Lists... I write them for everything. In my 20's I was great at writing them, just not great at completing them. Then I turned 30 and had what some may call a 'quarter life' crisis. Needless to say, I'm now a bit of stickler at keeping both my personal and professional ambitions on track. Travel is a big one and of course part of that is experiencing horse racing all around the world. *Birdsville Races. Image courtesy of Sharon Chapman Photography. Horse racing is a global sport yet each country has their own style, characteristics and traditions, especially when it comes to feature Carnivals. Travelling to other destinations provides a fantastic opportunity to not only combine a common l
It's 4am on a wet Tuesday morning in April. Horse trainer Henry Dwyer's alarm clock has gone off, he's dragged himself out of his warm bed, driven the short trip to his Caulfield stables and is in his office preparing for the day. Henry Dwyer is a young trainer who didn't follow the conventional path into racing. What started as a part time job at Flemington during university, Henry soon became passionate about the racing industry. After working for trainers such as Russell Cameron, Robert Smerdon and John Oxx in Ireland, Henry decided to go on his own and was granted his trainers licence in 2013. With 120 horses on the books and stables at Caulfield, Ballarat and St Leonards, he is quick
On Saturday morning, Racing Victoria (RV) announced a $15.5 million increase to Victorian prizemoney for the upcoming 2017-18 season, with a total of $214 million on offer across the State. I'd love to know where they stash the cash - that much money makes me want to get all Scrooge McDuck and go swimming in a vault! The increases are spread over Carnival, metropolitan, country and picnic meetings, allowing more trainers, jockeys and owners access to bigger prizemoney pools. I won't rehash all the details but you can read the full breakdown HERE The 2017 Spring Carnival kicks off on Saturday 2 September, with the season's first Group One, the Memsie Stakes, now a $1 million race. The Scobi
Last week's Warrnambool May Racing Carnival was another stellar edition for the history books with 3 days full of spectacular racing characters, fulfilled dreams and broken records. *The crowds assemble on The 'Bool's hill. Image: Warrnambool Racing Club In front of packed crowds, Jamie Mott lost his 'novice' jumps jockey claim, Darren Weir equaled his season record, Steven Pateman defied gravity to stay aboard a stumbling The Dominator and Irishman John Allen set a new 'Bool record with seven winners (4 of them over the jumps). Despite being heavily outnumbered, it wasn't all about the boys - jockeys Nikita Beriman, Georgina Cartwright and local trainer Jane Baker all got a win on the boar
Stand at the mounting yard fence or take a look through the form guide and the amount of gear a horse might wear, its use and how it may affect performance, can be a little daunting. In the early stages of a horse's education, it can be a trial and error process to determine what gear works best with each individual horse to ensure it is concentrating and performing to the best of its ability. Many trainers and jockeys now also personalise their own gear and the bright colours are a stark contrast against the horse's neutral fur. Only approved items listed on the Australian Rules of Racing's National Gear Register may be used and penalties apply for using unapproved or modified gear. To he
