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DAVID PAYNE - Randwick NSW
Former South African, Randwick trainer David Payne is rapidly emerging as the quiet achiever of Sydney racing and this is amplified by the fact that, despite his much smaller string of horses, Payne is this season’s leading trainer of two year olds in Sydney.
The quietly spoken mentor has a history in the thoroughbred industry that is almost unparalleled in his native South Africa, having won premierships both as a jockey and trainer, hundreds of group races and being the first South African trainer to win over 100 group one events. Payne also etched himself firmly in South African racing folklore when he became the first man ever to win the coveted July Hcp (South Africa’s premier horse race) both as a jockey and a trainer.
Only six short years ago Payne made the move from South Africa to Australia and set up stables at Randwick, with a much smaller team of horses than he was accustomed to in his homeland. But it has taken little time for him to earn the respect of his peers as a steady stream of winners flowed from his “Early Bird Lodge” stables at Randwick.
Uber, with whom Payne won a Black Opal, multiple metropolitan winner Fangio, the highly promising Dante’s Paradiso, More Than Lucky, Gallant Tess, Viva Caro, stakes winning mare Nevis, Top 2Y0 Flying Pegasus and others have all performed well – but it was the Group One Flight Stakes that Payne captured with Unearthly that let the Sydney racing establishment know that Payne was in fact here to stay.
Already Payne has three horses, Hurried Choice, Vecchia Roma & Fantsastic Angel qualified for this year’s Golden Slipper, which in itself is a phenomenal performance when one considers that Payne only has a handful of two-year-olds in his stable. There is also a very real possibility that come Golden Slipper day, Payne will have a 4th horse, Guillotine in the world’s premiere two-year-old event after his super impressive 1st win.
Payne is content with his position and achievements in Australian racing. His smaller strong and streamlined operation at Randwick allows him time to give each horse in his care his utmost attention – a luxury that many other larger stables do not have.
His current string includes a half brother to last year’s boom racehorse Efficient, who captured all before him in the Spring culminating with a breathtaking win in the Victorian Derby. Payne was astute enough to secure the colt before Efficient swept through the spring carnival like a tornado.
Much of Payne’s success can be attributed to the man’s demeanour – he is an unassuming man who does not involve himself in the day to day hyperbole of racing and relies on his horse’s performances on the track to do the talking for him.
David Payne has every reason to be optimistic about the prospects of his stable in 2007 and beyond with some very promising horses ready to launch the trainer into the group racing spotlight.
Wayne Cooper Bloodstock is very proud to be associated with David as his "Official Syndicator" of horses in SYDNEY.
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STEPHEN HILL - Willowdene Farm / Marshall Mount NSW
Stephen Hill trains his team @ “WILLOWDENE” his own private training complex just a short drive from Kembla Grange on the Illawarra South Coast .
Willowdene is ideally located at Marshall Mount which is only less than 1 hour up the freeway from all of Sydney’s racetracks & a similar distance to Goulburn & Nowra.
His picturesque property could best be described as a Horse Heaven. If I were a horse I would want to train & live there. It has it’s own private track for slow work & is only a short 5 minute drive to Kembla Grange for fast work with their excellent facilities.
The farm’s facilities include a stable barn with large day yards & spacious safe paddocks for horses that require that “country feeling” to relax in.
There is also a pontoon/jetty running out into a huge dam for swimming.
A walking machine completes the picture to combine all of the best practices for training.
All of the above combined with Stephen’s “hands on” approach to training his “boutique”
team is a definite advantage in the training of thoroughbred racehorses.
Stephen would be only too happy to show you around or discuss any matter relating to your horses’ progress & well being.
Horses of note that Stephen has trained include the Magic Millions placegetter My Halo Broke; Golden Slipper runner Faster Pussycat; Cup winner Count De Beers; Golden Cocktail;Sugar Bomb;Umah;Sun Tsyu;Tsar Coni & Glasos to name a few.
You could even have your photo taken with Just A Dash the 1981 Melbourne Cup winner who resides on the farm enjoying his well earned retirement.
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KERRY PARKER - Kembla Grange NSW
Kerry Parker has been surrounded by horses for as long as he can remember. A native of the South Coast of NSW, Kerry's first exposure to horses came with the trail riding business part owned by his father.
By his early teens, Kerry knew that his future lay with horses and the following years were spent learning the trade as a strapper and track rider under trainers such as Errol Amos at Canterbury, Sid Barker at Nowra and David Balfour in Adelaide.
While Kerry absorbed valuable lessons from each of these masters, the seminal point of his career was unquestionably the five years he spent with the high profile and well respected Randwick trainer Les Bridge. During his stint at Sir Dapper Lodge, Kerry rode and tended to a long string of top class thoroughbreds including Kensei, Row of Waves and Just Blooming.
However, Kerry's most fondly remembered and successful association in this period was undoubtedly as the strapper for Bridge's diminutive champion Drawn, which enjoyed multiple Group One success, including the Rosehill Guineas, All Aged Stakes and Caulfield
Guineas.
After the best part of a decade working in and around stables, Kerry returned south to pursue his long held ambition to ride thoroughbreds competitively. Having obtained his amateur license, Kerry rode three winners and a third placing from four starts on debut at a picnic meeting at Kembla Grange.
