2008 Trainee View

September 2009 - Australia

We all finally made it to The Hunter Valley safe and sound despite some hiccups along the way. Meagan’s mighty two-door silver bullet did a sterling job on the road-trip from Melbourne to the Hunter, via Sydney, with a total of four trainees and three lots of luggage. Gary’s suitcases were lost by the airline and he had to travel up without them, which may have helped us to squeeze into the car but it was certainly not appreciated by the poor lad in question. Luckily Chance had anticipated this dilemma and had brought four suitcases of his own, and so they were able to share some clothing until Gary’s luggage finally turned up two days later. Sorrel had some issues of her own with the time difference (yes, it really does take two days to get here!) but thanks to her ingenuity she mastered the Sydney public transport system and made the journey single-handedly up to the Hunter Valley.

Our first week was spent on inductions and finding our feet in this new environment. Charlie was particularly excited with the delicious lunches that are cooked for all the staff, and luckily us, at the stud on weekdays, and for all the trainees those lunches definitely help subdue any pangs of homesickness for their mums’ cooking. The new team leaders delivered an overview of the Australian racing and breeding industries. Mick Buckley drew on his vast experience as a key member of the NZ bloodstock community to provide some sage advice on colonial blueblood families. Apparently the Kiwis don’t like it when the Aussies claim their best broodmares to be Australian...

We seem to have timed our departure from America very cleverly, leaving Lexington just after the Stallion Parade there and arriving here in time for the Australian parade on our first weekend. With our newly-acquired experience in running these events, we willingly volunteered to assist the hard-working Tom and Kirsty with the big day here. Our responsibilities ranged from greeting and checking names, to bouncers, drivers (not too fast, not too slow Billy!) and umbrella-collection. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the local breeders and discuss the amazing collection of Darley stallions on display. In the hour following the parade we watched Denman win the Golden Rose, providing Lonhro with his first Group One winner, which could not have been better timed. On the Friday night we were lucky enough to be invited to the staff parade, which was a private viewing of all the stallions as they made their final dress rehearsal in front of all of the Kelvinside and Denman staff.

We started our Equine Veterinary Nursing module at TAFE that week which was very well received. Building on the Anatomy, Physiology and Reproduction module we did at UCD in Ireland, we found this course to be much more practical, with all twelve of us rotating through the foal intensive care unit at Clovelly, Scone Veterinary Hospital, to gain some hands-on experience. Our skills in this area were put to the test in the second week, as we were let loose on the Clydsdale-cross orphan foals that had been taken off the nurse mares at Hunter Nursing Nannies. Working in pairs, we practiced taking blood samples and inserting naso-gastric tubes. To finish off the afternoon, we exercised our varying abilities in ‘folding’ foals up and laying them down on the ground, and in the process gave those six foals an unexpected adventure that they will not forget in a hurry!

The following weekend we ventured back down to Sydney for Randwick races, visits to trainers and the Sydney University leadership program. All the lads appreciated the unseasonably warm weather that had the local fillies out in their best frocks and fascinators at the track. With weather like this, it is easy to see how racing fills such a big space in the Australian social scene. We attended trackwork with Gai Waterhouse who taught us a lot about training horses but a lot more about life. Never again will any of us be tempted to lean against a wall (“it’s been standing there for a hundred years, it doesn’t need you to hold it up!”) or stand with crossed arms (even if it is freezing cold!). She was a one-woman whirlwind that morning, training horses, directing her staff, discussing rides with jockeys and whipping us all into shape. We were definitely inspired by our visit there, but breakfast with her racing manager, Darley Flying Start graduate Kate Grimwade was a welcome change of pace. A small group of us dragged ourselves out of bed early the following Saturday to join some of her horses at the beach at Botany Bay, and were very glad that we did. It was a surreal experience to see the horses swimming in the ocean with planes landing and taking off just behind us. The rest of the group had organised an intensive surfing session, so the whole team had a refreshing start to the day, ready for the races later on.

Our first three days of the leadership program was well received and the theory that we worked through definitely got us thinking about the implications of different styles of management. The film ‘The Bank’ not only gave a good example of what happens when leaders lose their moral compass but was also a good exponent of the Aussie film industry.

We all look forward to working full time on the Darley farms over the next month as the racing continues to heat up. The Group 1 races are starting to build up and it is a great to follow the 3yo colts and fillies as they build up to their respective Guineas, while the older horses start to flex their muscles in the feature handicaps and weight-for-age challenges, not to mention the sprinters and mares races that are also a feature of the Spring Carnival. The full time work on the stud will give us a welcome break from the classroom, while we madly try to study up on Australian form before the much anticipated trip to Melbourne for the Cup, where we hope to get many a winner.

Brian and Meagan

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Some of the Gai Waterhouse string at Botany Bay