as the studs are so

‘two-year-old-centric’.The testThe question is easy to settle. You just need

the statistics! I think there are three mainparameters to examine:· Prize money, and better, average prize money per runner

· Median class· The win or loss from backing themIn figure 1.0 I’ve chosen the seven most

prominent ‘private track’ trainers in blue, and the four most prominent ‘ublic racecourse’ trainers. I’ve only named the rarely-seen Robert Hickmott (who trains privately for Mr. Williams) and Gai. A clear victory, ignoring the shy Robert Hickmott, for the public track trainers. The median average prize money is more than double.

THE PRIVATE TRACK DEBATEBY ROB WATERHOUSE

As TJ said, “many rich people have put fortunes into private facilities and have stocked them with expensive animals which have under performed.....”

TRAINER STATE RUNNERS PRIZE mONEY AVE PRIZE mONEY1. Robert Hickmott VIC 756 $ 15,043,020 $ 19,8982. PRIVATE VIC 356 $ 2,215,000 $ 6,2223. PRIVATE VIC 517 $ 1,685,978 $ 3,2614. PRIVATE SA 988 $ 5,170,849 $ 5,2345. PRIVATE VIC 6,445 $ 31,657,002 $ 4,9126. PRIVATE NSW 1,101 $ 6,443,285 $ 5,8527. PRIVATE VIC 582 $ 677,965 $ 1,1658. Gai Waterhouse NSW 3,376 $ 56,732,413 $ 16,8059. PUBLIC VIC 4,652 $ 55,432,766 $ 11,91610. PUBLIC NSW 5,191 $ 51,015,690 $ 9,82811. PUBLIC NSW/VIC 6,261 $ 63,763,267 $ 10,184

TRAINER STATE RUNNERS RUNNERS PRIZE mONEYAVE PRIZE mONEY

1. PRIVATE VIC 756 43 $ 109,863 $ 2,5552. PRIVATE VIC 356 15 $ 24,765 $ 1,6513. PRIVATE VIC 517 34 $ 59,225 $ 1,7424. PRIVATE SA 988 131 $ 1,065,525 $ 8,1345. PRIVATE VIC 6,445 880 $ 5,307,982 $ 6,0326. PRIVATE NSW 1,101 99 $ 962,390 $ 9,7217. PRIVATE VIC 582 25 $ 224,867 $ 8,9958. Gai Waterhouse NSW 3,376 493 $ 14,376,253 $ 29,1619. PUBLIC VIC 4,652 495 $ 5,766,702 $ 11,65010. PUBLIC NSW 5,191 340 $ 3,011,220 $ 8,85711. PUBLIC NSW/VIC 6,261 879 $ 12,798,668 $ 14,560

FIGURE 1.0 Represents the last five years and “runner” is for one year.

FIGURE 1.1 Represents two-year-olds over the last five years, “runner” is for one year.


“Workers were shocked to be told, contrary to their firmly held beliefs, as a cohort, they just weren’t as productive. Perhaps, it’s the same with horses.....”

TRAINER STATE WIN/LOSS (ALLAGES) WIN/LOSS (2YOS)

1. PRIVATE VIC -5% -44%2. PRIVATE VIC -8% -61%3. PRIVATE VIC -18% -68%4. PRIVATE SA -24% -38%5. PRIVATE VIC -28% -36%6. PRIVATE NSW -11% -1%7. PRIVATE VIC -4% -47%8. Gai Waterhouse NSW -11% -12%9. PUBLIC VIC -7% -2%10. PUBLIC NSW -13% -15%11. PUBLIC NSW/VIC -15% -5%

FIGURE 1.2 Represents two-year-olds over the last five years, “runner” is for one year.

TRAINER STATE COST NUmBER1. PRIVATE VIC $ 87,683 3852. PRIVATE VIC $ 116,036 1113. PRIVATE VIC $ 33,122 744. PRIVATE SA $ 68,480 1125. PRIVATE VIC $ 136,970 11066. PRIVATE NSW $ 183,682 2107. PRIVATE VIC $ 54,258 1858. Gai Waterhouse NSW $ 170,489 5479. PUBLIC VIC $ 118,753 66610. PUBLIC NSW $ 156,456 46111. PUBLIC NSW/VIC $ 138,174 317

FIGURE 1.4 Represents the average yearling costs.

TRAINER STATE mEDIAN CLASS RATING1. PRIVATE VIC 182. PRIVATE VIC 293. PRIVATE VIC 294. PRIVATE SA 255. PRIVATE VIC 286. PRIVATE NSW 317. PRIVATE VIC 278. Gai Waterhouse NSW 219. PUBLIC VIC 2010. PUBLIC NSW 1711. PUBLIC NSW/VIC 22

Two-year-olds are much better at public tracksTwo-year-old racing is the dominant part of

racing. It is where the money is: on the track and in the breeding barn. You only have to look at the Gai-made stallions, such as Pierro etc., to realise – that’s where the money is. A deafening victory for public trainers with two-year-olds ( Figure 1.1). My median class ratings, over five years, tell the same story (Figure 1.2). The pattern is clear. (It should be explained, two-year-olds [and three-year-olds], not adjusted for weight-for-age in the table, bring class up quite a bit – Gai’s figures are better than they look).Punters should care (but get it wrong)Now look at the betting, over five years.

