Month: March 2023

Patezza Now Content In Retirement

Posted on by Abby Delucyk

By Abby Delucyk

From Group 1 glory in Sydney’s Doncaster Mile to working in the NSW Mounted Police unit, it would be an understatement to say that 24yo Patezza has earned his retirement.  

Under the guidance of former late and great trainer Guy Walter, Patezza won eight races, including the 2005 edition of Randwick’s famous mile, and over $1.7 million in prizemoney. He retired from the track in 2007 to become a valuable member of the NSW Mounted Police unit. 

Jenny Cobb, who has been a police officer for 15 years, formed a life-long bond with the racing prodigy after she was assigned to ride him.

“Patezza and I always had a really good connection as there was only a few of us who could ride him. Patezza is a very dominating horse who has a fighting spirit,” Cobb said.

“He was a great Police horse and completed all aspects of Mounted Police duties. From protests to ceremonial jobs0. to community events, he didn’t mind posing for a photo or a pat from the public.”

Although his days on the racetrack are in the past, Patezza occasionally shows Jenny a glimmer of his racing spirit.

“On patrolling the streets in pairs, he always had to have his nose in front, just by an inch!! Patezza had this fight in him to be the best, and this showed at the 2013 Sydney Royal Easter Show in where we were the most successful troop horse and rider out of 16 Mounted Police Horses and Staff,” she said.

After serving seven years in the police force, it was decided by the NSW Mounted Police that it was the right time for Patezza to be retired. With Cobb being his main mount, she was granted the opportunity to take him into retirement when he now calls the scenic South Coast town of Milton home.  

Like most, retirement was a hard transition for Patezza.

“He became very flat and depressed-like. It was like he lost his sense of purpose as he loves to be around people and became very humanised in the force,” Jenny observed.

Despite this, Patezza has learnt to enjoy his time off and now looks forward to his daily trail rides in the State Forest and playing around in the arena.

“In the last year, he has made great mates with another retired Mounted Police horse who we have on our property and the two are now inseparable.

“It’s so nice that a horse that gave humans so much is now enjoying his life in retirement.”

Amanda’s Forging Her Own Way To Victory

Posted on by Abby Delucyk

By Abby Delucyk

From winning Off the Track series with her thoroughbred to establishing herself as a female trainer, racing is well and truly ingrained in Amanda Davis-William’s DNA. 

Leading the way for other females within the industry, Amanda is following in the footsteps of her mother, Tina Williams, who is a small Wyong based trainer by creating her own stable of winners. “Being a female and a small trainer in this industry is quite special as I get to prove that we are just as capable as men and are strong enough to do it without a man,” she said.

Davis’s passion for female inclusion in racing has been influenced by the strong females she is surrounded by. Such females include popular Wyong trainer, Kim Waugh, who Amanda is employed with full time as a Work Runner. “I really love working with Kim as she is always very good with giving advice and great to talk to. I really take in what she does and try to reflect it in my own training,” Amanda said.

Amanda riding Recife Beach at the Thoroughbred Spring Fair.

Amanda’s love for horses was established from a young age as she says she was “born straight into a saddle and was sitting on a horse before she could walk.” This passion intensified when she participated in Pony Clubs up until she was 15. During this time, she became captivated by the beauty of the show ring which led to her venturing into the show world. Through finding her talent in this discipline, Amanda grew her competition team by collecting off the track Thoroughbreds who helped her secure ribbon after ribbon at competitions around NSW. “I loved how showing was something mum and I could do together,” Davis said.

Having the luxury of witnessing her mother become a racehorse trainer, Amanda made the decision to transition from the showring to the racetrack. “I always dreamt of becoming a trainer but was always happy and content just riding trackwork. This all changed when I got badly injured 4 years ago which forced me to think hard about what I wanted to do in the future. It gave me the push needed to become a trainer,” Amanda said.

“It is pretty good to have a mom as a trainer as it provides me with a lot more encouragement and I think being a daughter of a female trainer is very important in this sport. We are very competitive so I want to beat her in races, but I also know I can turn to her if I need help or guidance,” Davis said.

Typically, some people may feel the pressure associated with following in a family member’s footsteps in the same industry, but Amanda admits she’s never experienced this. “I never felt that pressure with mum but instead look to her for advice. The best thing she ever told me was, if you want to keep a level head in the racing game you need to be realistic with where you are at with your training and prep.”

With this advice in the back of Amanda’s mind she made the leap and applied for her trainer’s license, which she received within 5 months. Just 2 weeks later, Amanda had her first taste of success when her horse, G’day Poopsie, ran first at Wellington in March 2021. This horse has continued to provide Amanda with success after running first at Taree in January of this year.

