LET’S GET LOUD! When Gary Cunningham decided to name the family’s first thoroughbred purchase after his wife, it did not take him long to come up with the perfect tribute... “Light Up The Room”. Which says much about the personality of Lorilie Cunningham, effervescent and passionate, she brightens the day of each person who meets her. A woman boasting an impressive and varied resume, Lorilie is a relative latecomer to the racing game but the sport is lucky to have her. For in a short time she and Gary have contributed not only financially with significant investment, but also to the image of racing at a time when there has been a definite aura of negativity about. “When I started racing horses and talking to people about it so many would say to me ‘oh how can you do that, racing is so cruel.’ But I knew in my heart that it was not.” And so instead of merely defending racing with words, she set about seeing what it was about racing’s image that fuelled the detractors - one of the main misconceptions being that owners simply use their horses for glory and cash (every long-time owner has a bit of a chuckle at that idea) with no thought to long term welfare. “But what I have found is that most trainers and owners tend to be very passionate about their horses,” she said, citing trainer Tony Gollan’s wife Jane who - after years of helping to re-home the stable’s horses - has channelled considerable energy into the establishment of the Transitioning Thoroughbreds Foundation.
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Putting retired horses through a 12 week reeducation programme in order to ascertain their suitability for other disciplines, Jane has been funded mainly by owners but would like to do more - which is why Lorilie stepped in. By establishing “Well Groomed Racing,” an organisation that sets out to “change public perceptions about and showcase the deep love and respect of the animals prolific throughout the industry... and champion their post-racing life.” With the twin aims of fundraising and increasing interest in racing, Lorilie organised and hosted a very successful event at an Eagle Farm meeting in September. “It was just an amazing day,” she enthused. “It raised funds for Jane who is hoping to spend the money on helping owners and horses in regional Queensland whilst it also brought new people into racing.” “We had a lot of people who had never been to a race meeting before and the feedback since has been great, many of them looking forward to returning to the track and enjoying carnival time.”