Figure 1.3 measures perception. (Gai’s pop-ularity doesn’t help, it depresses her prices).Again, there is a clear victory to public trainers and an ‘annihilation’ with the babies. Value of stockIt might be said: “Gai has Ferraris, private

trainers get the Minnie Minors.” It is not quite true. Figure 1.4 shows the average yearling costs of horses in training with the same train-ers, over the same five years. These figures are not perfect, one of the private trainers has most of his stock from overseas at high prices. But the figures show, city trainers’ stock is not much different to the private track trainers. “But he’s come good, now”Some might say: “Oh, so and so has got it

right now. It will be different from now on.” My most-recent three month figures show no evidence of any up-swing. The PastIn the past, there are many private track

trainers who have under performed. Just a few years ago, a Hall-of-Fame Victorian trainer moved to his private track and failed. His brother took over but that was back at Caulfield. Similarly, about fifteen years ago, the leading Queensland trainer went to his own facilities with poor results, until he died in 2009.Why?The fascinating question is why do private

track trainers under perform? Legendary Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, early this year ordered all “remote” employees to revert to working at Yahoo offices. “Stay-at-home” workers were shocked to be told, contrary to their firmly held beliefs, as a cohort, they just weren’t as productive. Perhaps, it’s the same with horses.PrizeI’d be grateful if anyone can explain the

‘private track curse’? A good prize to the best email helping me understand it!

Email me at [email protected]

Statistics from RacingandSports.com

FIGURE 1.3 Represents the betting over five years



FUTURE FORECASTS

Romantic Touch (Northern Meteor x Dearness) is back in work after a

brief lay off after winning the Group One J.J. Atkins Stakes in Brisbane. This Group One win made it three back to back victories for the gelding. Over 1400m at Warwick Farm while Gai was enjoying her first ever Warrnambool jumps carnival, Romantic Touch won by two lengths in an effortless performance. The Gooree owned gelding won this race on natural class, because really, 1400m is short of his best distance.

At his next start three weeks later at Canterbury, Romantic Touch won a very competitive race by 7.5 lengths and was eased to the line. This race was over the 1550m and gave connections a big indication that the gelding wanted more distance in his

races. Those who were at Canterbury that day could have been forgiven for thinking Romantic Touch’s close relation and fellow Gooree owned gelding Desert War had made a comeback. We all enjoyed Desert War, on so many occasions, bounding along out the front of the field then turning, clicking into a higher gear and winning as he pleased. Romantic Touch has a long way to go to emulate his champion relation, but the way he gallops indicates he is a big chance for more Group One success. Romantic Touch had never been to Brisbane before he raced in the J.J. Atkins at Eagle Farm. The horse that was considered his major rival that day had already won the Sires’ in Brisbane. However Romantic Touch got out in front dug deep and won. There was

no fuss or drama in this Group One win. If the horses behind were good enough they certainly had every chance to get past him, but he just kept giving and giving and never really looked like being headed. This win also marked Northern Meteor’s first Group One winner as a sire. In fact Northern Meteor sired the quinella in this race.

So what is next for this powerful gelding? The Caulfield Guineas looks an ideal race for him, but there are a multitude of options for the newly turned three-year-olds in both Sydney and Melbourne over the spring. Romantic Touch was born to run. He is big, strong and has plenty of heart. He is the kind of horse that will make sure that if any horse is to run past him, they would need to be at their best.

Nash Rawiller on Romantic TouchBradley Photographers

BY ZEB ARmSTRONG


The walls are closing in. Horse racing is no longer a sport that can be carried

out in the confines of any one country, but is a global entity and those embracing this will reap the greatest reward. This was evi-denced in no greater way than by this year’s Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom. This colt was born and trained in America, nothing new there, but his trainer is the very English Graham Motion, while his rider, Joel Rosario hails from the Dominican Republic. His sire, Leroidesanimaux was bred, and began his racing career in Brazil, before becoming the Champion Turf Horse in America in 2005. The final link comes back to Australia, with Arrowfield Stud hold-ing a major ownership interest in Animal Kingdom, who will be an interesting addi-tion to the Australian stallion ranks in 2013.

Emerging investment has been no more conspicuous than that of the Qatar ruling family, who have been flexing their financial muscle to great effect over the past few years. One of the early purchases was Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden, and the global racing and breeding industries owe this little geld-ing by Nicobar plenty. His success has got to be a major factor in what has been the rapid growth of a stable of horses for several mem-bers of the Qatari ruling family, with Group One winners such as Lightning Pearl and Toronado, and, like Toronado, big in-training purchases such as this year’s French classic winners Style Vendome and Treve bolster-ing their roster. It is to be hoped that their investment continues to be rewarded by the success it deserves. Outside investment in bloodstock has been a big part of the Australian racing and breeding business for many years, the most traditional outlets of

Hong Kong, South Africa and Macau are as strong as ever, but only the complacent will completely rely upon these markets in the future. Currently, the eyes of the world are on China, which remains the biggest unchartered frontier when it comes to horse racing and breeding. China now boasts the second-largest economy in the entire world behind the United States, and with economic growth rates averaging around ten percent over the past thirty years, there are a huge number of wealthy people increasingly looking to spend their time on luxury leisure activities. The purchase of Eliza Park by the Sun International Group sends out a strong message that China is going to become a huge force in the racing and breeding world, further evidenced by their spectacular

unveiling of Eliza Park International earlier this month. China and Qatar are not the only countries stepping up their involvement in horse racing. At the Tattersall’s Horses in Training sale last year, the biggest of its kind, horses were sold to over thirty different countries, from the traditional venues such as Australia, America and Hong Kong, to more obscure localities such as Libya, Kazakhstan and Russia. The Melbourne Cup is becoming testament to this increasing globalization of horse racing, and is a trend to be embraced, as the more people that understand and love our amazing sport, the better, even if it does mean it is harder to win! The walls may be closing in, but the time has come to respond by knocking them down.

