From The Track - Spring 2016

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FROM THE TRACK

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Your Local Racin g Magazin e!

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EVER look a gift horse in the mouth!

That well-worn English proverb especially applies as we welcome you to our spring edition of FROM THE TRACK. It’s not often you get something for nothing – but that is the case right here and now.

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PRISCILLA SCHMIDT – “Flying” Again In A New Role

8

DANIEL LACEY – “Punt” Pays Off

10 STEVE HODGE – Kicking His Own “Goals” 12 CHARLIE SHIELDS – Melbourne Cup Devotee 14 GROUP 1 OWNERS – Music To Their Ears

Professional Punting’s Luke Murrell is offering FROM THE TRACK readers his speed maps for Sydney Saturday meetings absolutely FREE OF CHARGE. All you have to do is email him (see Page 33) and mention you are an FTT reader, and he will send them to you once he has finalised them on Wednesdays.

Murrell says speed maps are essential if you are serious about punting, and spends six to seven hours preparing them once Saturday acceptances are taken on Wednesday mornings.

Whilst Professional Punting is his own business, he and Jamie Lovett are co-directors of Hunter-based Australian Bloodstock, which already boasts a Melbourne Cup winner (Protectionist in 2014) despite its relative infancy.

16 GRAFTON – July Carnival Review 20 STEVE SCOLLARD – Early Starter

We sincerely thank Luke Murrell for his generosity, and urge readers to take advantage of such an offer. If you haven’t seen speed maps before, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

22 LIZ CAMPBELL – Gem Of A Business 24 LADIES IN RACING – Nicole Down & Jo Sheehan 27 ON THE PACE – Horse of the Year 29 MUSWELLBROOK – New Cup Date 31 CUP PREVIEWS – Newcastle & Port Macquarie 33 LUKE MURRELL – Speed Maps Essential

PRISCILLA SCHMIDT (pictured) is our feature story. This young woman initially had no interest whatsoever in becoming a jockey despite growing up around horses and instead dreamed of being a flight attendant.

That she did for 12 months – but the lure of horses was so strong that he stopped fl ying and became apprenticed to her father Dwayne, himself a former successful jockey.

She rode nearly 300 winners, but a spate of injuries from race falls forced her to swap her saddle for a microphone early this year. Now she is “fl ying” in a new role as a form analyst and presenter with Sky Thoroughbred Central.

34 55 Seconds with MARK WAUGH AM

We also spoke with The Entertainment Grounds’ new chief executive Daniel Lacey and racecourse manager Steve Scollard.

Expatriate Englishman Lacey took a punt a few years ago by moving back to the Central Coast, and now finds himself managing the Gosford club.

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Shields attended his first Cup in 1956 at 30 years of age, and is lining up for No. 59 on the first Tuesday in November. A sensational effort by any standards.

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And young Hunter Valley women Nicole Down and Jo Sheehan – based at Cessnock – are striving to become successful trainers. Each has the passion and determination to turn their dreams into reality.

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Speaking of Newcastle, Steve Hodge tells us his story. After starting out as an apprentice with his builder father, he has now chalked up 30 years as a trainer.

FROM THE TRACK was delighted to chat with 90-year-old Charlie Shields, who has a remarkable affinity with our greatest race, the Melbourne Cup.

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The experienced Scollard joined the Gosford team 18 years ago, and also starts all races at his home track and at Newcastle.

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Hope always springs eternal in racing. A Newcastle punters’ club syndicate in May celebrated a Group 1 triumph with Music Magnate – their first racehorse – in the Doomben Ten Thousand.

Newcastle’s Liz Campbell is harnessing her love of jewellery and gemstones by creating a unique business of her own.

Spring, of course, is almost upon us with the Wyong carnival nearly here and we preview forthcoming Cup carnivals at Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Muswellbrook. The latter club has boldly opted to switch its long-standing Cup program from Melbourne Cup day to a Friday date later in November.

There are important tips for the ladies about spring fashion, and we also review Grafton’s annual July carnival, where rookie Sally Taylor made it seven wins for female trainers in the Jacaranda City’s flagship event, scoring with roughie Rednav.

Newcastle Harness Racing Club will soon announce its Newcastle Horse Of The Year, with recent Sydney Group 1 winner Rockmemama a warm favorite for the award.

Sarah Wills has announced her resignation as Scone Race Club CEO for family reasons, and is returning to New Zealand. We wish her well in her future endeavours.

The publication of FROM THE TRACK would not be possible without such great support from both our many sponsors and our readers, whose comments are always appreciated.

We sincerely thank all of you.

As we said, spring is almost here. Please enjoy our third edition of 2016 and the magnificent racing we are about to witness at the various spring carnivals. Happy punting. – EDITOR

Front cover: Spring Fashions | Photo by: Niki Williams Disclaimer: All Rights Reserved This publication may not, in part or whole, be copied, photographed, scanned or reproduced in any format, electronic or otherwise for reproduction without written authority of From the Track. While we exercise due care and diligence to ensure the contents are accurate we do not take responsibility for any inaccuracies.

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FROM THE TRACK

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PR I S C I L L A S C H M I DT

‘flying’ again in a new role

C

HRISTMAS is always a special occasion, of course, when family and friends come together to celebrate the festive season.

The annual practice of exchanging gifts brings joy, especially to the smiling faces of the younger generation.

But there was a different “present” on Christmas Day last year at the Schmidt household.

PRISCILLA SCHMIDT unwrapped the news that she had decided to ring the bell on a promising riding career that had already netted nearly 300 winners and chose this day to tell her family.

“It was something I had given a lot of thought to,” 26-year-old Schmidt told FROM THE TRACK. “It wasn’t an overnight decision.

“All the family was together on Christmas Day and I told them I had made up my mind to stop riding early in the New Year, and asked them to keep it a secret.

“In many respects it was a sad day.”

Nothwithstanding her success in the saddle, a painful run of injuries from race falls had taken their toll on the talented young jockey. Enough was enough.

Not even a series of winners at Inverell (Aimalac Millie on New Year’s Day), Lucky Sky at Coffs Harbour a day later, the aptly-named Win One More at Gunnedah on January 7 and Xian’s Pride at Glen Innes on January 9 could sway her decision.

“Those who knew I was retiring suggested I might be giving it away too soon,” Schmidt said.

“All the family was there; even though I didn’t ride a winner it was a nice way to go out,” she said.

“The winners were nice, of course, but they didn’t make the pain any easier.

Schmidt was born into racing. Her father Dwayne was a successful jockey and is now training on the Northern Rivers after beginning his career at Port Macquarie before relocating to Brisbane for a number of years.

“My last fall when I broke the rotational bone in my left arm was pretty well the last straw.

“I remember riding one day after I had returned and struggled to carry the saddle back after unsaddling the horse.

Her mother Theresa is the daughter of wellrespected Port Macquarie trainer Glen Hodge.

“It got me thinking about my future.”

But a career as a jockey wasn’t in a young Schmidt’s remotest thoughts.

But I missed the horses. I guess once racing is in your blood, it’s pretty hard to get it out.

So the 10th anniversary of Coffs Harbour’s Pink Silks Ladies’ Day (held to improve awareness of women’s health issues, raise vital funds for local organisations and support breast cancer research) on Sunday, January 10 was selected as her riding swansong.

“Apart from the importance of the meeting, I had been doing some work on an unraced two-yearold (Mosgiel Leena) and wanted to ride her at her debut,” she explained.

Schmidt had five unplaced rides – four of them were bolter’s odds – and the closest she came was fourth on $9 chance Fun With Indy in the Pink Silks Cup.

“Not at all,” she said, bluntly. “I grew up riding at pony clubs and show jumps, but was never interested in being a jockey.

“My dream was to be a flight attendant, and I did get the chance to do that for 12 months.

“But I missed the horses. I guess once racing is in your blood, it’s pretty hard to get it out.”

Schmidt became apprenticed to her father in Brisbane, and her younger sister Cassandra (Cassie) subsequently followed suit and continues to ride.

Schmidt launched her career at Lismore on December 18, 2009 and finished second on her father’s horse Toast of Dubai in a Benchmark 55 Handicap (1100m). It was her only ride at the meeting.

Though based in Brisbane, Schmidt cut her riding teeth competing mostly on Northern Rivers tracks.

That often elusive first winner didn’t come until February 18, 2010 – and it was a very special occasion.

“I think it was about my 18th ride,” Schmidt said.

“I had ridden so many placings that it felt like forever before I got my first winner.

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Photos by Kathy Challen

“It’s exciting.

I’m on the other side now at the races and able to see owners getting so much enjoyment out of winning a race.

“But it was special when it happened because it was for my Pop (Glen Hodge).”

After finishing runner-up earlier in the day (on another of her grandfather’s horses, McCartney River), 4kg claimer Schmidt won the last race – a Benchmark 60 Handicap (1200m) – on $5.50 chance Jestachenka (who carried 59kg).

“He was an old horse at the time and had been running well without winning,” Schmidt recalled.

“I had a good feeling about him that day and told Pop before I went out onto the track I thought we could win.”

