MY position as groundsman at the Ballarat Turf Club is part of a 50-year career involved in racing, 40 of which were spent as a jockey.
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With my family being farmers in Tasmania, my path into racing was somewhat different to usual.
I was small and didn’t grow much as a youngster, but loved horses and that is the reason I become a jockey.
After retiring from riding eight years ago, I’ve been working at the Ballarat Turf Club for the past six and absolutely loving it.
The position is good because it gives me the outdoor environment that I’ve always enjoyed and it keeps me in touch with all aspects of racing.
In the past week, things have been pretty full-on here. Preparations for the grounds started a while ago, with planting in the gardens and pruning of the roses to make sure they flower in time for Cup Day.
Keeping up with the every day work and maintenance on the training tracks, as well as our scheduled jump outs, is a juggling act.
I think I’m very lucky that my fellow workers have come from different backgrounds and love being in the industry as much as myself.
Track manager Andrew Morton placed 6mm of irrigation on the course yesterday and a further 8mm will be applied today.
The makeshift winning post for the $200,000 Magic Millions two-year-old clockwise race arrived at Dowling Forest from Sandown yesterday and will be erected today.Bring on the 2012 Ballarat Cup!
- with Tim O’Connor