THE OVERSEAS INFLUENCEBY JAmES HARRON

James Harron

BP

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THE sale of Eliza Park to the Hong Kong-based investment group Sun Internationalin late June is already paying dividends

for Queensland breeders with news thattalented sprinter Instinction (Exceed andExcel-De Lago Mist by Encosta de Lago) hasjoined the stud’s roster in the Sunshine State.He will command a fee of $5500.

Instinction joins Love Conquers All andMonashee Mountain (USA) on the Queenslandroster at the renamed Eliza Park Internationaland he is retiring with the news that his sire, adual Gr.1-wining sprinter by Danehill (USA),is Australia’s Champion Sire by earnings or2012-13. Instinction’s dam is by a dualChampion Australian Sire in Encosta de Lago(Fairy King (USA)) and won two races, bothGroup events, the VRC Sires’ Produce-Gr.2 andthe SAJC Breeders’ Stakes-Gr.3, at two. She wasalso third in the Moonee Valley Oaks Classic-Gr.2 and fourth in the AJC Sires’ Produce-Gr.1and Champagne Stakes-Gr.1. Instinction is theonly named foal of De Lago Mist, but she hasfillies by Fastnet Rock and Redoute’s Choiceand a colt by Redoute’s Choice waiting in the wings.

De Lago Mist is out of the durable In TheMist (Southern Appeal (USA)-Ceres Mist byPlush (NZ)), whose 10 wins included fourListed events in South Australia and she wasalso runner-up at Gr.2 level. Her sister,Southern Sprinter, is the dam of stakes winnerFragmentation (Snippets), in turn dam of Gr.1 winner Wanted (Fastnet Rock), theNewmarket Handicap-Gr.1 winner who is on the roster at Eliza Park International inVictoria, and Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placedShrapnel (Charge Forward), who retired toKooringal Stud, Wagga in 2012.

Newmarket Handicap-Gr.1 and InvitationStakes-Gr.1 winner Exceed and Excel (exPatrona (USA) by Lomond), a dual hemispheresire for Darley (fee $88,000), has left more than600 winners (71SW) since retiring to stud in 2004 and enjoyed a remarkable season in2012-13 with 138 winners (17SW) of $11.08mto mid-July to lead two other Danehill sons,Fastnet Rock and Commands, by a comfortablemargin on the general sires’ list. He was also Leading Sire of Two Year-Olds with 16 winners (27 wins) of $5.29m including the Golden Slipper heroine Overreach andrunner-up Sidestep.

Trained by Mick Price, Instinction took fiveruns to break his maiden, winning over 1479mat Kyneton on October 18, 2011 after placingsecond at his previous outing. He then steppedstraight into stakes company, beating Mahisaraand Amah Rock into the minors when winningthe VRC Hilton Hotels Stakes-LR (1400m,1:24.75) next time out (November 5). Putaway until January 26, the speedy grey beatSpecter and Petman in the MRC ZeditaveStakes-LR (1200m, 1:09.37). He dead-heatedfor third with Highly Recomended behindThat’s The One and Decircles in the VRC C.S.Hayes Stakes-Gr.3(1410m) on February 18 andwas tipped out after a mid-field run in theAustralianGuineas-Group.1 behind Mosheen.

Instinction won again in October 2012 when successful in the MRC Weekend Hussler S-LR(1400m, 1:23.0) and had finished sixth of Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Gr.1(1400m) behindMoment of Change at his previous outing. He was also third in the MRC Regal RollerStakes-LR, and retired with four wins, a secondand two thirds in 18 starts for earnings of $274,160.

Trainer Mick Price called Instinction “anexceptional type . . . a real bull and correct inevery way”, while Eliza Park International’s

sales and nominations managerMark Lindsaydescribed Instinction as “a terrific addition to our lineup and the right type of horse forQueensland”. Instinction has Northern Dancer4m,4mx4m and his dam Natalma5m,5f,5mx5m.

This is family 7d and this branch arrived inNZ with the importation of Lady Wayward II(GB) (Ladas-Vane by Orme) in the early 1900s.Her dam is a sister to the English Triple Crownwinner and sire Flying Fox, and LadyWayward’s descendants in Australasia includedual Derby winner Sovereign Red and hisCaulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup-winningbrother Gurner’s Lane (Sir Tristram), Sydney Cup winner Arctic Symbol andNZ Cup winner Calibrate.

Instinction’s fifth dam Encircle (Moondust(GB)-Revolve by Solar Bear (GB)) is a half-sister to SAJC Derby winner Ralkon (Star ofBaroda (GB)) and is the dam of a flyingQueensland-based juvenile of the mid-1960scalled Memory’s Dream (Coronation Boy(GB)), who won a C.E. McDougall Stakes andalso of smart SA juvenile Time Circle (Ragtime(GB)), who won a Cinderella Stakes-LR,Morphettville Plate-LR and DequettevilleStakes-LR and whose sister Racice is the fourthdam of Instinction. �

INSTINCTION JOINS

This article is reproduced by exclusive arrangement with

Bluebloods magazine

For more information visit bluebloods.com.auPlease note the statistical information was relevant at the time this article was first published

Eliza Park International in Qldby David Bay

Instinction_Layout 1 3/09/13 10:50 AM Page 1

www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au 27 www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au 21


BEHINd THE SCENES

Why did you come to Australia?It was a long dream for me and

Maelle to come to Australia. Probably four years ago, I met Paul Messara in Deauville during the summer and asked him if I could ride for him during the winter season. But, just before the winter, I had some good propositions and chose to stay in France. It was a good choice in fact because I won around fifteen races during a meeting in the south of France, ending with the Grand Prix! Last year, I won a couple of Group races in France and rode in the French Derby. In September, I had finally nothing very exciting for the winter and Maelle and I chatted together and the decision was very quick after that.

