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Warwick Farm, Friday, January 26
The inaugural National Pony Racing Series is full steam ahead to April’s Finals over the Sydney Autumn Carnival, with the next round of heats set to be run at Warwick Farm this Friday, on Inglis Australia Day, January 26 with free entry for all to the track.
This will be Round 5 in the series, which is a partnership between Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) and Pony Club Australia. It follows a highly successful week on the Gold Coast, where Round 4 was run on The Wave raceday over the Magic Millions Carnival.
The Australian Turf Club has a massive day planned for the whole family at Warwick Farm, where the thoroughbred action and Pony Races will be complemented by a number of trackside activities.
There will be face painting, pony rides (for the even smaller riders!), petting zoo, jumping castle, teacup ride and then fittingly for summer, a misting tunnel and paddle boats.
There’s also a big choice for the foodies, with Greek Street, Chips on a Stick, Caminito, a sausage sizzle and Ice Cream truck for desserts.
It promises to be a super day out in the west of Sydney as some of Australia’s best young riders showcase their horse skills on a national stage.
Gai Waterhouse will be attending with her granddaughter Sophia, who is riding in the smaller pony category, in her great-grandfather’s famous blue and green colours.
“I’m passionate about the Pony Race Series because I think it brings families together,” Waterhouse stated.
In addition to showcasing great young riding talent and being a wonderful spectacle, the series is also designed to create awareness of career opportunities in the thoroughbred industry and educate young riders about thoroughbred welfare and life after racing.
Saturday’s program will again feature a Pony Race for two different age groups, with the first two across the line in each race qualifying for April’s finals.
Gates open at 11.45am with the smaller pony category racing at approximately 12.30pm, and the larger ponies between races two and three (approximately 1.50pm).
#Galloptowardsaracingcareer
For further information and/or interviews please contact:
Lindy Maurice
Thoroughbred Industry Careers – Chief Executive & Founder
M: 0488 066 604
E: lindy@tbindustrycareers.com.au
Gold Coast Turf Club, Saturday, January 6 2024
The National Pony Racing Series moves to the Gold Coast this weekend giving racing fans across the country another opportunity to witness some of Australia’s best young riders showcase their skills.
The Series, which is a partnership between Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) and Pony Club Australia is designed to create awareness of career opportunities in the thoroughbred industry and educate young riders about thoroughbred welfare and life after racing.
TIC founder and CEO Lindy Maurice said it was fitting the fourth leg of the series, after earlier events at Eagle Farm, Moonee Valley and Ascot, were held at the start of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival, because the sales company and its co-owner Katie Page-Harvey had been instrumental in making the series become a reality.
“When we were trying to start Pony Racing we were running into a few roadblocks and we approached Katie to see if they might be able to help,” Maurice said.
“We had our very first pony race at Doomben in late 2021 and Katie was instrumental in getting that one up. Once we ran the first one, the walls started coming down in other states and now we’ve been able to build it into this National Series.
“We are extremely grateful to Katie and Magic Millions for having the vision to see the benefits of this venture, along with the Gold Coast Turf Club which understands the importance of nurturing the next generation of racing industry participants via partnerships with TIC and the AITC Equine Academy.”
The format for Saturday remains the same as the previous rounds, with heats for smaller and larger ponies. The training day for this event was held at Toowoomba but Saturday’s races will see riders from a big geographical area.
“We are trying to reach a broad circle, including some riders from just over the New South Wales border this week because the Gold Coast is a lot closer to some of those towns than Sydney,” Maurice said.
Saturday’s two races will be run during the $1.6M Gold Coast Turf Club Wave Raceday, which is the forerunner to next week’s monster The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday.
Gates open at 10 am.
Racing Queensland will take riders from Saturday’s two races on a tour of the Magic Millions Sale Complex on Monday, providing a behind-the-scenes experience, including a discussion with young Queensland trainer Jack Bruce as he walks through an inspection of a yearling.
After Saturday, the next races in the series will be held in Sydney on Australia Day, before moving to Adelaide for Adelaide Cup Day.
The Finals, which will comprise the first two across the line from each of the heats run, will be held at Randwick during this year’s Autumn Carnival in April.
#Galloptowardsaracingcareer
For further information and/or interviews please contact:
Lindy Maurice
Thoroughbred Industry Careers – Chief Executive & Founder
M: 0488 066 604
E: lindy@tbindustrycareers.com.au
Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) has teamed up with Pony Club Australia (PCA) to launch a National Pony Racing Series, which is scheduled to kick off in Brisbane next month and run across five states (Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia), culminating in ‘Finals’ during the Autumn carnival in Sydney next April.
The series will have 12 qualifying races, comprising six individual qualifying race days with two different age and height categories before the two finals, which will see the winners and runners-up from each state compete.
TIC has run a number of pop-up exhibition races run in Australia in recent times that have proved hugely popular with a broad racing audience. Off the back of that success, the TIC National Pony Racing Series has been formed.