Schmidt also has fond memories of winning three races from as many rides at an Eagle Farm meeting, and riding subsequent Queensland Oaks winner Tinto to her first victory at the Gold Coast in March, 2013.

She also recalls – not with such fondness – of a shocking fall at Doomben on November 30, 2011 when herself and three other jockeys crashed toward the end of a 1200m race, and she sustained terrible injuries.

“I was flying at the time the smash happened ,” she said. “The winners had been coming regularly.”

Whilst naturally she wished that fall had never happened, at least some “good” came out of it.

“Brisbane Racing Club had an on-course TV channel (hosted by the late Wayne Wilson) for racegoers and asked me if I would like to do some media work for them,” she said.

Though, amongst other injuries, she was nursing a broken leg at the time, the media work was valuable experience.

“I enjoyed it,” she said. “It was nice to be active rather than sitting at home and it kept me involved.”

She wasn’t to know it at the time, but it laid the platform for a media career at the end of her riding days.

Schmidt was the leading jockey over the five days of Grafton’s July carnival in 2014. It was to be the last time she competed at the popular carnival.

“When I was out through injury the following year, Gary Kliese (Sky’s Northern NSW form analyst and presenter) asked me if I would like to help out doing some TV work at the Grafton carnival,” she said.

“Sky must have been happy with me. They told me afterwards to get in touch if ever I wanted to do some more work for them.

“So when I decided to stop riding, I did call them and said I was definitely interested.”

Schmidt is now regularly seen on Sky Thoroughbred Central, either analysing the appearance of horses as they parade before a race and providing form comments, interviewing connections and appearing on form preview shows in the studio.

Grafton’s Clarence River Jockey Club chief executive Michael Beattie says Schmidt was immediately “a natural” in front of the camera when she did a cameo role at the 2015 July carnival.

“Priscilla brings a wonderful knowledge to the coverage because, as a jockey, she was a form student second to none and has a great memory for horses’ performances,” Beattie said.

“Add to that her insight of the animal from her equestrian background. She is the perfect mix for the role.”

and gear changes.”

Whilst she enjoys all aspects of her job at Sky, Schmidt prefers being “outside” at a race meeting to the studio.

“It’s exciting. I’m on the other side now at the races and able to see owners getting so much enjoyment out of winning a race.

“You witness them from close-up cheering loudly for their horse. You don’t see that when you’re out on the track, and it gives you a really good buzz.”

Schmidt has just got her trackwork licence back to ride work at Port Macquarie for her grandfather.

“I have my own horses at home and ride them every day,” she explained. Riding work will help Pop out and keep me fit.

“We’ll see how things go.”

But her new media career comes first. “I don’t have any specific goals other than to do the very best job at Sky I possibly can.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity. It has kept me actively involved in an industry I love.”

Schmidt says “you’ve got no idea” how much preparation is done prior to each race meeting she works at.

“Everyone has a different method, but there’s a lot of work behind the scenes. You have to know what you are talking about once you’re on camera.

“I can spend any thing between four to eight hours doing the form. Depending on the venue of the meeting, I will know a percentage of the runners and there will be others I don’t know.

“I’ll look at factors such as race replays, barrier trials Photo by Simon Hughes

DANIEL’S ‘PUNT’ pays winning

DIVIDEND

Y the very nature of their profession, accountants don’t “take a punt”.

But DANIEL LACEY took one – and happily it paid off, though it had nothing to do with betting.

Whilst working in Sydney at the Australian Turf Club, Lacey fielded a phone call a few years ago from then Gosford Race Club (now known as The Entertainment Grounds) chief executive James Heddo about LED screens.

In an ironic twist, Lacey now finds himself sitting in Heddo’s chair whilst the latter has stepped into the role of executive general manager – Racing at the ATC. The Gosford Board appointed Lacey earlier this year to replace Heddo as CEO – and the expatriate Englishman is loving every minute of his new position.

“The phone call from James about three and a half years back came out of the blue,” Lacey told FROM THE TRACK. “I had been involved purchasing the big screens at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens, and Gosford was looking at purchasing a screen.

“James asked me to come up and have a look.

I had never been to the racecourse at Gosford, and we got chatting.”

Lacey said he and his wife had started a family with two young children, and were looking at moving back to the Central Coast.

“We were living on course at Randwick, and realised it was going to be difficult purchasing a suitable house in Sydney,” he explained. “So we went back to the Coast, and bought a place at Terrigal. I guess I took a bit of a punt.

“I thought potentially there might be something at Gosford Race Club, but certainly nothing was set in stone.”

London-born Lacey, 39, first came to Australia in late 2000 on a back-packing expedition.

“I spent a year here; it was something I had always wanted to do,” Lacey told FROM THE TRACK. “I spent three months in Sydney and two months in New Zealand, and the rest of the time touring around Australia in a camper van.”

It was during his time in Sydney at their workplace that he met his future wife Kelly; coincidentally a Central Coast girl (from Lisarow).

“We went back to England and then returned to Australia in November, 2003 and lived at Bateau Bay on the Coast,” Lacey said.

“We opened a café at The Entrance and ran that for a year or so until I took ill with a mystery illness, eventually diagnosed as a stomach tumour.

“I was very lucky as it was low grade, but I lost a fair bit of weight.”

Lacey said he and Kelly had intended to sell the café and, fortunately, were able to do so just before the seriousness of his illness was discovered.

But it didn’t prevent him from keeping a promise.

“Kelly wanted to become engaged before she turned 30,” he explained. “I had everything planned and had bought the ring, and proposed to her whilst I was in hospital the day after surgery on her 30th birthday.”

The couple was married within a year at Terrigal, and moved to Sydney to settle at Balmain.

Lacey in England worked as a management accountant for The Economist newspaper and publishing house IPC Media, and obtained a job with News Ltd as a business analyst in the digital department at Surry Hills.

“It was around the start of the digital era with everything going on line,” Lacey said. “Our staff went from 50 to 300 in 12 months and as it grew we kept moving to several bigger premises around town.”

Lacey spent 15 months there and began a new career in the racing industry when he was “looking around” and noticed a position with the Australian Jockey Club for a similar role.

“I have always enjoyed working with product,” he said. “When the opportunity arose, I was thrilled to take it. The AJC was still very much old school at the time. Whilst it knew all about the racing side, other sides of the business hadn’t really been explored.”

By his own admission, Lacey hadn’t been a regular racegoer in England, although he did occasionally attend a meeting near his mother’s home at Huntingdon.

“Sydney is unique having a racecourse at Royal Randwick so close to the city, and so many people grow up getting exposure to horse racing. That is not the case in London, especially East London.”

Lacey recalls both “interesting and turbulent” times when he joined the AJC, later to become the Australian Turf Club when the former club and Sydney Turf Club officially merged on February 7, 2011.

“There were a number of changes with CEO’s after Tony King retired and also some changes with chairmen,” he said. EI (equine influenza) hit and it was a pretty scary time. Then I moved into special projects and World Youth Day at Randwick came along under the category.

“Post that, the merger occurred. I was involved in the due diligence between the two entities, and it was a turbulent time with a lot of uncertainty.

“Darren Pearce took over as the new CEO at the ATC. He was the new breed and brought around a different way of thinking. He came from a more commercial background and the club began to look at all aspects of its operations.

“I was brought in basically to look at the business side of things and work on the feasibility for new projects.”

Lacey said things gradually settled down and subsequent events had shown what a superb job the ATC had done.

Lacey has the greatest admiration for the ATC’s inaugural chairman John Cornish, who stepped down in early 2014.

“I have never met a more driven person than John,” Lacey said. “He is an amazing man. His drive when I worked at the ATC was unbelievable.

“He looked at all the relevant stats in regard to attendances, revenue and facilities and figured there was no way out unless things changed dramatically. It needed a seismic shift.

“John formed a small property group at the club, which I was pleased to be part of, and we started work in the old archives room to figure out what to do.

“We had to change Randwick. We went out and spoke with transport ministers, local MP’s, breeders, trainers and anyone who would listen. Under John’s guidance, we told them all that we needed their backing.

“The grand plan was to build a new stabling area at the 1600m, new grandstand facilities (as they are now) and get light rail coming in.

“There was no point getting thousands of people to come to Randwick if they had to queue three hours for a taxi. John dug out all the old tram corridor maps that came into the track and started the initial push for the light rail system.

FROM THE TRACK

Photo by Kathy Challen “Then the deal was brokered by RacingNSW when the racing industry gave up the rights to Trackside.

As a result, the ATC got $150m for Randwick and Rosehill got a $24m grant from the Government to also spruce up its facilities.

“The industry is now reaping the rewards from what RacingNSW and the ATC has achieved. Training fees have been lowered at Randwick and the club recently announced scrapping nomination and acceptance fees for feature races.

“A lot of people ask my thoughts about the ‘Theatre of the Horse’ (parade ring) when they find out I was involved in the project.

“Whether or not you like the new configuration, none of the benefits the industry now receives would have happened without the revenue being earned from the new grandstand.”

Lacey said it was his “time to go” when the project was completed. Coincidentally, it was at that time when the phone call from James Heddo came.