Did you plan to come directly to Gai or was that something that came later?Not really straight to Gai, but during the first two months I had high hopes of coming straight to the best of the best or to at least one of the best Australian trainers. I sent an email to Gai and she invited Maelle and me to come to work for her.

You have been here five months now, how are you finding the differences between European racing and Australian racing?During this first five months I rode on twelve or thirteen different tracks and I’m very happy about the chance to ride on a few different tracks! I am very happy about this opportunity. A difference is probably the right hand. In NSW you ride only on the right turn. In France, every day you change the turn, and sometimes you ride on a straight track like Maison Laffitte. Australian races are very quick generally. In Australia we have a lot of races between 6f and 8f but in France it’s more between 8f and 12f. And the last real difference, in France we never scratch the races because the track is too

heavy. But I prefer to ride on a good track.

You have a very good strike rate at the minute in Sydney. How do you go about maintaining this?Yes, I have a very good strike rate and partic-ularly with Gai’s horses. Working very hard everyday is the only solution. I continue to improve myself, ride correctly and get the confidence around the trainers and the own-ers. I think for a good strike rate you need to ride the good horses. Horses are the jockeys not the opposite.

You recently experienced your first Stakes win here in the Winter Stakes riding Under the Sun. Have you been working with Under the Sun for a while and was it a good feeling to have that work come to fruition? The first Stakes winner is very important for every jockey. I was very lucky to ride Under The Sun in the Winter Stakes this year and win with him. I would like to thank the owner Mr Henderson and Gai for this big opportunity. It was a great moment for me, winning my first Stakes race after just 90 rides. It was fantastic! Under The Sun is very nice and a brave soldier. I ride him probably four times a week so it is a second satisfac-tion to obtain such a good result with him!

What other horses are coming up nicely that you are very excited about riding in the spring?I recently won with Mr Jackman in a very good style. I’m sure he can improve more and will have a good chance during the spring. Lots of horses at Tulloch Lodge will be ready and probably hard to beat during the spring, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. Gai is the boss and she deals the cards for the rides.

The team is big and Nash and Tommy ride

the first chances but I can assure you, if I have the opportunity to ride a good race for the team, the French jockey will be there to win!

Have you ridden any of Gai’s European imports at the stable? I rode Carlton House during his last trial in Randwick. It was an impressive win with a real turn of foot like a lot of French horses. He is probably one of the best soldiers of the team for the up-coming Spring. Michelangelo is an English horse and I’m sure he has a lot of potential to do a great job too.

Do you find any differences in the European imports temperaments or per-formance compared to those raised from yearlings at Gai’s stables?The training method here is different because the races are different. The horses in Gai’s stable are very quiet and nice to ride. Of all 140 horses in the stables, I think only ten percent of them are difficult horses. They are just difficult because they are strong. In France you can ride a lot of very difficult horses. Mostly they are strong and not very cooperative.

How would you describe Gai? Is there a European equivalent?It’s impossible to compare Gai with any other trainer! Gai is an incredible woman. First she’s a real horse woman. She knows all the horses and she understands the horses. She has a huge sense of case and an incredi-ble relational sense.

You have a very good record back in France. Do you have any all-time favour-ites you rode?My last good horse in France was Top Trip. I won a Grade Two with him before finishing

WITH JOCKEY THOmAS HUET

Bradley Photographers

French sensation Thomas Huet has been in Australia a short five months and already he is making his mark in Australian racing with his first Stakes win for

his career here in Sydney at Rosehill Gardens.

BY mADISON WHANT


fifth in the Derby with him. I was very happy for his trainer Francois Doumen and his owner when he finished so close to third in the Gold Cup at Ascot. I read the French news every day and maybe my next cham-pion can come from France. Melbourne Cup? Why not?

Which trainer did you ride for before you came to Australia, to Gai’s team?I worked for a lot of good trainers in France. My last season I worked for Mr Doumen. It was very interesting to work with him. He is a very respectable man who was the first French trainer to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in England. He gave me a lot of oppor-tunities and he was the first to push me to travel and to try this Australian challenge. I have also worked for Mikel Delzangle, Dunaden’s trainer. I rode a lot of winners for him. With him I was given the chance to win for the Wildenstein stable, His Highness the Aga Khan and many others.

Australian’s follow the racing industry quite vigorously, is this the case in France? What are the major industry differences?

Of course the betting is here like every-where. The newspapers speak everyday about the races like the rugby. In France we also have some interviews just for the big races like the Arc de Triomphe. In Australia the races seem very much like a sport more so than in France. The jockeys are mediated a lot more here. In Australia I think the people love this sport. I’m very happy when I ride a winner and the people applaud just for the show. This notion of racing as a sport has disappeared a little in France.....

You have been described as having a very bright future at Tulloch lodge, and Gai herself has labelled you a real asset to her stable. How does it feel to be recognized as a rising contender among the likes of Nash Rawiller and Tommy Berry?I’m very happy to be accepted among the jockeys and the team so quickly. It is never easy to arrive as a challenger and still be accepted. All the people working for Gai were very

friendly with me straight away. I wake up every morning with a big motivation for improving the horses I ride and to gallop for

the team, for the owners and for Gai. When Gai says to the people I am a real asset of course I am very proud of myself to be so highly congratulated.

