anyone ever had a race horse or been in a synd, page-16

I have owned ,trained and bred horses for many years and made some good lifelong friends from doing so. Also met some real dodgy characters along the way.

My first horse was in the 1970's. I was shares in a nag with two school mates. To this day I still remain friends with one of them and go to see his horses race.
This horse never won a race.
In my next venture a friend had a good horse and he let me keep my horses at his property.I went in partnership again but found out I was the one doing all the paying and still doing some of the training, so I then went on my own and trained part time. Got a few to win in the bush so it wasn't too bad. One horse won about 6 in the city which was better. To be honest I loved running places as these bread and butter horses kept the wolf from the door. A fellow trainer often said, "You never go bankrupt running second." It is for this reason I usually prefer place betting.

I was selective more about who I would train for as it was only a hobby and if I felt I couldn't trust the person I wouldn't have a bar of them or their horses. Owners trusted me to do the right thing by them and the horse. I never told the owner lies about his horse. The secret was to place the horse in company where it could earn on a consistent basis. Once it was on its mark I moved it on.
I was reared in the days where you told no-one apart from the owner nothing. This proved fruitful in later years when I ended up working for some professional stables which loved a bet. A still tongue and open eyes certainly proved advantageous.

A good trainer is hard to find so when you do stick with them even when they have a rough spell and they will remeber you. Nowadays training is much more a commercial operation than years ago and there is more pressure placed on trainers. I feel the days of the back yard or small time trainers are numbered.

What would I look out for nowadays? In a syndyicate find out how much the triaining fees are and calculate your share. Sounds simple but so many owners find a few extra dollars added on.There are many ways onwers get ripped off and it is not just restricted to the small battler.

And remember to sling the jockey when he wins. Oh I never ever let a woman train,ride or drive a horse I own.

I live in WA and was most influenced by 3 people who to this day I regard as equal to the best trainers in Australia - Phil Coulson,Greg Harper and Jack Cockell.Each gave me the benefit of some of their wisdom. Each was totally different in their methods but all understood and loved horses. People may have regarded none of the three as angelic but I found each loyal to their owners and most importantly when they said the horse would win in the vast majaority of times it did.

I was recently asked to buy into another horse but declined as the costs were too great and I wasn't enthused about the proposed trainer. Nowadays I would want my horses trained by Grant williams, Trevor Andrews, Jimmy Taylor or Simon Miller - all very good trainers.

Remember to celebrate when you win these as these are the times you will remember. I give the missus a sling and take her out for a good meal still even when it is only from the punt. Its only money and as she reminds me you can't take it with you.