He and his family resettled on the Coast, though he subsequently commuted to and from Randwick at Cornish’s request assisting with helping ATC members become acquainted with the new facilities.

Five months later (in April, 2014), an opening occurred at Gosford as Chief Operational Officer and – courtesy of that initial meeting over the LED screens – Lacey took the job after meeting with Heddo and chairman Michael Cusick.

“The club was rebranding to The Entertainment Grounds and upgrading its facilities. “I went from dealing with a $170m redevelopment budget at

the ATC to $4.8m at Gosford, but it was all relative as Gosford’s redevelopment was funded from its own reserves.

“As with the ATC and race clubs worldwide, Gosford also had to change. It needed to upgrade its facilities and bring in new non-traditional revenue streams to survive.”

Now, this one-time backpacker is using his business acumen to ensure The Entertainment Grounds continues to be an extremely viable concern for both its participants and the local community.

“I’m very fortunate that we’ve got a wonderful Board here,” he said. “There’s great stability; you can’t do anything if there is in-fighting.”

“The Board has enabled the club to build a great foundation. I’m excited about the future, especially with RacingNSW granting us a picnic meeting for Melbourne Cup day this year.

9

“It is imperative that I try to increase the quality of race meetings at Gosford and I will continue to push for additional Saturday meets as currently we have only the one.”

Also high on the agenda is requesting Gosford Gold Cup day to be relocated to a standalone Saturday in January. “The standalone makes so much sense as the corresponding meeting in Sydney has been shuffled around in recent years while conversely the population on the Central Coast is at its annual peak,” Lacey added.

“If we want to expose more people to horse racing, then this would be the time to do it.”

“I am also very lucky to have inherited one of the most consistent racing surfaces in NSW. Our meetings always produce extremely high wagering turnover because punters have a high level of trust that our track team headed by Steve Scollard will turn out a competitive surface.”

GOSFORD will aim to remain open as a training facility until at least the end of next year.

The Entertainment Grounds’ CEO Daniel Lacey has confirmed that the original plan to cease training at the track at the end of this year has been extended by 12 months, subject to remedial works on the Pro-Ride (synthetic track).

“Delegates from Pro-Ride Racing were on course in early August to assess the condition of the track with a view that remedial works which RacingNSW have kindly offered to fund will enable us to stay open at least until the end of 2017,” Lacey said.

“The club is involved in ongoing negotiations with RacingNSW about the future of training at Gosford beyond that time.”

Gosford’s announcement late last year that the track would not continue as a training facility after December 31 this year understandably caused much angst among local trainers.

AT T HE ENT ERTA INMENT GROUN D S

TUESDAY 1 NOVEMBER Gates open 11am – $5 entry to our 5 race Picnic Meeting $85 BUFFET PACK AGE (includes seafood) in the Panorama Lounge $130 BUFFET & DRINKS PACK AGES (includes seafood) in the Lakeview Room $130 CORPOR ATE BOX FINGER FOOD AND DRINKS (includes seafood) For more information, visit www.theentertainmentgrounds.com.au or call 02 4325 0461.

Our ‘HODGIE’

KICKING GOALS O F H I S OWN

T

HEY share the same name, are worlds apart and have never met.

But they have a common thread. The year 1986.

Former English soccer player Steve Hodge was involved in the legendary Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” World Cup goal that very year.

It was a World Cup quarter-final against Argentina in Mexico City on June 22, and Hodge’s attempted back-pass to goalkeeper Peter Shilton early in the second half somehow was intercepted by the Argentine captain, who punched the ball into the net.

It was incorrectly ruled a goal, hence the “Hand of God” label. Hodge and Maradona swapped shirts after the game, and the latter’s No. 10 is now displayed in the National Football Museum in Manchester.

Only a few weeks after that incident, our subject – Newcastle’s Steve Hodge (both their Christian names are also spelt Stephen) – kicked a fair dinkum goal of his own when he launched his training career.

And it didn’t take him long to get off the mark, winning his first race on August 14 that year with Sailing Solo at Wyong.

A person who goes about his business without any fuss and is popular with everyone, Hodge is celebrating 30 years as a trainer and took time out for FROM THE TRACK to reflect on his career and how he got involved in racing in the first place, swapping tools for saddles.

Born and raised at Merewether, Hodge’s family had no involvement whatsoever with racehorses and the odds would have been lengthy about him ever becoming a trainer.

“Dad was a builder and I was apprenticed to him for a few years when I finished school,” Hodge explained.

“But for some reason I always liked horses, and used to have ponies.

“The late John Colvin (a former Newcastle Jockey Club employee and a man who helped out various trainers in the early hours before starting his main job) was a friend of the family and introduced me to Merv and Judy Maynard.

“I started going there helping out at the stables.”

Hodge’s appetite for the thoroughbred obviously had been whet. He began working for former leading Newcastle trainer Roy Hinton, and spent 11 years with him.

“They were terrific years,” Hodge said. “Roy had a really good stable, including the likes of Manawapoi (1976 Stradbroke Handicap winner), Swiftly Ann, Showcrest, War Chariot, Ontonic, Bandoo Bay, etc.

“And he won 11 races in a row with Lady Manina. She scored by nine lengths at Quirindi on debut, with Danny Frahm aboard. I rode her in most of her work.

“I learnt so much from Roy, and he was always willing to pass on his knowledge.”

Though Hodge rode trackwork, he was too heavy to consider a career as a jockey.

So when Hinton handed in his licence and retired in 1986, the opportunity was there for him to step into the breach.

“Roy was very meticulous with whatever he did, especially how he fed, worked and exercised his horses,” Hodge explained. “He was always careful not to work them too hard.

“They are things which I certainly took into my training career. And Roy has continued to take a keen interest in me.

“He always congratulates me whenever I win a race.”

Whilst Hodge wasn’t in Brisbane to see Manawapoi (ridden by Hinton’s son-in-law Alan Scorse) land the Stradbroke, he was at Grafton a month later when the trainer landed the “Jacaranda City’s” annual July double.

“Roy won the Ramornie Handicap on the Wednesday with Swiftly Ann, and Ontonic, with only 47.5kg, beat Manawapoi (55.5kg) a day later in the Grafton Cup,” Hodge recalled.

“Geoff Challen rode both winners. It was a big carnival for the stable and obviously a great thrill to be there.”

Hodge began his training career with only a handful of horses. They included a few Hinton had passed on to him; his breakthrough winner Sailing Solo being one of them.

He also spoke glowingly of the support afforded him in those early years by leading trainers, the late Max Lees and Paul Perry.

“It’s not easy when you are starting off, and both Max and Paul gave me horses to pre-train,” Hodge explained. “That certainly helped, and I will always be appreciative of their assistance.”

Hodge will never forget May, 2003. He won two feature events that month with the stayer Silent Impact for Newcastle owner John Fitzpatrick.

Matthew Paget rode the gelding when he landed the Group 3 Gosford Cup at 30-1, and again when he took the Listed McKell Cup at Rosehill Gardens.

On both occasions, Silent Impact relished the wet ground.

Neither will he forget the underrated Geigeron, with whom he won five city

FROM THE TRACK

Photos by Kathy Challen races along with two Inverell Cups (2009-10) and a Moree Cup (2009).

“I’ve always had a great association with Geigeron’s owners Barry and Linda Pont,” Hodge said.

“Geiegeron’s five wins in town were all on a Saturday; he was a wonderful horse to us.

“And we enjoyed taking him to the bush to win those Cups at Inverell and Moree. The hospitality is unbelievable; the clubs can’t do enough for you.”

Hodge hit the headlines last year when his now retired mare LoveTheBeaches ran her rivals off their legs and won the Stayers Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick by five lengths.

“It was Paul King’s first ride on her, and we didn’t plan to go out with such a big lead,” he said. “But the mare could keep going at the same speed, and he let her stride and obviously knew what he was doing.”

Hodge has deservedly earned a reputation as an excellent tutor of apprentices. Blake Spriggs, Scott Thurlow, Mathew Scorse and Alex Stokes all spent time with him and honed their craft.

“Blake was apprenticed to me when he rode five winners at a Saturday meeting at Rosehill in July, 2010 (including the Winter Stakes on Mr Unforgettable),” he said.

“Weight unfortunately restricted Mathew’s career, but I take satisfaction from seeing Blake, Scott and Alex still riding winners.”

Stokes, now a senior jockey, continues to ride work for her “boss”. “I couldn’t do it without her,” he said. “She always turns up for trackwork, and is a good judge of pace.”

These days, Hodge has a new “apprentice” – his 20-year-old godson Jack Marshall – though not bound for the saddle.

Hodge was getting LoveTheBeaches ready to defend her Stayers Cup title in June this year, but an injury forced her retirement.

“Jack is learning all about racing,” he told us proudly. “He comes to the track and races with me and has shares in some horses.

He also prepares a number of horses for various FROM THE TRACK syndicates, and won two races in town last year with handy sprinter Grand Condor.

“He is going to University, but really loves his racing.”

Hodge’s sole Group 1 runner to date was Road To Skye – and she didn’t let him down.

“Road To Skye as an early three-year-old finished on well when fifth to another Newcastle filly Angst in the 1993 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick,” Hodge said. “She went on to prove herself up to city standard.”