I ride every morning with Nash Rawiller, Tommy Berry, Neil Paine, Adam Hyeronimus and all the jockeys who come for the gallop and it is a real pleasure. I work very hard to be given the chance to ride a maximum number of winners.

I work hard to be a contender. In the sport and in the races we have no friends. If you want to have a name and win you need to be the best. I work and I respect the people around me, but on the track I’m a jockey and a winner!

Do you plan to continue your racing career in Australia if you can? I’m very happy about my results from the last five months. I begin the new season to do better and hopefully find my place amoung the Metropolitan jockeys.

I am currently preparing for my English test for my visa. After, we will see what happens but I definitely love this place and will stay if I can.

Thomas Huet on Under the Sun Bradley Photographers

“If I were to compare Gai with a French trainer, it would probably be Andre Fabre for the results, the records and the regularity and Robert Collet for the exuberance!”


How did you come to be the senior foreman at Desert War?

I have been with Gai for eleven years now. I had worked with horses a long time and come away with a lot of experience. I already knew Gai through my father who was a track supervisor at Randwick and this was how I got in to racing. I worked with John Size for four and a half years and was lucky enough to be given opportunities to travel interstate with his horses. So racing definitely wasn’t new to me. I started at Gai’s main stable working in all areas before being moved to the far side where I ran my own section of 16 horses. I spent a while there and then was given the opportunity to move to Tempest Morn as senior foreman in charge of 29 horses. In this role I had a lot of opportunities including trips away to both the Brisbane and Melbourne carnivals. A couple of years ago I moved to Desert War as senior foreman and I haven’t looked back.

You have multiple roles working for Gai. What are they?I am lucky enough to have a job I really enjoy; my roles include running Desert War (managing 25 horses) and the important job of the tie up stalls every morning. I am responsible for getting all 140 horses out to the middle. You have to be really on the ball each morning and make sure riders are on suitable horses. It is very important that all horses are worked each morning, so if we don’t operate well from our end the middle is affected too. It is a big task and is made much easier by my number one girl Georgie Spencer. One of my most important special-ties for Gai is concentrating on those horses that need special attention. Gai sends all horses that are losing condition and under performing to Desert War. I keep a close eye on them providing an environment in which they can relax. I change their surroundings, put them in the day yard and change their feeds to get them eating. I especially enjoy

this part of my work as it gives me a great sense of satisfaction when the horses start to put on condition and perform well whilst in my care. Sometimes it is frustrating when I try everything and the horse doesn’t start to improve but I enjoy the challenge and I always find a way in the end.

Take us through a typical day for you from the moment your alarm goes off?My alarm usually goes off just before 2:00am. I arrive at work around 2:15am where I write up my board for the morning. I then do the rounds with the nebulizer (puffer) for those horses needing it and put four horses on the walker. I walk around the yard tying the horses up and remove their feed bins to monitor which horses have eaten and which haven’t. While I am doing this I give their legs a quick check over to make sure there are no significant cuts, swelling or other abnormalities that need my attention. I make up all the feed mixtures for the morning then I go through and make sure all hands are on deck. By this time it is 3:20am and I text Gai to let her know I’m ready to go with any changes before I ring all the foreman to make sure everyone is OK with staffing. I then go through the schedule with my junior foreman Motto who is in charge while I am at the stalls. I head to the stalls at 3:50am and for the next three and a half hours it’s all go getting all the horses out to the middle and home. I usually finish around 7:45am and head back into Desert War and see Motto. He informs me if there have been any problems and then Leanne Begg the vet lets me know if we had any sore horses and how to treat them. We come back at 11:45am. I put some

horses on the walker then do the feeds.

Afternoon feeds are extremely important as I have to keep a close eye on what they eat overnight and whether they are leaving it. I also go to the new stable called Sugar Rush Lodge and top up their feeds making sure everything is in order. I swim a couple of horses in the afternoon and make sure all medical treatments have been tended to, for example bandaging, clay, boils, sore mouths, heels, feet etc. I always do a round ensuring all horses are comfortable, fed and let go before I leave.

You also strap at the races, any recent win-ners that were particularly special for you?I love strapping at the races, I find it so rewarding when I spend a lot of time caring for a horse. I really enjoy presenting the horses as best as I can and knowing that the horse is going to the races as good as it can look. My most recent winner was with Sugar Rush who won a maiden at Newcastle. She is one of my favourite horses so it was a real thrill.

Do you have any favourites at Desert War? I have a few - Sugar Rush, Carlton House and Forever Loved are very special to me. Stable favourites Overreach, The Great Snowman and the old Boy Reuben Percival all deserve a mention. We are a tight group and all 25 horses are cared for as if they were our own.

What about some of your all-time favourites?There are plenty of all time favourites, Grand Armee, Desert War, Dance Hero and more recently Pierro and More Joyous, none of which resided at my stable but I had the

WITH STABLE mANAGER mEL NORTON

“Horses are like people - they all have their own personality. I find it quite easy to read them and it doesn’t take me long to work out the friendly from the dangerous.....”

BY mADISON WHANT

BEHINd THE SCENES


pleasure of handling and working with all of them.

