Racing’s first lady has been the face of the sport for a quarter of a century and
remains its biggest star but her absence from the track in recent weeks had been
noticed.
Gai Waterhouse had heard the talk and wanted to set the record straight and there wasn’t a better way to do it than to speak directly with leading Daily Telegraph racing journalist
Ray Thomas.
Gai lifted the lid to the public on Friday on why she had been missing in action. She made it public knowledge when explaining that she has been convalescing after surgery.
“Before you ask, I’m really good, no problems at all now, but I won’t be at the Golden Slipper.”
“This will be Adrian’s moment,’’ Gai stated.
Gai was naturally referring to Adrian Bott, her gifted young training partner of four years and the man who would saddle up brilliant colt
Farnan in the $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill the following day.
Gai has nothing but kudos for co-trainer Adrian Bott and hopes more than anything else that he can win his first Golden Slipper.
“I won’t go to Rosehill, it’s his baby,’’ Gai insisted.
“Not many people realise what an astute trainer Adrian is. He is a joy to work with.
“I’m on the phone 30 times a day to Adrian and my stable staff. I love working with young people, I give them my eyes, ears and years of expertise, I’m there to help.
“
But this is Adrian’s time and when Farnan wins, he can celebrate with all three (3) people out there!” Gai quipped.
Gai said that Farnan shares traits with her Golden Slipper-winning colts,
Pierro, Sebring and Vancouver.
“Each colt was very athletic, had a great aptitude for work and a lovely cruising speed and Farnan has these qualities in abundance,’’ Gai said.
“They were all dominant two-year-olds and that is what Farnan has done this season.
“He won in the spring, he had the trip away to the Gold Coast which was the makings of him, and he has won the two major lead-up races.’’
“They need to be mentally and physically tough and that’s what I look for in my two-year-olds.’’
“Farnan had his final gallop last Saturday, he is in absolutely super order, I couldn’t be happier with him,’’ she said.
Waterhouse covets the Golden Slipper probably more than any other race.
“This is the stallion-making race of Australia,’’ Gai added.
“Many of the leading sires have won the Golden Slipper, even the fillies like Ha Ha became champion filly of her generation.’’
However, when Ray Thomas asked Gai about the word she dislikes the most
“Retirement” Gai seized on the moment to denounce such thoughts and insisted she has no plans to end her celebrated training career anytime soon.
“I know people are saying she is a grandmother now and has lost interest (in racing) — I haven’t lost interest at all,’’ Gai said.
“Some people want you to be pensioned off, people say will you retire? But I still love what I do, racing is a way of life and I have shares in a lot of our horses. Why would I retire — no one would pick up the phone to ring me!”
Waterhouse has always been time-poor. Her work appetite is voracious as she combines her high-profile career with the demands of being a wife, mother and grandmother.
Gai Waterhouse admits her life is busy for sun-up to sundown and much more, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“All my life I’ve been busy,’’ Gai said.
“I’m a wife and mother, my children Tom and Kate have always been a big part of my life and now I want to spend time with my grandchildren. Family is everything to me.’’
Gai was adamant she would win her seventh Golden Slipper but it wouldn’t break the record six (6) she currently shares with her late father TJ Smith, at six Slipper winners each.
“Farnan wins, this will by my first Golden Slipper with Adrian.
“It’s the seventh I’ve been involved with but I can’t claim the record as I’m in a partnership now.
“I can never break my father’s record. I will die and the record will remain – Dad trained six Slipper winners and I have won six Slippers.
“I’m very happy to share the record with Dad.’’
When Gai Waterhouse began her training career in 1992, she was renowned for her ability with stayers but success with two-year-olds eluded her.
But Gai’s husband Rob remembers when Gai’s dad Tommy Smith chastised his daughter for not listening to his thoughts about how to work two-year-olds.
Smith told his daughter she was being too
“soft” on her two-year-olds and needed to give them more short, sharp gallops at trackwork.
Rob said,
“TJ’s words were: “You make me sick!”
“Gai replied that she doesn’t break them down and her father said but you are not winning any prizemoney.
“After her Dad passed, Gai thought what have I got to lose. She changed the way she trained her two-year-olds and put the speed into them.’’
Within three years, Gai Waterhouse became the first female trainer to win a Golden Slipper with
Ha Ha in 2001. She has since prepared
Dance Hero (2004), Sebring (2008), Pierro (2012), Overreach (2013) and Vancouver (2015) to win the world’s richest and most prestigious juvenile race.
“Some people say a Golden Slipper campaign ruins them but that is just wrong — it makes them,’’ she said.
Gai has become expert at identifying suitable yearlings, developing their natural talents and preparing them to win Golden Slippers. Now she has passed her knowledge to Adrian Bott the duo intends to keep their success going.
Dynamic Syndications are the stables Primary Syndicator and work together to find horses at the yearling sales to offer for the public to be involved in racehorse ownership with Gai and Adrian