The life of many a trainer isn’t a bed of roses, and Hodge says he has had his “ups and downs”.

“But there have been a lot of good times, and you enjoy them when they come along,” he said.

“On average, I keep around 15 horses in work at Broadmeadow. It’s gets too difficult with staff if you try to go above that number.”

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11

Now 58, Hodge is keen to build on his already 30 years as a trainer.

“Whilst ever I’m healthy, I’ll continue to train,” he said.

“Prizemoney for the provincial and country areas keeps getting better, and my aim is to place my horses where they are best suited.

“There’s no point taking them to town on a Saturday if they can’t win or run a place.

“Besides, I love going to the races. I realise some trainers with big stables find it difficult to go all the time, but I really enjoy it.

“You get to catch up with friends and meet new people. It’s pretty hard to beat.”

CHARLIE SHIELDS

CUP DEVOTEE Truly a

C

Charlie Shields with legendary jockey Jack Thompson in 1985.

HARLIE SHIELDS was 30 when Evening Peal won the 1956 Melbourne Cup.

It was the first time he had been to Flemington for Australasia’s greatest thoroughbred race – and he thought it was “the pinnacle”.

The Cups King Bart Cummings AM holds the record for training a remarkable 12 winners – a performance which may never be bettered.

But Newcastle racing buff Shields can attest to some sort of Melbourne Cup attendance record of his own, albeit as a non-Victorian.

The nonagerian – he turned 90 in July – is getting ready to attend his 59th Melbourne Cup in November. A remarkable achievement by any standards.

Except for two – Light Fingers in 1965 and Silver Knight in 1971 – Shields has seen every Cup since George Podmore brought that year’s Newcastle Gold Cup runner-up Evening Peal home in 1956 from the Tommy Smith-trained favorite Redcraze (Arthur Ward) and George Moore’s mount Caranna.

And he can remember it as though it were yesterday.

“A friend of mine, Tom Fenwick, who had a convenience store at Wallsend, suggested we should go down for the Cup that year,” Shields told FROM THE TRACK. “How could I forget it?

“It was a day trip down and back to Melbourne from Williamtown, which was an old tin shed at the time.

Waratah Golf Club and still enjoys a round with friends.

win the centenary Melbourne Cup in 1960 with W.A. (Billy) Smith in the saddle.

“Racing and golf have been my entertainment, and given me so much pleasure,” he said.

Shields’ wife Colleen was there also; pregnant at the time with the eldest of their two sons Simon (the younger son being Martin).

“During a lot of my earlier Melbourne Cup trips, I was able to combine playing Melbourne’s famous sandbelt courses with going to the races at Flemington.”

Shields reckons there are a couple of plausible reasons why he was destined to become a racing fanatic.

“Firstly, I was born in 1926; the same year as Queen Elizabeth and Phar Lap. “The Queen loves her racing and had a winner at the Royal meeting at Ascot in June and, of course, 1930 Melbourne Cup winner Phar Lap’s racetrack deeds are legendary.”

“Simon claims the centenary Melbourne Cup was his first; he was in his mother’s womb,” Shields related.

Simon has carried on the tradition of his great grandfather George Bennett by racing his horses in the same colors (purple jacket and green cap).

A horse raced by him provided his father with the highlight of his 58 Melbourne Cup trips to date – and it wasn’t by winning the Cup. He raced Newcastle mare Who’s Ready (trained

by Alan Scorse) with a group of owners – including fellow Wallsend local Darryl Wallace – and she won the G H Mumm Handicap (1700m) at Flemington on Oaks Day 2010 at $11, with Michael Rodd aboard.

Racing and golf have been my entertainment, and given me so much pleasure

“I’ve never been a good flyer, and we went in an old propeller job.

“But it was a great experience. I thought it was the pinnacle to be at the Melbourne Cup.” Shields, a Novocastrian to his bootstraps, was born just down the road from his long-time residence at Wallsend.

It is also only a mere pitching wedge from Wallsend Hospital, where he spent the last 35 years of his working life as an engineer – and where he also met Colleen, his wife of more than 50 years.

A keen golfer, Shields plays every Thursday at

That aside, his grandfather George Bennett’s back fence adjoined the old Wallsend racecourse.

“Grandfather was a wheelwright (skilfully putting together the wooden wheels on a buggy) and trained a few horses as a hobby,” Shields said.

“His sons Andy and Arthur were jockeys.

“Family folklore has it that George had the choice of two horses, and the one he rejected was the mighty Beauford (after whom the Newcastle racing and sporting club was named).

“George lived at Quarry Lane, Maryland and that street is now called Beauford Avenue.”

Shields says he grew up going to race meetings with his father, and they were both on course at Flemington to see Kiwi mare Hi Jinx, a 50-1 outsider,

“It was an unbelievable thrill,” Shields snr said. “Most of the owners weren’t at the track, and Simon took me into the enclosure after the race.

“There I was standing on the dais at the presentation ceremony and then feted in the owners’ room afterwards. I was treated like a king and given a large bottle of champagne from the sponsor when they found out how many Cups I had attended.”

Shields says he doesn’t know whether attending his “58 Melbourne Cups to date” is a record for someone outside Victoria.

“But I have met a lady from Melbourne, Mrs Conlon, who is in her 80s and started going to the Cup when she was 12-year-old,” he said.

“I can’t beat that.”

Shields is a modest punter and for 60 years has been trying to crack an early Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double without success.

FROM THE TRACK But he has been no slouch at picking Melbourne Cup winners.

Even Stevens (1962), Red Handed (1967), Gold and Black (1977), Beldale Ball (1980), At Talaq (1986), Kingston Rule (1990), Let’s Elope (1991), Subzero (1992), Doriemus (1995), Saintly (1996), Might and Power (1997) and Fiorente (2013) are amongst his successful collects.

And he backed the champion mare Makybe Diva in the second of her record three Cup wins, in 2004.

A seaman in his younger days, Shields worked on a British tramp ship (so named because it picked up cargo at various ports) between 1949-56.

“It was never going to be a lifetime job because it had its limitations,” he explained.

“To be honest, it was very monotonous. But at least I saw the world.

“I came home to Australia by passenger ship.”

Shields says Bernborough is the best horse he has seen in his lifetime, and Cummings and Colin Hayes the best trainers.

As for jockeys, Shields admitted to having a real “soft spot” for the late Jack Thompson, who ironically was adamant he “won” the 1948 Melbourne Cup on that year’s Sydney Cup winner Dark Marne.

But the judge awarded the race to 80-1 pop Rimfire by a half-head. It was the first occasion the photo-finish camera had been used for the Melbourne Cup.

“Jack was a wonderful rider, and an equally wonderful man,” Shields said. “I followed his career closely and went to his riding farewells at Hawkesbury and Kembla Grange.

“I introduced myself to him at Kembla, and he was happy to have a photo taken with me, which I have always treasured.”

Shields might have seen 58 Melbourne Cups, but wouldn’t be drawn into singling out his best winner in that time.

13

getting as excited as he was for that first visit way back in 1956.

“The atmosphere is incredible. There’s no substitute for being at Flemington.

“When they jump from the barriers in the Cup, the roar of the crowd is deafening. It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“And hopefully this won’t be my last Cup. As long as I am able, I’ll keep going for sure.”

“Some great horses have won it,” he said. “Every Cup winner has to have some luck in running, and is the champion of the day.

“It’s special to be there. The crowds are the same, but the facilities have got better.”

A Victoria Racing Club member for the last decade or so (surely at his age bestowing honorary membership on him would be a fitting gesture by the club), Shields and his touring “party” – son Simon and friends Bruce Woolfrey and Geoff Clarke, also VRC members - stay at the Victoria Hotel in Little Collins St during carnival week.

They are already booked in for November, and Shields is Charlie with son Simon at Flemington.

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I

T was music to their ears!

A group of 22 mates who formed a Newcastle punters’ club syndicate and had never previously raced a horse together are now Group 1 winning owners.

Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? But true it is.

They own a small share in now five-year-old Music Magnate, who won the $750,000 Group 1 Doomben Ten Thousand (1350m) in May during the Brisbane winter carnival for trainer Bjorn Baker and jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

Ironically, the mates called their syndicate “The Kowalski Club”; named after the former Australian Olympic swimmer, best known for being a perpetual runner-up to fellow Aussie 1500m freestyle champs Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett.

“We’ve always been a bit unlucky, so the name was a natural,” spokesman Warren Watson told FROM THE TRACK.

“It cost us $1000 for 1 per cent and we thought it might be a nice experience,” he said.

“To be honest, we were thinking it would be awesome just to see him race at Newcastle, or perhaps even a midweek in Sydney.”

Music Magnate had a couple of issues early in his career, and Baker did not push him as a two-year-old.

He got to open his career as a three-year-old at Broadmeadow on November 22, 2014 and started $2.30 favorite in a 1200m Maiden Handicap.

But he had to play second fiddle to another very promising debutant Gold Seventy Seven (trained by Kris Lees), who beat him by a half-length.