Tulloch Lodge had a treble at Warwick Farm early in July. Gai made a point of singing your praises (along with John Livingstone and Mark Newnham) in regards to the success. How does it feel to know you are so highly regarded by a trainer as renowned as Gai?I feel very privileged to be in the role and it means a lot that she respects and appreciates my work and most of all my opinion. I am very fortunate to work so closely with Gai.

Gai obviously values your opinion and knowledge. Can you describe an occasion when your opinion has shone through and produced a good result?Gai does value my opinion and that means a lot to me.

One time that springs to mind was a mare I had in Brisbane for the carnival. She was

running well without winning and it was nearing the end of the carnival. Gai was going to bring her home and I told her she had done too well to go home just yet. She looked fantastic and she was jumping out of her skin. Gai was away at the time and listened to everything I had to say and put her in the Ipswich Cup. She went on to win by four lengths.

You work sometimes seven days a week. Do you find even on your days off you like to check up on everything?I always find at some point I will call and check up on everything but I try not to go to the stables on my afternoon off. I’m always around though and usually get a phone call.

Your work at the tie up stalls each morning is important for Gai, you are not only responsible for the flow of the morning but you must also decide which riders are suitable for which horses. Explain your

incredible ability to read the horses and their temperaments despite having never ridden them yourself.Horses are like people they all have their own personality. I find it quite easy to read them and it doesn’t take me long to work out the nasty, the friendly, the more dangerous and the calm. I also rely quite strongly on the feedback of the riders who are constantly making me aware of the more difficult rides.

I think it is safe to say you have been party to some very momentous occasions throughout Gai’s racing history. Does the whole team come together to celebrate the victories?Overreach winning the Golden Slipper this year was fantastic! It was such a big thrill for me and everyone. The team loves to get together for the celebrations that Gai puts on for us each year. We have a great team of staff and whether it is a Group One or a maiden, everyone enjoys each win.

Mel Norton (centre) with Sugar Rush and admirersBradley Photographers


He has been called the Napoleon of the racetrack, the Henry Ford

of horseracing, the king of the course. Disgruntled punters have thought of other titles for T.J. Smith MBE, but no-one can deny that he is the most successful race-horse trainer that the world has known. Smith is a winner, as are the many staunch Smith followers who have invested hun-dreds of millions on horses from his Tulloch Lodge stable. He has taken out the last 30 Australian metropolitan trainers’ premier-ships, trained 30 Derby winners throughout the country and 4000 city winners, and accumulated $25 million in prize money. These are all world records. It is no longer meaningful, then, to compare Tommy Smith with other horse trainers. He is a cut above.

The media effort to comprehend Smith’s incredible success has focused on his uncanny instinct in the matter of horse flesh. Often he has correctly predicted, on first seeing a yearling frolicking in a paddock, that he would turn the horse into a champion thoroughbred. And no better example exists of his ability as a trainer than Kingston Town, the first horse ever to pass the million dollar mark in prize money. The King was so plain-looking that he was passed in after failing to meet his reserve price as a yearling.

Born at Jembaicumbene, near Braidwood in NSW, Smith was earning a man’s wage at the age of 10 during the height of the Depression. He’d do anything to make a quid – trapping rabbits, driving bullock

teams, carting water and running bets for the local SP bookie. All of which supple-mented the family income but didn’t allow much time for the performance of scholarly duties. Tommy would help his father to cart flour every morning and then ride the 16kms to school, by which time he was always buggered. More often than not he fell

asleep in class and was caned for it.At age 11, when the teacher roused him

from a deep sleep to receive his usual pun-ishment, Tommy decided he’d had enough. He jumped out the window and on to his horse, and never rode back that way again. Now he goes to work in a Rolls Royce.

In 1937 Smith became apprenticed to a trainer, Mack Sawyer. He’d always wanted to be a jockey, but couldn’t ride for pea-nuts – although today he instructs the best jockeys in the land on how to ride his horses. He lasted two years as an apprentice before breaking his leg in a heavy fall which forced him to retire from riding. Forty-three years later he carries the mark of that crash, walking with a pronounced limp. Tommy continued to work for Sawyer as a strapper at Randwick, then went to Cootamundra to help his boss’s father look after a small team of horses. There he met up with an unfashionable rogue of a horse named Bragger. None of the horse breakers would go anywhere near Bragger, who was allowed to run wild in the hills. The challenge became too great for Tommy. He eventually ran the horse into a stockyard, lassooed him, chocked him down and bolted him into a stable. The horse had ability and Smith knew it. He paid 100 pounds for Bragger and twelve months later had him ready to race. Tommy backed his pride and joy for a substantial sum and watched him run 200 meters last. But Bragger went on to win thirteen races and usher in the arrival of T.J.

Smith, the trainer.Today, anything Tommy Smith does is

surrounded by publicity. If he buys a new car or moves house it makes headlines, and even the purchase of a new hat will result in a picture of Smith in the sports pages.

Of course many of his actions are genuine news, as when he became the first man in

Australia to pay half a million dollars for a horse, and the first to win $1 million prize money in a season. When Penthouse sent Grant Vandenberg to Tommy’s Point Piper home for this interview, the trainer was in hot pursuit of his third Melbourne Cup.