However, Kerry's success as a jockey was to be short lived, with his professional riding career cruelly ended by a serious knee injury incurred on the rugby field only days after his outstanding debut.
Determined to stay close to the sport that he loved, Kerry branched out and secured a trainers license in 1991, establishing his own stables at Kembla Grange where, to this day, his horses enjoy the peace and serenity of the picturesque provincial course which boasts one of the finest racing surfaces in the country.
In his time as a trainer, Kerry has maintained a small but consistent team of horses, enjoying regular success on the country and provincial circuit, as well as profitable forays to the city where he recently enjoyed a string of Group wins and placings with the gutsy stayer Don Raphael.
Owned by pillars of the Australian Racing Industry Mr and Mrs Don and Val Storey, Don Raphael scored a staying treble with the Tattersals Plate (Listed), Colin Stephen Quality Hcp (G3) and Saab Quality Handicap (G2) in the Spring of 2004, before taking his place in The Melbourne Cup field, Kerry's second starter in the big race.
In many ways, the career of Don Raphael typifies Kerry's horsemanship and tenacity. Don Raphael had been slated for early retirement after an unpromising start to his career, however, Kerry saw untapped potential in the Runyon gelding and convinced the Storeys to persevere, ultimately with great success.
Kerry Parker is a hands on trainer with a genuine and contagious passion for his sport. Drawing on his previous experience as a jockey, more often than not Kerry rides his own track work, giving him invaluable insight into the fitness and ability of each of his charges. This has paid dividends in the past where Kerry has been able to identify potential in horses where others had not, as exemplified by Don Raphael.
Owners also enjoy unrestricted access to Kerry who makes himself available at all times to answer their questions and keep them in touch with the progress and plans of their pride and joy. He also has a keen eye for yearlings and is willing to accompany a potential owner to the sales ring or purchase on a client's behalf.
Kerry Parker is by no means the biggest trainer in the game, but his accessibility, affable nature and hands on approach, ensures that his owners' racing experience is an enjoyable and successful one.
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SAAB HASAN - CHIQUITA LODGE FLEMINGTON
Thirty five year old Flemington trainer Saab Hasan reckons he has paid his dues and after what he terms as a “twenty year apprenticeship” he is now looking forward to stepping into the big league where many of those he has worked for have bathed for many years.
Saab has recently moved his team of nine horses into the famous Chiquita Lodge adjacent to Flemington racecourse(home of the Melbourne Cup) and is now looking forward to cementing himself firmly on the training landscape in Victoria.
Having never been too far from Flemington racecourse since his family moved to Australia from a troubled Cyprus in 1976 when his family took up residence in a Housing Commission unit near Flemington only days before Van Der Hum won his now famous water-logged Melbourne Cup – the path to Chiquita Lodge has been a long but enjoyable challenge for the likeable Saab.
He started working for Flemington trainer Mick Cerchi before and after school before having stints with David Hayes, John Sadler and Bart Cummings where he learnt his trade well.
Saab is a "hands on" Trainer who loves his horses & devotes most of his life to their care & well being.
He's a natural horseman who doesn't believe in cutting corners when it comes to the preparation of his horses.
“I realise the key to establishing a successful stable is to have a steady stream of sound young horses coming through the gate and this is one of the exciting aspects to becoming involved with Wayne Cooper Bloodstock,” Saab said.
“To date I have only had a couple of young horses and they were not significantly bred and the opportunity to get some excitingly bred and well conformed young horses into the stable is an opportunity I will be grabbing with both hands,” he said.
Saab is enthusiastic about teaming up with Wayne Cooper Bloodstock (WCB) & excited about providing a "friendly" stable for owners to visit.
The welcome mat is always out at Saab's stable.
Won't be long before Saab is celebrating a steady stream of winners at Chiquita Lodge Flemington for WCB.
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GRAEME SPACKMAN - "Boomerang Berrima Stud" - Berrima / Southern Highlands NSW
Boomerang Berrima was born in 1993 out of the desire to give their racehorses the edge over the opposition in their racing endeavours.
Through their success the facility has grown into a commercial operation now encompassing over 200 acres of lush pasture improved paddocks in various sizes, 50 stables, 50 large day yards (many of them individual for specific quarantine requirements), 8 horse walker, 1000 metre trot and canter pre training track, large sand roll and breaking in arena, walk through starting gates, 1 tonne feed mixer (ensuring exact feed mixing), yearling parade area, 35 metre horse swimming station, in fact everything possible to give the horse every chance possible.
Graeme Spackman - the manager / trainer of Boomerang Berrima horses
has been the motivation behind the expansion and commercialism; his excellence in horsemanship, his eye for detail and his leadership is unquestioned in the equine world.
Graeme has been the leader of Australian Polo Crosse for 2 decades and is currently one of the few to be working through the level 1 honour course for coaching in all facets of horses.
Graeme is very much a hands on manager who rides or supervises every level of care for each horse.
Needless to say, Grameme is a "master horseman".
His staff has been hand picked with skills to complement each other in the different requirements to service all the horses needs
Horses that have either been raced by; reared by; broken in by or reared by "Boomerang Berrima" include such stars as JUST A PRINTER; RUBITOFF; SWEET RANSOM; SPURCENT; STAR COVET; BRADBURY'S LUCK & SAVABEEL. |
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