The syndicate comprises current and ex-rugby players along with Maitland co-coach Ryan McCormack, and Watson knows something about being unlucky in sport.

Gold Seventy Seven won his next two starts in town, but injury has beset his career and he hasn’t raced since January last year.

“I played in four rugby grand finals and never won one,” Watson said. “Two were in first grade and the other two in third grade.”

On the other hand, Music Magnate has now won six races and notched five minor placings from only 13 starts, and his prizemoney earnings are edging closer to the $1m mark.

But the bad luck went out the window when the syndicate was offered a share in an unraced young horse by Written Tycoon purchased in New Zealand by expatriate Kiwi Baker, himself a rugby fanatic (not surprising considering the All Blacks’ dominance of world rugby).

It came via a telephone call out of the blue.

“A lot of our syndicate members are from different areas, and met whilst attending Newcastle University,” Watson (who hails from Alstonville on the Northern Rivers) explained.

“The four grand finals I played in were for Uni (known as the Sea Horses).”

After the telephone call, the syndicate swapped sea horses for a racehorse.

“One of our members, Sean Johnson, who is from Brisbane, got a call from his aunty,” Watson said.

“She is part of the Written Tycoon Syndicate, which had taken a 10 per cent share in this New Zealand-bred horse, and asked Sean if we might also like to take a small interest.

“We had a chat and decided to give it a go. What did we have to lose?”

After all, The Kowalski Club’s previous foray into greyhound racing never got out of the boxes.

“We got stung,” Watson said. “We paid $2700 for a pup, but the chap who was to have trained him got into trouble and the dog never raced.

“All we’ve got is a photo of the dog. It must be the dearest greyhound photo ever.”

Watson said his group didn’t go into the ownership of Music Magnate expecting to win a fortune.

Be that as it may, Watson reckons his Kowalski Club syndicate has become “mocks” when it comes to being trackside to see their star racehorse win.

“We’re living up to why we called ourselves The Kowalski Club,” Watson lamented. “We’ve been to the track a few times to see Music Magnate race and have yet to see him win, finishing second on most occasions.

“We were there at Broadmeadow for his first start, and a group of us hired a bus to go to the Scone carnival in May when of course he ran second to another very good horse in Clearly Innocent in the Luskin Star Stakes.

“Then we didn’t go to Brisbane when he won the Doomben Ten Thousand, although we certainly celebrated at home watching the race on Sky. “Quite a few of us flew to Brisbane for the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June, but he got stuck on the inside and was a victim of the track bias that day and never got into the race. You have to forget all about the run.”

The syndicate did have the opportunity to go to Royal Randwick on April 16 this year when Music Magnate began a new campaign in the $150,000 Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) – but there was a far more pressing matter!

Dave Kennedy, one of the syndicate members, was getting married that day at Port Macquarie – and the ceremony was due to start around the same time as Music Magnate’s race.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. “Dave’s bride-to-be Carly delayed the wedding,” Watson explained.

“We played the race broadcast over the speaker, Carly went around the block twice.

FROM THE TRACK

15

MEMBERS OF THE KOWALSKI CLUB ARE: Warren WATSON

Mathew CAMPBELL

Troy BAILEY

Ryan McCORMACK

David KENNEDY

James WIVELL

Adam GLEESON

Andy BATEMAN

Mick GEORGE

Oliver STONE

Sam BERRY

Daniel TYNDALL

Dylan McDONALD

Dick LANE

Lucas McBEATH

Matt DUN

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SALLY DIALS

ANOTHER WINNER

H

OLD the phone! The “girls” are making their mark on the Grafton Cup. Not only was fledgling trainer SALLY TAYLOR’S victory with roughie Rednav this year the third consecutive occasion the winner has been prepared by a female – but also the seventh time the Jacaranda City’s highlight event has gone to a woman.

Mandy Choice started the ball rolling with 1986 winner Les’ Choice, and Kim Waugh (then Moore) scored with Catapult in 1998.

Since the turn of the century, fi ve Cup winners have been under a woman’s care.

Racing’s “first lady” Gai Waterhouse clinched the first of her three Grafton Cup winners with Rocking On in 2006, and subsequently scored with Queenstown (2014) and Bonfire last year.

New Zealander Donna Logan, well known to Australian racegoers, was successful in 2009 with Castle Heights.

But surely none of the seven victories has brought a more fairytale result than 23-year-old Taylor’s triumph with $26 shot Rednav (after $81 was bet) in this year’s edition, run on July 14.

And there could not have been a sharper contrast to the $160,000 McKimms Real Estate Listed Grafton Cup winner’s trainer and jockey. Whereas Taylor took out her licence only in February and Rednav was her 28th starter, the gelding’s popular 48-year-old jockey Peter Graham is a veteran of some 15,000 rides and also notched the most important win of his lengthy career.

Horse lover Taylor was selling mobile phones for Coffs Harbour businessman and owner Peter Wood, who set her up with a small stable earlier this year.

Wood is the managing owner of a syndicate which races the now six-year-old Rednav, who began his career with esteemed horseman Greg Eurell at Cranbourne.

As a three-year-old, Rednav took on the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas (1800m) at Morphettville in April, 2014 as a maiden and ran third at $67

to Gamblin’ Guru. Later that year, he showed his staying ability by scoring over 2400m at Sandown.

Rednav had his first start in NSW for new mentor Taylor when fi fth over an unsuitable 1200m to subsequent dual Sydney winner Arise Augustus in the Takeover Target Memorial at Coffs Harbour in late March.

The former Victorian ensured a Grafton Cup berth by winning the Westlawn Cup Prelude (2215m) a week earlier at $21. The rest is history.

Five meetings in 11 days is never an easy assignment, but Grafton’s July carnival again came through with flying colors.

Forty races were conducted with 498 starters (an average per race of nearly 12.5) – and only one did not offer each-way betting (a scratching from the opening race on Crowe Horwath Ramornie Handicap day reduced the field to seven).

Little wonder energetic Clarence River Jockey Club chief executive Michael Beattie was “very pleased” with overall results.

“Over the fi ve days, our total crowd was down only fractionally on last year’s tally despite our two feature meetings (Ramornie and Cup) being very cold days and not appealing to all racegoers,” Beattie told FROM THE TRACK. “Our TAB turnover (including fixed odds) was up on last year, and I’m sure that is reflected in the programming of our races and the way the track was presented.

“We worked closely with RacingNSW and made some changes to our programming to offer all grades of horses suitable races. We divided two races on the opening day and another race on the final day, so the changes clearly worked.

“That’s not to say we won’t look at a few little tweaks again next year.”

Beattie said a slightly different approach to rail placement also contributed to excellent racing and increased wagering turnover.

“Rather than keep the rail in the true position for the first two days, we switched it to the last three carnival days this time,” he explained.

“The racing was very competitive on each of our five days. To run five meetings in 11 days so well was a marvellous effort by all concerned.”

Grafton conducted six feature races at the carnival – and the average-priced winner was $23.

Apart from Rednav taking the Prelude at $21 and Cup at $26, Power Receiver won the John Carlton Cup at $31, Smart Volatility the Ramornie at $21 and Nautile the Maclean Bowling Club Maclean Cup at $31.

But Gold Coast trainer John Smerdon ensured bookmakers weren’t altogether counting their cash.

He crossed the border with three horses – and all were well backed and won.

Photos by Simon Hughes www.simonhughes.com.au

FROM THE TRACK

17

HOOFNOTE: Whilst the lady trainers have certainly put their stamp on the Grafton Cup, a female rider is yet to taste success.

Next year perhaps?

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PRING is in the air and we’re all looking forward to the Spring Racing Carnivals… which means bringing out the dazzling colours and those amazing fascinators to our Racetracks.

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FROM THE TRACK

19

STEVE’S AN

EARLY STARTER

FOR SURE

FOR SURE

W

HETHER it be rain, hail or shine, STEVE SCOLLARD is usually at his “second home” around 5.15am.

Such an early start – especially on winter’s frosty mornings - might not appeal to many, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Scollard is The Entertainment Grounds’ highly regarded racecourse manager at Gosford, and says he can’t wait to get to work each morning.

“I love my job,” Scollard told FROM THE TRACK. And there wasn’t the slightest hint of scepticism.

He was deadly serious.

“Whenever I wasn’t at school, I went to the races with Dad. He used to let me send the film down the wire in a little bag from the tower after each race. That was a highlight.”

Scollard held a variety of jobs in the greenkeeping field in Sydney before pointing the family car north.

“It’s not an effort to get out of bed and be at the track by 5.15am. I still love getting up and going to work.

His first job as a greenkeeper was at Auburn Baseball Club. He also worked at golf clubs and also prepared the turf wickets at Newington College.

“Really, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”

When Scollard and his family settled on the Coast, he took on a landscaping role.

Sydney-born Scollard, 51, joined the Gosford club in 1998 – 10 years after he and his wife and then one-year-old daughter gave the “big smoke” the flick to shift to the Central Coast.

“We decided Sydney wasn’t for us,” Scollard said. “It’s a move we have never regretted.”

But not before Scollard honed his skills as a greenkeeper.

“I didn’t come from a dyed in the wool racing family, but there was always an involvement with horses,” he said.