Vandenberg: By the time this interview is printed the Melbourne Cup will be over, and it will be interesting to see how accurate your predictions are. Do you see yourself bringing the Melbourne Cup back to Sydney this year?Smith: I have a great chance again this year with my team racing the way it is at the moment. Kingston Town is going great guns, but naturally the Melbourne Cup is run in Melbourne and he much prefers the Sydney way of racing. But he’s had a long rest, has matured a lot, and could be even more suited down there. Vandenberg: You won your first Melbourne Cup in 1955 with Toporoa. Surprisingly, it took you 26 years to win your second, last year with Just A Dash. Was it frustrating to wait so long to win another Melbourne Cup?Smith: It’s a race I’ve never really concen-trated on. I don’t just train a horse for one race; I train horses as the races come along. Last year was the only time I’ve really set a horse to win the Cup, and that was Just A Dash.Vandenberg: How long before the race did you set him to win it?Smith: About seven months beforehand he won the Adelaide Cup and I told his owners then that I thought he was an ideal Cup horse who could run the 3200 meters, and I set him for the race. He bolted in – by Jove, it was a smart win. He came back from a spell and I sent him to Melbourne quite early, because horses trained in Sydney take a while to handle the different way of going in Melbourne. Sometimes the tracks are wet and they have to adapt to every possible element.Vandenberg: Although until last year you’d never set a horse for the Cup, you’ve had a stack of runners in the race. Were you unlucky not to have won one in 26 years?

GRANT VANDENBERG WITH T.J. SmITH

BaCk IN THE day

Tommy SmithBradley Photographers

“At age 11, when the teacher roused him from a deep sleep to receive his usual punishment, Tommy decided he’d had enough. He jumped out the window and on to his horse, and never rode back that way again. Now he goes to work in a Rolls Royce.....”

Gunsynd Bradley Photographers


Smith: I think I should have won about five. Tulloch should have won two, Redcraze was a certainty beaten twice, and then there was Gunsynd. He raced off the track all the way and just got beaten.Vandenberg: The 1957 Melbourne Cup has always been a sore spot with racegoers. Tulloch was the greatest horse of the decade, but he did not start. Why?Smith: His owner, Mr Haley, was an old man and I guess he was influenced by the press. At that time Tulloch was a public idol, a three-year-old and the handicapper gave him a huge weight. But also, the paper tycoons Frank Packer and Ezra Norton were big punters who played the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup doubles, and they didn’t have Tulloch in the second leg. It kept on coming out in the papers that three-year-olds shouldn’t run. He was unbeaten as a three-year-old, he’d won the AJC and VRC Derbies, the AJC and VRC Legers, the Rosehill Guineas and the Caulfield Cup in an Australian record time which still stands to this day. But I was forced to scratch him.Vandenberg: He’d have won?Smith: He was a certainty.Vandenberg: Since Kingston Town has been under your training he’s done everything asked of him. He has won $1,250,000 in prize money, yet at his first start at Rosehill he finished a very long last. What happened after that?Smith: He wouldn’t train as a stallion. I couldn’t get him to gallop, he used to play up, he’d run off the track, he wanted to do everything wrong. But as soon as we gelded him he turned Vandenberg: When did you know he was going to be a good horse?Smith: The first day I started to gallop him after he’d been spelled and came back as a gelding.Vandenberg: You started training in Sydney in 1942. At that time you were a permit trainer but it only took you 18 months to become a number one trainer, and that was the first of hundreds of records you’ve set.Smith: Yes, that’s never happened in the history of training in Australia, and I can’t see it ever happening again.Vandenberg: Is there one training record that you’re particularly proud of?Smith: I’ve won the last 30 Metropolitan training premierships – not only in Sydney but all over Australia – and that has given me tremendous satisfaction.Vandenberg: Ten years after you started training in Sydney you won your first premiership, and you’ve never looked like losing it since. How long can you retain your position as Australia’s number one trainer?

Smith: I’ll be cutting down a bit in future. I won’t be having as many horses in my stable because I won’t be buying as many yearlings, but I hope to be lucky enough in the future to get the calibre of horse that I’ve had over the past 30 years.Vandenberg: Tom, you’re approaching 65...Smith: I’m not 65.Vandenberg: But that has been printed in the papers.Smith: Oh, bull! I was born in 1920.Vandenberg: Put it this way; you’re not getting any younger, you’re up at 4.00am every morning and straight into your office mapping out morning track work, then off to the track to put your team through its paces. Is it getting harder?Smith: Not at all. I thrive on it. It’s a plea-sure to be able to get up and walk around Randwick every morning. You’re not getting run over by cars or being pushed around by people. If I wasn’t training racehorses, I’d be getting up and going for a walk somewhere.Vandenberg: So it’s as much enjoyment as it is a business?Smith: Well, I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t training. I don’t like golf or bowls and besides, training racehorses gives me all the exercise I want.Vandenberg: What sort of people buy racehorses?Smith: The most surprising people buy horses. You’ve got to be very careful around the sales ring. It’s hard to pick a buyer – like when I went to buy my Rolls Royce. I got my secretary, Pauline, to drive me into town and I walked into the showroom in my track clobber. The salesman didn’t even want to show me the car. I said, “I’ll take that one there,” pointing to a maroon Roller. I said,

“I’ll write you a check here and now, and I want you to deliver it to my Point Piper House.” He nearly fell over. Vandenberg: Do owners ever try to tell you how a horse should be ridden, or what jockey they want?Smith: No, I won’t tolerate it. I think in any business the man in charge should be left alone, otherwise it won’t work.Vandenberg: Over the years you’ve been offered lucrative contracts to train in England, the Continent and the States, yet you’ve always turned them down...Smith: Yes, that’s right. The first offer was from Aly Khan – it was a long, long time ago

– to train exclusively for him in France. Then William Hill who owns all the betting shops in England, made me a fantastic offer to go there and train for him. But the best was from Bull Hancock, the big bluegrass owner from Kentucky. He made two trips out here and on the second asked me to go back with him to look over his famous Claiborne Farm. He told me he was going to make me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He wanted me to be based in New York and to operate a team throughout America. He said he was going to give me everything I wanted: cars for myself and my wife, a residence, a private plane for me to go anywhere I desired, plus 10% of all winnings – and the stakes were high, even then over there – plus a set wage and a contract for five years.Vandenberg: Was that hard to turn down?Smith: Well, I went over there and after a week I turned to Hancock and said I was going back to Australia. He said I couldn’t do it, but I’ve always had plenty of money and I told him what a wonderful country Australia is.