Amanda and Last Bid Liam

Balancing this, Davis also doesn’t sugar-coat the life of a trainer and instead shines light on the challenges that trainers face. “I think a big challenge is owners coming and going. As a small trainer starting from the ground up, it can be hard to attract big owners and gain connections within the industry,” she says.

Despite being a full-time trainer, Amanda is still very much active in the equestrian world. Her proudest achievement was when she was crowned Off the Track series winner at the Thoroughbred Spring Fair in 2021 on her OTTB, Recife Beach, who was formally trained by Kim Waugh.  

As Amanda’s life revolves around racing, organisation has become a top priority as her race day prep looks a little different to others. “I always get ready the day before, so I get all the gear and equipment packed and make sure to iron the silks. I then check the horses but as I have to work in the stables in the morning, I have to make the call early before scratching’s. It’s so busy that I usually don’t have time to stress and instead trust that the horses are ready,” she says.

Amanda’s dream would be to train a city winner but for the mean time she narrows her sights on having a stable with more than 20 horses in work. “I am also huge on rehoming and would love to be able to help make sure that when her horses retire, they get a good life after racing,” Amanda concludes.

Amanda’s Forging Her Own Path To Victory

Posted on by Abby Delucyk

By Abby Delucyk

From winning Off the Track series with her thoroughbred to establishing herself as a female trainer, racing is well and truly ingrained in Amanda Davis-William’s DNA. 

Leading the way for other females within the industry, Amanda is following in the footsteps of her mother, Tina Williams, who is a small Wyong based trainer by creating her own stable of winners. “Being a female and a small trainer in this industry is quite special as I get to prove that we are just as capable as men and are strong enough to do it without a man,” she said.

Davis’s passion for female inclusion in racing has been influenced by the strong females she is surrounded by. Such females include popular Wyong trainer, Kim Waugh, who Amanda is employed with full time as a Work Runner. “I really love working with Kim as she is always very good with giving advice and great to talk to. I really take in what she does and try to reflect it in my own training,” Amanda said.

Amanda riding Recife Beach at the Thoroughbred Spring Fair.

Amanda’s love for horses was established from a young age as she says she was “born straight into a saddle and was sitting on a horse before she could walk.” This passion intensified when she participated in Pony Clubs up until she was 15. During this time, she became captivated by the beauty of the show ring which led to her venturing into the show world. Through finding her talent in this discipline, Amanda grew her competition team by collecting off the track Thoroughbreds who helped her secure ribbon after ribbon at competitions around NSW. “I loved how showing was something mum and I could do together,” Davis said.

Having the luxury of witnessing her mother become a racehorse trainer, Amanda made the decision to transition from the showring to the racetrack. “I always dreamt of becoming a trainer but was always happy and content just riding trackwork. This all changed when I got badly injured 4 years ago which forced me to think hard about what I wanted to do in the future. It gave me the push needed to become a trainer,” Amanda said.

“It is pretty good to have a mom as a trainer as it provides me with a lot more encouragement and I think being a daughter of a female trainer is very important in this sport. We are very competitive so I want to beat her in races, but I also know I can turn to her if I need help or guidance,” Davis said.

Typically, some people may feel the pressure associated with following in a family member’s footsteps in the same industry, but Amanda admits she’s never experienced this. “I never felt that pressure with mum but instead look to her for advice. The best thing she ever told me was, if you want to keep a level head in the racing game you need to be realistic with where you are at with your training and prep.”

With this advice in the back of Amanda’s mind she made the leap and applied for her trainer’s license, which she received within 5 months. Just 2 weeks later, Amanda had her first taste of success when her horse, G’day Poopsie, ran first at Wellington in March 2021. This horse has continued to provide Amanda with success after running first at Taree in January of this year.

Balancing this, Davis also doesn’t sugar-coat the life of a trainer and instead shines light on the challenges that trainers face. “I think a big challenge is owners coming and going. As a small trainer starting from the ground up, it can be hard to attract big owners and gain connections within the industry,” she says.

Despite being a full-time trainer, Amanda is still very much active in the equestrian world. Her proudest achievement was when she was crowned Off the Track series winner at the Thoroughbred Spring Fair in 2021 on her OTTB, Recife Beach, who was formally trained by Kim Waugh.  

As Amanda’s life revolves around racing, organisation has become a top priority as her race day prep looks a little different to others. “I always get ready the day before, so I get all the gear and equipment packed and make sure to iron the silks. I then check the horses but as I have to work in the stables in the morning, I have to make the call early before scratching’s. It’s so busy that I usually don’t have time to stress and instead trust that the horses are ready,” she says.

Amanda’s dream would be to train a city winner but for the mean time she narrows her sights on having a stable with more than 20 horses in work. “I am also huge on rehoming and would love to be able to help make sure that when her horses retire, they get a good life after racing,” Amanda concludes.