That all changed in 1998 when he saw an advertisement for a position with Gosford Race Club – and got it.

“You have to have a thick skin,” he said. “You’re defenceless to some of the criticism, and have to learn not to get affected by it.

“More often than not, it’s a perception anyway from ‘industry experts’ as to how the track is.

“At the end of the day, no one knows their track better than the racecourse manager.

“But you must put up the correct track rating. If you lie, you’re quickly found out.”

Not that Scollard leaves anything to chance. “There isn’t a day when I’m here that I don’t walk our track at least once,” he said.

Built on a swamp, Gosford didn’t always have the reputation it now has as an excellent racing surface.

Scollard admitted it was “terrible”.

“You have to have a thick skin,” he said. “You’re defenceless to some of the criticism, and have to learn not to get affected by it.”

“My grandfather Andrew (better known as Neil) Kelly was originally from the Cowra area and later moved to Merrylands in Sydney and trained. I also had an uncle who was a jockey.

“Mum was a champion show rider, and Dad loved a punt.”

Scollard says he “always had a love of horses”, and that increased when his father, who worked for the old PMG (Post Master General) Department, got an extra gig doing the head-on films at Canterbury midweeks.

“It caught my eye,” Scollard explained. “It was a job as foreman, basically as second-in-charge to the then racecourse manager Dale Jeffs.

“Since the club did extensive drainage works, we no longer have the problems we used to, especially when wet weather was around,” Scollard said.

“The course proper has a great root system. Punters can have confidence betting at Gosford without doubt.”

“It was great to get back into an area I knew well.”

Gosford is not the biggest track on the provincial circuit. At just over 1700m in circumference and 24m wide, it does present some problems when it comes to rail movements.

Five years later, Scollard became racecourse manager when the position became vacant, although Jeffs did stay on for a time as the club’s starter.

“We do have limited rail movements, especially where the course proper narrows near the 800m because of Narara Creek on the outside of the track,” Scollard said. “But we get by.”

Whilst Scollard loves his job, he says there is definitely “a whole lot more scrutiny” nowadays on the presentation of raceday surfaces.

Gosford now has 24 race meetings annually; 22 TAB fixtures and two picnics (the latter doubled this year by the acquisition of a prime Melbourne Cup date).

Photos by Kathy Challen “Michael wanted to control everything. But you could have a blue with him and it was forgotten pretty well as soon as it was over.

“He was followed by Tony O’Mara and then James Heddo and now Daniel (Lacey) is the CEO.

Scollard relishes the annual break from racing at Gosford to perform vital track renovation work.

“We close down at the end of August for six weeks,” he said. “It’s early, but it allows us to dethatch and hollow core the track, then top dress it. “We’ve slowly built up the profile.”

Gosford’s move not so long back to rename itself The Entertainment Grounds and upgrade its facilities for not only racegoers, but also to enable the club to focus strongly on non-raceday functions and events has increased the workload.

But Scollard and his staff take it in their stride. “The setting-up is not a problem,” he said. “We have a good crew of four plus our gap man (supervising trackwork), and they do a great job.”

“I’m really enjoying working with Daniel. He keeps all the staff informed about everything that is going on at the club.”

Important as his main role is, Scollard’s skill extends beyond that. He has also built a reputation as an excellent starter.

“I began working at the barriers when Bill Dale (now retired) was the starter and Dale (Jeffs) followed him.

I have been the starter here now for about 12 years.

“I have also been starting at Newcastle for nearly the same period, and also did the same job at Wyong for a number of years.

“Starting a 900m Maiden is the same as the Gosford Cup. There’s no difference; I treat them all equally.

“We’ve got a terrific team working at the barriers; they’re one of the best anywhere.”

Scollard jokes that during his 18 year tenure with the club, he has worked under five chief executives.

It wouldn’t be racing if there weren’t memorable incidents on racedays.

“The late Brian Taylor was in charge when I started and Michael Beattie replaced him when he retired.

“That young bloke RT (Australia’s winningest jockey Robert Thompson) has a wry sense of humor,” Scollard chuckled.

FROM THE TRACK

21

“If his horse gets away slowly, he’ll thank me afterwards by saying: ‘Nice start Zig’”. (Scollard’s long-time nickname is Ziggy).

And he can recall one false start at Gosford during his time at the top of the rostrum pressing the button.

“I wasn’t even on the stand when there was an electric malfunction and the gates opened prematurely in an 1100m race,” he said.

“All the horses except the one drawn on the outside got away on terms, so I thought I wouldn’t rush for the false start button and let the stewards make a call about the latter being declared a non-runner.

“As it turned out, the horse who missed the start won the race, but the stewards nonetheless declared it a ‘no race’.

“They deemed it wasn’t a fair start because I didn’t officially start the race.”

Scollard has a full service done regularly on the barriers before each meeting, and he and his staff check them thoroughly prior to each race.

A man who never seems to get flustered, Scollard has a simple philosophy about his starting duties – and for that matter, his working life.

“Nothing’s ever foolproof. When you’re dealing with machinery and horses, anything can happen. I can only do the best I possibly can.

“And I was taught from an early age to treat people exactly as I expect to be treated. I’m pretty sure I do that.”

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And she has her husband to thank for giving her the incentive to set up Vandabell Equine Jewellery, offering a unique range of equine, racing, animal, sports and school jewellery.

“It was at the time of the 2007 Brisbane floods when we were in Queensland on holidays,” Campbell told FROM THE TRACK. “We got stuck at the Gold Coast and were sitting in the apartment when Greg suggested that I should start my own jewellery business.

“That’s really how it all began.”

Campbell has always had a love of jewellery and gemstones, so it wasn’t as though kicking off such a business was foreign to her.

She regularly went with her family fossicking for the precious stones around

Glen Innes, which hosts the annual Minerama Fossicking & Gem Show.

Later, she was heavily involved with Newcastle Lapidary Club, which provides its members with the means of making jewellery.

Campbell got a break when dedicated local mini trotting volunteer Daryll Jackson asked her to make medallions for the mini trot drivers who competed in races associated with the 2014 Inter-Dominion Pacing Championship at Menangle.

“I guess the business really took off from there,” she said.

“Growing up in a horse racing family that was also sport crazy was exciting.”

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Campbell’s late grandfather Henr y Gerke (from Glen Innes) was a harness trainer-driver in Newcastle and raced in the same orange and black colors as her husband now does.

All jewellery is available in sterling silver, 9ct gold (yellow, white and rose) and 18ct (yellow or white).

Campbell also makes custom horse hair jewellery and leather belts and cuffs.

Over the last 15 years, she has bred and raced harness horses with her trainer-driver husband.

Versatility is a key point of her business. When FROM THE TRACK spoke with her recently at the end of a working week, she was preparing to fulfil an order that weekend to make an engagement ring at her studio at home on the outskirts of Newcastle.

“I have driven pacers trackwork, and love the industry because of the people in it,” she said.

“Now I can continue my love of horses and sport through my other love – jewellery.”

Campbell’s jewellery range offers medallions in thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing , dressage, jumping, polo and many more.

Sporting medallions include netball, soccer, football, cricket, golf and tennis.

Medallions feature in rings, ear rings, bracelets, necklaces, charms, cuff links, tie pins and key rings.

Clearly, Campbell’s business is expanding. She has already sent orders to the United Kingdom and Europe.

With that – along with a family which includes three young daughters (Grace, 10, Cassidy, 4 - named after the Group 1 centurion former jockey - and Kingsley, 2 ½) to look after – it’s no wonder she says she is “very busy”.

23

As well as her Facebook page for Vandabell Equine Jewellery, she has also recently launched a website (vandabelljewellery.com).

Busy or not, as a former Miss Newcastle Show Girl, she would at some stage like to become involved with the Newcastle Show Society, especially if it was helping organise the Show Girl quest.

Campbell plans to open a gallery and workshop but the time being, she is watching with keen interest to see if another family member will eventually follow her great grandfather, Pop and Dad into driving pacers.

“Grace is really keen on the mini trotters,” Campbell said. “She has four ponies at home to look after.

“She trains two for herself, and the other two for her younger sisters, trying to win trophies for them.”

One way or another, seems the Campbell name will continue to be involved with harness horses for many years to come.

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L A D I ES I N R AC I N G

Dreams spur these women on

R

ACING, more often than not, is built on dreams.

Some make it in their chosen field. Some don’t.

If passion, determination and drive count for anything, two young Hunter Valley women are on their way to joining the former category.

Both in their early 30s, NICOLE DOWN and JO SHEEHAN are striving to become successful trainers.

Based at Cessnock, they are fully aware it’s not going to be easy - in fact it will be mighty tough - but also realise quitting never wons anyone a race.

They are certainly not subscribing to the latter. Both are already “winners” anyway, having overcome major obstacles to pursue their dreams.

Newcastle-born Down, 34, has been training for two years and has already racked up four placings (all with Godolphin cast-off Envision), searching for that elusive breakthrough winner.

Whilst working in Newcastle two and a half years ago, she suffered post traumatic stress disorder.

“In that period of six months, the mare had eight starts for a win and a placing.