Vandenberg: You’ve seen racing throughout the world, even in places like Japan and Russia. How does the set-up in Australia compare?Smith: It’s better here – much more colourful. Not many other countries have bookmakers. The racing public in Australia are much better informed through the press and the average Australian punter seems to enjoy his racing more.Vandenberg: Did you want to be a horse trainer as a youngster?Smith: Not at all. I always wanted to be a jockey.Vandenberg: You didn’t have much luck at that?Smith: No, I couldn’t ride. I failed as a jockey. I tried to ride over the hurdles and finished up breaking my leg.Vandenberg: What happened then?Smith: I bought a horse and my aim was to make a quid with him, sell him, then buy a business or two.Vandenberg: What went wrong? Smith: He was a horse called Bragger and after he won a couple of races I thought I’d stick to the training caper, especially after some more quick successes came my way.Vandenberg: Was your father much of an influence on you when it came to training horses?Smith: No, he wasn’t at all. He died when I was in my early teens.Vandenberg: Was he associated at all with horses?Smith: Yes. We had draught horse teams around the country. We used to cart wool and timber, and there were plenty of horses to educate.Vandenberg: When did you realise you

were a good trainer?Smith: I’ve always been a great studier, and I went around the country as a youngster working and observing the guys I thought were the best. One was a freak trainer named Dan Lewis. I used to go to the track and watch him, then I decided I’d watch a chap called Fred Cush. He was a champion mentor of speed horses. In the meantime I won a bit of money and went to Melbourne; where I learned from old-time trainers like Jack Holt. He was near the end of his career, but a super trainer in his time. I took a job with a bloke called Steve Murphy. It lasted three weeks and I packed up and finished up at Mordialloc in Victoria with old man Lou Robertson, another genius of that era. But I studied people before I had a go of it. I was only about 17 at the time.Vandenberg: Do you think that’s been one of the T.J. Smith secrets: you have an eye for things?Smith: Yes, but I was very keen as well. Even when I married my wife Valerie, I said I wanted our honeymoon to coincide with going around looking at these chaps training. She told me we didn’t have the money, and we didn’t, but in the first fifteen years we went away every year through money I’d won on the punt.Vandenberg: You’ve always been a hard worker. Is it harder to train a horse now than when you started?Smith: I don’t think so. I’ve always been able to handle staff. I’m always very strict, but people seem to like working for me.Vandenberg: How many horses a year go through the T.J. Smith factory?Smith: In the last four years we’ve sold just on 100 horses per year.

Vandenberg: How long do you persevere with a horse who doesn’t comply with your standards?Smith: I’ll sell a two-year-old racehorse who doesn’t measure up, and I don’t know any other trainer who would do that. I can always tell after a short time if they are going to be any good or not.Vandenberg: Has a horse ever slipped through your fingers that you wish you’d kept? Smith: No.Vandenberg: How many horses do you own?Smith: I don’t know. I’ve got an interest in lots of horses.Vandenberg: Has breeding been an import-ant source of income?Smith: It’s been a hobby with me. I’m a dealer, I buy them and sell them. I’ve never taken breeding really seriously and put my time into it, because it would interfere with training. It’s a big job to mix the two.Vandenberg: But you have bred some good horses haven’t you?Smith: My word, I’ve bred some very good horses. I’ve bred Derby winners, Oaks win-ners, Classic two-year-old winners.Vandenberg: Which would be the best horse you’ve bred?Smith: Both Denise’s Joy and Imagele were champions. They gave me a lot of pleasure every time they won, particularly Denise’s Joy. I’ve bred a lot of damn good horses who have won big races.Vandenberg: Do you ever bet?Smith: I used to bet quite heavily, but I don’t indulge now.Vandenberg: What’s the biggest bet you’ve laid?


Kingston TownBradley Photographers

BACK IN THE DAY (cont)

Be sure to read part two of this fascinating Q and A archival interview between Grant Vandenberg and Australian racing legend TJ Smith

in the next issue of Gai’s Gazette.

GaI aNd RICHaRd dISCuSS SPuRTONIC

aNNE wITH CHaRITy GuESTS

JaCkIE, aNdREw, aaRON, MIa, EdEN aNd MEGaN wITH FIORENTE

LORRaINE, LauREN, ZaRa, BaRRy aNd PETER. OwNERS OF STaR THOROuGHBREdS kaPNIkON

SUNDAY AT

THE STABLES

SwaNS FaNS aBBEy, JuLIE, MaTT aNd aNdREw. OwNERS OF

STaR THOROuGHBREdS EISENHOwER

JOHN aNd aNNE wITH RaIN dRuM

daN, NICk, MEL, CRaIG aNd LaRRy CELEBRaTE THE wIN OF daNaS BEST aNd STaR THOROuGHBREdS MR JaCkMaN

With Gary Beecroft

gai’s gazettegaiwaterhouse.com.au/uploadmedia/gaisgazette2.pdf · is a slightly more open forum....

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