7 minute read
FIRE AND REINS
By Muriel Cooper Photos Yanni & supplied
Spring brings a softness to the air that’s welcome to both horses and family alike at Jason Warren Racing Stables in Mornington. For Jason, his wife and office manager Kate, and his three daughters, Chloe, Charlotte, and Ruby, there’s excitement in the air, as the Spring Racing Carnival gets underway.
Do horses pick up on the vibe leading up to the spring races?
Jason says “The Melbourne winter is hard on everybody, including animals, and it’s a bit of a struggle to get up from time to time when the rain is coming sideways and it’s got ice in it. No one’s keen to go out in it and train so we have to rug our horses up through the winter. When spring hits the weather is warmer, the horses have less rugs on at night, the days are nicer, and everyone gets a real spring in their step. Our team is flying at the moment; we’ve had a great number of winners, probably the highest it’s ever been as far as a winning percentage goes.”
Racing is a lifestyle as much as a job for us, and it means a lot
The stables, one of two run by Jason and the family, nestle into the Mornington Racecourse on a magnificent property called Ballanrong. Jason says, “Racing is a lifestyle as much as a job for us, and it means a lot. Obviously, it’s our main income. We bought this property to be closer to the racecourse, so it determines every facet of our lives. We’ve picked Mornington because it’s a great place to live and train horses. The kids are very much involved. Chloe, my eldest daughter is working this afternoon and over the past two years she’s strapped a great number of winners at the races; she’s doing a great job. My second daughter Charlotte recently strapped her first winner at Mornington, and that was a proud Dad Day with our two eldest both strapping a winner at our local track. We’ve got a very good team of staff, and I can’t do it without them around me. I think it’s great that the girls have an interest in horses and racing.”
Ruby has her pony, Diesel and Dust, a horse that had challenges. Jason explains: “He had two different-shaped feet and was not the best size - not much bigger than a pony - but the heart that little horse showed was significant, and he won a great number of races for us and was a stable favourite because he tried so hard. He had the will to win.”
On the question of competitiveness of horses when they’re racing Jason says, “Our best-performing horse currently is Benedetta. She’s a shining star, a recent group one winner in the Adelaide Goodwood. When she’s in a tight finish, she always wins. She enjoys racing and is a fierce competitor.”
Jason places an extremely high priority on the welfare of the horses. “First, I don’t cut any corners on feeding, so I guess you could probably say that nutrition is paramount. Second, our horses don’t go to the races unless they’re fit so a lot of work is done at the trials and track work in preparing them We’re fierce competitors, but I don’t go to the races when we’re not ready to be competitive. I bring a very strong work ethic. It’s a seven-day-a-week job, it’s an early morning job, and if you’re not consistent, you don’t get results.”
When she’s in a tight finish, she always wins. She enjoys racing and is a fierce competitor
“It’s not just training. It’s the back end of the business where Kate plays a major role in running our office. We’ve got about 900 owners that we get information out to weekly, and that’s an important part of it; letting everybody know what their horses are up to, how they’re coping, what we’re planning to do and which races we’re planning to attend.”
Jason became involved in racing before he left school. “I was still at school when I started riding track work. Being an early morning job, it’s easily enough done before school starts, so I would do that wherever I could. I had a love for horses growing up, and liked competing. I did a lot of shows, went right through pony club and was more of an equestrian rider. With showjumping, camp drafting and various other horse activities. Racing was very much secondary.”
Jason wanted to get into horse welfare and care and says racing attracted him “When I left school, I went into educating young horses. I started at a very big yard in Sydney - a big property up there called Shipton Lodge - and worked for some very good operators there. I learned my craft there, until I eventually moved to Melbourne.”
“We make it very clear to the horses and give instruction on what’s right, and when it's wrong, we’ve got to let them know that it’s wrong. Not in a bad way but you've got to be very clear. It’s all about giving the horse a good experience, and if they are well broken in, they generally have a good nature depending on how they’re nurtured, educated and cared for. That’s essentially what we do as trainers. We care for them, we make sure their demeanour is good, their health is good, and generally everything else follows from there.”
With respect to the use of the whip, Jason says, “The way the whip rule has gone, it’s very much secondary to racing. It is a competitive sport, and I guess the theatre of the whip is part of it. The whips that are used these days are padded whips. They make more noise than anything, and I would be comfortable lifting my hand with the whip without it even hurting. They are essentially there for the theatre just as the colours are on the jockeys.”
Some horses enjoy racing, and some don’t, and Jason says it’s important to identify which ones don’t and find them a different career, whether that might be showjumping, camp drafting, polo, or any of the equestrian races.
I think that being able to get the horses to the beach gives them a chance to clear their heads
“The moment they don’t want to be racehorses, we retire them.” Jason says a lot of racing is about fun and celebrating. ‘There are only about eight winners on the day, so you've got to enjoy it when you do win. Kate and I are well known for our celebrations!”
Jason says the Mornington Peninsula is an ideal place to train horses and get them to the beach. “I think that being able to get the horses to the beach gives them a chance to clear their heads and helps the length of their careers and their mental health. I also feel the uphill climb that the Mornington track offers is really helpful for that last hundred metres of a race when you really need them to be fit. I believe the Mornington horses have an edge.”