But that “dark cloud” had a silver lining. “A friend of mine, Jenny, had purchased a lovely bay mare named Malabo (a five-times winner), and gave her to me to pre-train for a few months,” Down told FROM THE TRACK.

“Malabo was the reason I got up at 2.30am six mornings a week and worked two jobs, tending to my son and family. Her own ambition gave me the drive to push through the hard times and get my licence.”

“It was great therapy and just what I needed at the time. I loved it, and it gave me the spark to train in my own right.

Down has four horses in work at her stables near Hunter Valley Gardens at Pokolbin. She would be happy to take more horses if the opportunities arise.

“Malabo had won four times when Jenny purchased her. I pre-trained her at my farm (for 6 weeks) and then took her to the trainer whilst I was getting further experience.

Down purchased Hard Spun (sire of Group 1 Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain) mare Envision for $2500 and she almost gave her an immediate return, being narrowly beaten at Muswellbrook on Melbourne Cup day last November.

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FROM THE TRACK “We all have to learn, and I’m prepared to take advice from more experienced people in the industry.

“I am confident in my own ability, and I definitely have the passion and hear t to succeed.”

Down has a great outlook on life, working parttime at The Guest House at Pokolbin after tending to her horses in the early mornings.

Jo Sheehan

Nicole Down

“We later discovered she had stomach ulcers, and sorted that out,” she said. “I’m sure we can win a race with her.”

Down was a successful sales representative, but wanted to do something else for the rest of her life which would make her happy.

“This is what I want to do, and I’m determined to work my way up,” she said.

“I go from working the horses to working at a lovely 4 ½ star accommodation house,” she said. “It’s a good mix.”

Widely-travelled Sheehan, 32, is a little closer to Cessnock at Allandale and has two horses in work.

Bathurst-born, she has lived in three States and had a good grounding in racing.

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“I went to Victoria and worked for Mornington trainer Matt Laurie, and then later for Shane Edwards in Perth,” Sheehan said.

“As an eight-year-old, I watched the Barcelona Olympics on TV and made up my mind I wanted to either ride in the Olympics or become a jockey.”

Unfortunately, Sheehan was badly injured in a track accident and so Plan A went out the window.

“But it hasn’t stopped me,” she said. “I reverted to Plan B and took up educating show (dressage) horses and re-educating ex-racehorses for clients.

“Racing still being my passion, I recently sold the last of my show horses to focus fully on my training career.”

Sheehan is actively looking for clients, and prospective clients are able to follow her Facebook page (Sheehan Racing & Education) for more information about what she can offer.

Whilst she is yet to have a starter, she has her two horses – Loving Grace and Golden Moss – back in work.

Now a four-year-old, Loving Grace is an unraced daughter of Oratorio, whilst five-year-old mare Golden Moss (by Mossman) has raced only twice, and hasn’t sported silk since finishing unplaced at Newcastle on Boxing Day, 2014.

“I’m really looking forward to having my first runner soon, and hopefully my first winner,” Sheehan said.

“That would be pretty special.”

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FROM THE TRACK

ON

the

PACE BOB Dylan would be proud.

A three-year-old filly named after a throwaway hit he wrote in the 1970s is on song to be named Newcastle Horse Of The Year.

Rockmemama staked her claim for the 2016 title by winning the Group 1 NSW Breeders Challenge at Menangle on June 26.

Driven by Mark Callaghan, who has developed a wonderful affinity with the rising four-year-old, she beat Eye See Diamonds and Victorian favorite Heavens Trend.

Sawyers Gully trainer Darryl Thomas has done a superb job with Rockmemama, a daughter of American stallion Rock N Roll Heaven.

Thomas raced the filly only twice in her debut twoyear-old season – and her two fourths grossed $825.

But what a different story it has been this season.

Her Breeders Challenge success lifted her threeyear-old earnings to $135,725 from six wins and a third. She won twice at Newcastle in February and finished third in a heat of the Breeders Challenge at the Paceway in late May.

27

Rockmemama’s Group 1 triumph at Menangle in June was her 10th start. Callaghan has driven her eight times for five wins and a third.

(the club stages the annual Bill Chidgey Memorial) and wanted to use his red and black colours on the former Kiwi pacer.

T h e N e w c a s t l e H o r s e O f T h e Ye a r w i l l be announced in late September.

A new set of silks was subsequently ordered from Hyland Racewear in Melbourne and arrived only a day before the meeting. Chidgey and Salkeld were on course to cheer home Vega Star, but unfortunately Schneider missed the race as he was overseas on business.

CALLAGHAN was also in the sulky when Somerset Meats boss Matt Chidgey got in for his chop with his very first pacer – at Newcastle on July 30.

Chidgey, who has successfully raced thoroughbreds for many years in Newcastle, has been a good supporter of Newcastle Harness Racing Club and decided earlier this year to get more involved by racing a horse.

“Matt has sponsored the Newcastle Derby for a number of years, and often mentioned he would like to race a pacer,” explained Somerset Meats manager Trent Salkeld.

“He got serious a few months ago and Tony Drew at Newcastle Harness Racing Club put us in touch with Global Bloodstock’s Darrell Kidd,” Salkeld explained.

“Darrell sourced a young horse named Vega Star from New Zealand for us, and recommended we give him to Mark Callaghan to train.”

Salkeld and Rutherford businessman Chris Schneider (both played rugby league together with Western Suburbs) went into partnership with Chidgey to race Vega Star.

There was a nice touch to Vega Star’s successful Australian debut as a $1.50 favorite. Chidgey’s late father Bill was heavily involved in harness racing

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Vega Star’s all-the-way victory continued a good run on the track for Chidgey in July. His fouryear-old thoroughbred Pacific Reign (trained by David Atkins) scored on the Beaumont track on both July 9 and 23, ridden on each occasion by Alison Threadwell.

Just to show his winning Aussie debut was no fluke, Vega Star backed up at Newcastle on August 8 and made it two wins in a row with a tough effort over 2030m.

NEWCASTLE’S leading trainer for the 2015-16 season was anyone’s guess when this edition of FROM THE TRACK went to print.

The result could even go down to the final meeting at the Paceway on August 27.

Shane Tritton (now based at Menangle), Darren Elder and Clayton Harmey were battling it out for premiership honors, with little between them.

Newcastle’s leading driver appeared a more clearcut outcome, with Todd McCarthy holding a decent lead over Josh Osborn, Brad Elder, Michael Formosa and Mark Callaghan.

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FROM THE TRACK

29

NEW CUP DATE

NO BARRIER at MUSWELLBROOK

T

RADITION can be the barrier to progress.

With that in mind, Muswellbrook Race Club has entered a new era by making a bold decision to switch its most important race meeting away from Melbourne Cup day to a new date.

The Muswellbrook Gold Cup will now be run on Friday, November 25 as the highlight of a record prizemoney $320,000 program, which also includes three other feature races.

And it doesn’t end there.

The club is intent on building the Cup fixture into a weekend festival over the next few years, and has taken the first step by organising a charity golf day at Muswellbrook Golf Club on the preceding day (Thursday), to be followed by a Cup Calcutta there that evening.

It is believed the Muswellbrook Cup has coincided with Melbourne Cup day since the 1960s, and the club’s general manager Duane Dowell says the decision to break from tradition wasn’t taken lightly.

“Our committee has been considering it for a number of years, and the time is right to make the move,” Dowell told FROM THE TRACK. “If we want to truly grow our Cup meeting, we had to break away from Melbourne Cup day.

“There are now so many race meetings covered on the TAB on the first Tuesday in November that it is impossible for us to stand out.

“But it has also become increasingly apparent to us that the Tuesday date doesn’t suit a lot of people in our area.

“Many of our patrons from the thoroughbred studs and mining industries are on a seven-day roster, and don’t relish having to turn up for work on the Wednesday after the Tuesday meeting.

“We are confident the move to a new Friday date with around a 6pm finish will enable us to virtually double our crowd.”

Dowell said last year’s Cup meeting (held on a heavy track) drew around 13001400 patrons, and he is predicting that will increase to 2500 on the new date.

RacingNSW’s decision to include Muswellbrook’s meeting as one of the new Country Showcase fixtures has boosted minimum prizemoney for the day, with no race to be worth less than $30,000 ($3000 above standard provincial prizemoney).

The Muswellbrook Gold Cup (1500m) has been lifted from $60,000 to $80,000, the Skellatar Sprint (1000m) from $20,000 to $50,000, and the Wayne Harris Handicap (1280m) doubles from $20,000 to $40,000.

Muswellbrook’s feature juvenile event, the Starmaker 2YO (1000m), will be run for the first time on the Cup program and carries a $30,000 purse.

Horsepower will sponsor the Skellatar Sprint, and long-time supporters Mt Arthur Coal will sponsor the Wayne Harris Handicap.

The Cup sponsor will be determined from the Muswellbrook Gold Sponsors’ Club at a gala dinner on Friday evening, October 7.

“We had 33 sponsors involved last year, and expect that number to be around 40 this season,” Dowell said.

