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DAVID PAYNE - Rosehill NSW
Former South African, Rosehill 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 churning out the winners from his new Rosehill stables. The quietly spoken mentor has a history in the thoroughbred industry that is almost unparallelled 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 before moving to Rosehill permanently in 2008.
David has consistently produced top class Gr1 performers and stakes horses from his boutique stable and was even 2007's leading Trainer of 2Y0's by number of individual winners.
Payne is content with his position and achievements in Australian racing. His smaller strong and streamlined operation at Rosehill allows him time to give each horse in his care his utmost attention – a luxury that many other larger stables do not have.
That's the weay we like it at WCB - personalized attention from experts in their field !
Much of David'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 2009 and beyond with some very promising horses ready to launch the trainer into the group racing spotlight once again.
Wayne Cooper Bloodstock is very proud to be associated with David Payne and his team 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 licence, Kerry rode three winners and a third placing from four starts on debut at a picnic meeting at Kembla Grange.
Eventually, 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.In 2004 he enjoyed a string of Group wins and placings with the gutsy stayer Don Raphael culminating in the 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.
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. 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.
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GARY PORTELLI - PORTELLI RACING STABLES
Gary Portelli and his Portelli Racing Stables are situated at Warwick Farm which is 25 kilometres south west of the Sydney CBD, set by a river in beautiful bushy surroundings. Warwick Farm Racecourse facilities are second to none - as well as the course proper racing track itself there are 4 all weather tracks, 2 grass tracks, bush river rides, swimming pool and very large stables and yards. Gary and his team also have stables on course at Flemington in Victoria headed up by his capable brother Troy Portelli.
What separates Portelli Stables from the other big name stables is their size. Being "boutique" in size, allows the horses to get the undivided attention they deserve, on and off the track.
Racing has always been well and truly in the Portelli brothers' blood as their mother held her own training licence in the 1980s. Gary spent his youth riding track work and breaking in horses and thus was well-positioned to take over training duties from his mother in 1990. Troy holds the same passion for the sport and works very closely with Gary as Assistant Trainer.
On 14 August 2003, Gary Portelli was granted a No. 1 Trainers' License by the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Board (NSW TRB) Licensing Committee- "a move that elevates him to top status among the Sydney training ranks. This is a fabulous achievement and comes in recognition of Gary's enormous success. It is impressive that Gary has been able to achieve this important career milestone with his typically small team of horses and is a real testament to his training skills."
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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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