Participating clubs for the qualifying races are the Brisbane Racing Club (Eagle Farm August 12), Moonee Valley Racing Club (27 October), Western Australian Turf Club (Ascot December 9), the Gold Coast Turf Club (January 6, 2024), the Australian Turf Club (Warwick Farm, January 26, 2024) and the South Australian Jockey Club (Morphettville 11 March 2024), before The Finals in Sydney over the Autumn.
In total, 120 riders will compete across the race series with 10 riders in each race.
Each pony racer will wear sponsored racing colours and some of the biggest names in Australian Racing have put their support behind the series; Annabel Neasham Racing, Arrowfield Stud, Carl and Lorraine Holt, Chris Waller Racing, Ciaron Maher Racing, Craig Sneesby, Frank and Christine Cook, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing, Godolphin, Hermitage Thoroughbreds, Inglis, Jonathan Munz, Linda Huddy, Lizzie Jelfs Racing Club, Magic Millions, Ranvet, Seymour Bloodstock, Tony Gollan Racing, Woppitt Bloodstock and Yulong Stud.
Gai Waterhouse, Lizzie Jelfs and Kerrin McEvoy are official ambassadors for the series.
TIC Chief Executive Officer Lindy Maurice said the objective of the series is for riders to have fun by experiencing the sport of racing and all the excitement a live race day offers, while also serving an important purpose for the wider industry.
“This series will help create awareness of career opportunities within the thoroughbred industry and help build relationships between the equestrian and thoroughbred communities,” Maurice said.
“Many pony racing riders in Europe have had very successful careers in the thoroughbred industry worldwide.
“It also helps the riders become educated about thoroughbred welfare and life after racing and we will be working with ‘Kick Up For Racing’ to deliver these important messages.”
The race series is open to all PCA members aged between 9 and 15 years old with the height of ponies capped at 13.3hh. There is an open invitation for all PCA members to partake in ‘Taster Days’ which are designed to be a fun and educational learning experience, but also shortlist the most capable riders for qualifying days.
The first of those Taster Days was held just outside Brisbane earlier this month, with Channel 7’s Horse Racing documenting that day on its National Racing coverage on Saturday.
Pony Racing is an exciting sport that’s been administered in Ireland, England and the US for some time. The emphasis of the sport is to advance riding ability and skill, learn balance, fitness and control, and the well-being of both pony and rider.
#Galloptowardsaracingcareer
ENDS
For further information and/or interviews please contact:
Lindy Maurice
Thoroughbred Industry Careers – Chief Executive & Founder
M: 0488 066 604
E: lindy@tbindustrycareers.com.au
Grace McBeath | BASET
BASET provides a huge opportunity for Thoroughbred Industry Careers graduate.
BASET (The Britain-Australia Society Education Trust) is delighted to announce the launch of a new BASET Thoroughbred Endeavour Award in partnership with Godolphin, British Racing School (BRS) and Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) to support deserving young people from Britain and Australia embarking on careers in the equine and racing industries.
This month, the inaugural BASET Thoroughbred Endeavour Award has been made to Grace McBeath, a talented young equestrian from New South Wales. Grace said upon winning the award, “I am really thankful for this amazing opportunity and I look forward to expanding my knowledge internationally. This is a huge change for a girl from the Aussie bush!”
The aim of the programme is to offer participants the chance to further develop their career and gain new skills and experience of international practices. The award provides for an exchange between Australia and UK Thoroughbred industry students to work for 6 months in an iconic stable during peak racing seasons in the UK and Australia. Additionally, the winners will be offered the chance to experience local culture and meet industry leaders in their field. The inaugural award will provide funding to support a six-month racing stable placement organised by The British Racing School which will involve working for Sir Mark Prescott at Heath House Stables and Andrew Balding at Kingsclere Park House Stables, two of the best equipped private training establishments in Britain. Later this year, the opportunity will be reciprocated and a second BASET Thoroughbred Endeavour Award will be made to support a young person from Great Britain who will undertake a placement in Australia, arranged by Thoroughbred Industry Careers.
The BASET Thoroughbred Endeavour Awards form part of the UK-based charity’s new Endeavour Career Skills Awards Programme which supports young people from Britain and Australia entering vocational careers. The programme funds internships, apprenticeships and courses that provide real-world industry experience and facilitate an exchange of knowledge and expertise between Britain and Australia.
John May, BASET’s Chair of Trustees commented, “We are thrilled to have partnered with The British Racing School and Thoroughbred Industry Careers to create this incredible opportunity for our award winners, helping them to gain international experience working in racing. We hope this exciting initiative will mark the start of a long-term collaboration between our organisations to support deserving young people from Britain and Australia and strengthen the bilateral bond between the two countries. I would like to thank all the hard work done by Jim Paltridge on behalf of BASET and Diana Cooper of Godolphin, along with Andrew Brathwaite of BRS and Lindy Maurice from TIC in making this award happen.”
Diana Cooper, Strategic Advisor Charities for Godolphin, who facilitated the creation of the new industry award, said “We thank the BASET for choosing to include Thoroughbred Racing in their growing list of Endeavour awards that help young Australians and British by encouraging cultural interaction and industry participation between the two countries. Developing opportunities for young people in the industry is the ethos of Together for Racing International (TfRI) which Godolphin is proud to support.”