“It’s great value at $1500 plus GST, and each sponsor gets to pick a race, with the last out receiving the naming rights to the Cup.” Last year’s Cup (above) was won by Gosford-trained Bettabet Red (apprentice Alena Skerritt), who downed Robert Thompson’s mount Shaza’s Bubbles.

Dowell said his club was determined to build a festival around the Cup meeting.

“We have spoken with local hospitality businesses about our plan, and naturally we want the local community to buy into it.

“It won’t happen overnight, but getting the charity golf day and calcutta up and running this year is a step in the right direction.”

Whilst Muswellbrook has broken with tradition with its Cup, the club will still race on the Sunday (October 30) and Melbourne Cup day (Tuesday, November 1) as per normal.

“We’ll test the water over the next year or two with these dates, but at this stage there’s still enough support to warrant continuing to race on these days,” Dowell said.

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FROM THE TRACK

31

CUP CARNIVALS

AT NEWCASTLE AND PORT MACQUARIE

N

EWCASTLE’S two-day spring carnival this year will have a naming rights sponsor for the first time.

Newcastle Jockey Club chief executive Matt Benson has welcomed Hunter Jaguar Land Rover to the sponsorship fold.

“We’re delighted they have come on board as naming rights sponsor of our two days on Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17,” Benson told FROM THE TRACK. “It’s a massive boost for the club.”

A total of $822,000 in prizemoney will be offered; $600,000 of it attached to the carnival’s premier opening day on the Friday, which boasts three Group 3 events.

They are the $175,000 XXXX Gold Newcastle Gold Cup (2200m), $150,000 Australian Bloodstock Cameron Handicap (1350m) and $125,000 Yarraman Park Tibbie Stakes (1350m).

With the course proper having undergone a major overhaul and not due to be re-opened until the autumn, distance changes have been necessary for the above features as the carnival is being run on the Beaumont track.

Unfortunately, the club’s flagship event for threeyear-olds – the Group 3 Spring Stakes – is a casualty this year as 1600m races cannot be staged on the inside circuit.

“The likelihood is that the race won’t be staged this season,” Benson said. “We are discussing the best option with RacingNSW.” Sydney’s record-breaking training supremo Chris Waller won three of last year’s four features, capturing the Cup with Beyond Thankful (Hugh Bowman), Tibbie with She’s Clean (James McDonald) and Spring Stakes with Devil Hawk (Tye Angland).

Wyong’s Kim Waugh won the Cameron with Forget (Kerrin McEvoy).

Benson is keen to build on Newcastle’s inaugural move last year to a Friday-Saturday carnival format, especially promoting the latter date as Ladies’ Day. “The Friday with all the big races will be a day for the purists and corporates, whilst the Saturday will develop into an excellent social day,” he said.

Meanwhile, the new course proper is expected to be officially opened on March 17 next year when

the Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket also moves to a new Friday timeslot.

“We’re awaiting official confirmation of the date from RacingNSW,” Benson said. “Everyone is looking forward to racing on the new track.”

Meanwhile, Wine Country Race Club (which comes under the NJC banner) has also applied to the State’s controlling body to switch Cessnock’s annual Jungle Juice Cup meeting to a Friday.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficulty to attract patrons to a Tuesday meeting when they have to front up for work the next day,” Benson said.

“A Friday date would give visitors the opportunity to make a long weekend of their visit, with the vineyards obviously a real drawcard.

“We would appreciate an appropriate Friday date (hopefully not in the summer months) and believe Cessnock deserves it rather than a Monday or Tuesday.”

P

ORT Macquarie will run it first Cup in two years on Friday, October 7 on a spanking new track.

Thanks to RacingNSW’s Country Showcase promotion, all races will be worth a minimum $30,000 – thus ensuring record one-day prizemoney of $340,000.

The $100,000 Carlton Mid Port Macquarie Cup (2000m) is the highlight, supported by the $50,000 Port Macquarie Sprint (1200m) and $40,000 Open Handicap (1500m).

Port did not run its Cup last year as work had commenced six months earlier on a total upgrade of the course proper as well as an upgrade of the sand training track; the $3.7m project funded by RacingNSW.

In a close finish, the gelding ousted Chris Waller’s $2.70 favorite Campanology (Brenton Avdulla) and Wyong’s Lucky Liaison ($6).

The first meeting on the new track was held on Sunday, June 19 when Port allowed Wauchope Jockey Club to conduct its annual Cup meeting – and the circuit received excellent reviews from all sections of the industry.

Port Macquarie then conducted its initial TAB meeting on the new track on Friday, July 29 and another was scheduled for Saturday, August 27.

The $30,000 Cup Prelude (1800m) will be run on Sunday, September 25 with the first and second placegetters gaining automatic entry into the Cup line-up.

Port Macquarie chief executive Michael Bowman says it is now full steam ahead to the Cup meeting, with a lower key seven-race matinee fixture also to be held the following day.

“We’ve looked after the track during the winter months by not racing more than once per month,” Bowman told FROM THE TRACK. “But it will be back to normal with the Friday and Saturday meetings during Cup week.

“We’re also back in the school vacation period again, which undoubtedly will give us the opportunity to draw a big crowd for Cup day with many families holidaying in our area.

“Having missed last year, our committee and our staff are all looking forward to again staging the Cup.” Supporting races on the Cup program – all worth $30,000 – are a Benchmark 65 Handicap (1100m), Class 2 Handicap (1000m), Class 1 Handicap (1200m), F & M Maiden Plate (1200m) and CG& E Maiden Plate (1200m).

The late South Coast trainer Bede Murray won the 2014 Cup – which carried a $100,000 purse for the first time – with World Wide, ridden by Robert Thompson. (pictured below in purple cap)

Photo courtesy Trackside Photography

JUNGLE JUICE CUP Photos by Kathy Challen

FROM THE TRACK

33

S PE E D M A P S

CRITICAL,

A

S AYS E X PE R T

2014 Melbourne Cup Win ner PROTECTIONIST Photo by Bradley Photograph ers

NY punter who wants to bet seriously must use speed maps.

So says highly-respected form analyst LUKE MURRELL, who wouldn’t be without them when making his assessments for his successful Professional Punting website.

“They’re massive; they are so critical,” he told FROM THE TRACK. “I don’t really want to have a bet nowadays unless I’ve done a speed map.

“The person I employ for both the NRL and AFL has been working for me for 18 months,” he said.

“Races can be won and lost in the first 50 to 100 metres.

“He takes a lot of emotion out of his selections and is more reliant on the statistical side.

“I’ve got great confidence in my ability to read a race and fortunately I’ve got a reasonably good memory to know where horses usually race.”

Murrell – who supplies speed maps for a number of leading trainers as well as clients – says the RacingNSW website is a wonderful tool to assist in finalising speed maps.

“We’ll send an email out early in the week if he can see overs in a match, and then his betting selections will follow later in the week.

“So far, his strike rate is excellent at around 60 per cent. I know of UK punters who bet billions and operate on a strike rate of 52-53 per cent.”

“Video of all the TAB races is on the website, and it’s FREE for any punter to access,” he said.

Murrell also employs a separate person during the summer to provide A-League soccer and Test cricket recommendations.

With Wednesday morning acceptances now the norm for Saturday metropolitan meetings, that day is full on for Murrell.

Professional Punting’s sports selections cost $79 monthly (or $599 annually).

“Once acceptances are released around 10 to 10.30am, the work starts assessing each race,” he explained.

Further details about any of PP’s services can be sourced at professionalpunting. com.au or by contact Luke (0407 451 823).

“It will usually take me six to seven hours to put the speed maps together for an entire Saturday program.

“Of course, things can change with important scratchings on race morning and you have to adjust accordingly.”

Murrell says he is looking forward to warmer weather to lessen bias as the tracks become firmer.

“You are more inclined to especially bet pre-post when you have a good idea that track bias won’t exist, and you get to learn what tracks perform better than others.”

Murrell continues to offer his PP subscribers a full refund (plus $1000) if they do not finish on the right side of the ledger over 12 months, provided they fully adhere to his recommendations. He knows what he is doing, having won at each of the last 18 years.

And he also offers a similar refund to subscribers to his sports betting services.

“The growth of sports betting has been amazing,” Murrell said. “The punter probably views it as being easier to pick one team over another and, of course, he or she can watch pretty well all the major sports live on TV.

professionalpunting.com.au Won every year since 1997 (18 years straight) Last years Horse profit over $15,000 Last years Greyhound profit over $27,000

% Horse Racing % Speed Maps

“Once upon a time, you would have to listen to broadcasts on ABC Radio, but all that has changed.

% Greyhound Guru

“A punter gets to talk about a game with his mates, and he’s inclined to wager $20 or $50 when he can watch it.”

% Sports

Murrell pointed out, however, that sports betting wasn’t easy because of the low margins, and bookmakers were better suited than most realised.

HOOFNOTE: LUKE has generously offered to provide his speed maps FREE OF CHARGE to FROM THE TRACK readers.

Email him at professionalpunting@bigpond.com and mention you are a FROM THE TRACK reader and he will send you the important maps for the Sydney Saturday meetings.

www.professionalpunting.com.au Remember to always gamble responsibly

55Mark

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