About BASET (The Britain-Australia Society Education Trust)
BASET is a UK based charity which provides talented young people from Britain and Australia with a life changing opportunity to develop new skills, broaden their horizons and realise their potential. Through a wide range of educational travel awards, the charity provides funding so that young people from lower-income families can further their education and take part in unique career development opportunities.
The Endeavour Thoroughbred Awards form part of BASET’s newest range of awards, the Endeavour Career Skills Awards, which were launched earlier this year. These awards fund internships and placements which provide award recipients with invaluable career experience and promote an exchange of knowledge and expertise between Britain and Australia.
BASET also runs an Endeavour Heritage Award programme which supports emerging British and Australian artists and restorers who aspire to work in traditional crafts and conservation, and a Pioneer School Award programme which offers secondary school students a challenging, educational and adventurous opportunity to experience school life in the other country.
BASET’s award programmes are run in partnership with a wide range of educational institutions and organisations in Britain and Australia and its work is supported each year by a community of donors.
(Registered Charity No. 803 505).
www.britain-australia.org.uk/baset
For more information about BASET’s awards, please contact John May, Chair of Trustees at chairman.baset@britain-australia.org.uk or call +44 (0) 7831 746312
About the British Racing School
In 2023 The British Racing School celebrates its 40th anniversary as a world class centre of excellence in the horse racing industry. Over the past four decades it has trained thousands of people from across society and equipped them with the skills to excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing.
As a charity, The British Racing School improves social mobility for young people aged 8-25, by using their interest in horses to unlock education, training and employment opportunities which may otherwise have felt inaccessible to them. It creates pathways for over 500 young people every year to participate in the sport of British horseracing through over 25 specialist racing courses. Its flagship programme is the Foundation Course, a Level 2 diploma apprenticeship for 16-25 year olds which prepares young people for jobs as stable staff, riding and looking after the sport’s racehorses. To date, some 4,000 young people have successfully completed the course and gone onto to work in the industry.
The British Racing School is also home to the Newmarket Pony Academy, a community project which uses horses and ponies to positively affect mental health and well-being of children aged 8-14 in Newmarket and its neighbouring communities. It is also the base for the Riding A Dream Academy which works to increase diversity and inclusion in the sport through tailored courses for young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged backgrounds aged 13-16.
(Registered Charity No. 1161555).
www.brs.org.uk
@BRSNewmarket
Dylan Parrott grew up loving racing but didn’t have an extensive hands-on background with horses. He applied for the 2022 Explorer Program to get the practical experience and industry knowledge he needed to fulfil his dream of becoming a jockey one day, and after 6 months he is well on his way.
● What is your background with horses and particularly Thoroughbreds?
I don’t have much of a background with horses, my family have never owned horses. I grew up riding friends’ horses on the odd occasion. When I was younger, we had two small shares in horses which was great fun and that definitely influenced me to want to become a jockey.
● Before coming into the Explorer Program, could you ride a horse?
Yes, I could ride but didn’t have a lot of experience riding.
● What are you passionate about within the industry? What made you sign up for the Explorer Cadetship Program?
I have always been passionate about being a jockey. I signed up for the Explorer program to help me learn the basics of the racing industry and also help get me going with work.
● What is your current role like? What about it makes you want to get up in the morning?
I am currently riding track work and going through the process of getting my amateur jockey license. Knowing that I get to ride racehorses which has always been a dream of mine makes it easy to get up in the morning.
● What does an average week look like for you?
I work Monday to Saturday riding track work riding 8-12 horses a morning. Then go back in the afternoon and do the necessary groundwork that needs to be done. I have 1-2 afternoons off per week.
● How has the industry changed since you started?
One of the main changes I’ve noticed is the increase in prizemoney, but also the addition to the highway race in Sydney which allows the country horses to show their worth at a Saturday metro meeting.
● What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?
The biggest factor would be being part of a successful team and being around people that have the same interests as me, and riding with jockeys that have been in the game for many years that are able to provide me with tips on improving.
● Who is your favourite horse and why?
He is no Group horse, but my favourite horse must be Noble Solider. I do all his gallops of a morning and have been lucky enough to strap 5 out of his 7 wins and have gotten him ready to win at multiple Saturday Sydney metro meetings.
● What is a part of your job people wouldn’t expect?
I believe the preparation of a horse. A lot of people don’t see how much work goes into getting the horses ready and fit enough to run in races.
● What advice would you give to an aspiring person wanting to work in the racing & breeding industry?
Give it ago! It’s a great industry to be a part of and you will never stop learning new things. Always be willing to listen and learn from industry experts and show that you are dedicated, and you will definitely go a long way in the industry
● What benefits has the Explorer Program given you?
The explorer program helped get me up and going in the racing industry. Before the program, I had minimal knowledge of horse handling skills but after just 3 months I was confident in my knowledge and handling skills going into work at a stable.