Category: Welfare

By Abby Delucyk

Set to finish trials soon, Camilla, better known as Millie, has turned her childhood passion of equestrian sports into an exciting racing career. 

Growing up on a property outside of Tamworth, Mille always had off the track Thoroughbreds as show horses. Her favourite was Walt, a gelding who was formally trained by Eric Hayes.  

“We were a very horsey family like we went to shows on the weekends together and always did things with horses but never anything to do with racing,” Millie recalled.  

With the glamour of horses striking Millie’s interest, she regularly competed most weekends and went on to place in both Sydney and Brisbane Royal in showing. She did this all while balancing her ongoing school commitments.  

As school ended, Millie enrolled into a university course before she quickly came to discover that this wasn’t the path she wanted to take.

“I was starting to become really interested in racing and thought that there could potentially be a career in it for me. I reached out to local trainer Craig Martin to see if he had any work available at his stable and got a job there,” Millie said.  

As Millie settled in to her new normal, the transition into racing came quite easily to her.  

“Apart from the early morning wake ups, it was pretty normal as I have been around horses my whole life. Craig mentioned that I was the perfect build to be a jockey as I was quite small, so I started to ride trackwork.”  

“I always knew it was going to be hard to ride like a jockey and was mindful of all the small steps involved as it was a different style of riding than I was used to,” Millie said.   

Wanting to develop on this new riding style, Millie moved to the Hawkesbury to gain basic riding skills at a local stable.

“I started with Dan Robinson at DPR Horsemanship as my partner (Rory Hutchings) suggested I should go there to learn the basics. Dan is an amazing rider, especially with difficult horses, so it was really helpful to learn from him. I stayed here for 12 months just learning the ins and outs of everything like jump outs and being in the barriers,” Millie said.  

Although Millie learnt to ride in Hawkesbury, she always knew that if she wanted to become a jockey, she would have to move into the city. She reached out to Peter Robl and landed a job at his Randwick stables.

Millie’s progression then came to a sudden halt as COVID lockdown struck Sydney, forcing her to return to Tamworth. “After lockdowns were over, I came back to Sydney where I went to work full time with Pete which was always the plan. I have always been recommended to go to Pete’s stable as he was such a good jockey back in his day and wanted to learn off him,” Millie said.  

Millie decided to progress her riding so she reached out to Team Thoroughbred’s NSW Training Academy to earn a qualification. Through the Training Academy, Millie started on an Apprentice jockey path.

It was here that Millie started her apprenticeship with Pete and completed her first jump outs and trials. “My first trial at Randwick was on one of Les Bridge’s horses, Invincible Legend, which was quite a quiet horse. It was so nerve wracking, but I just remember Les saying to me “You’ll do great kid”,” she said.  

Unfortunately for Millie, Pete decided to relocate to QLD, meaning she had to scout a new stable to work at. Kim Waugh’s popular stable at Wyong caught Millies’s eye and she made the move up north.  

“Kim has some great horses in work at the moment and is a really lovely, supportive person. Wyong is also a great track as everyone gets along which is good,” she said.  

With Millie calling Wyong home for the moment, she dedicates her focus to finishing her trials and taking out her racing license.  

“I guess I dream of what everyone dreams of which is winning a Group 1 race. Right now, my goals are focused on riding and I haven’t really thought beyond that,” Millie concludes. 

After a stellar equestrian career, Vicki Roycroft is an icon of the sport. Her love of thoroughbreds has led her to represent Australia in three Olympic Games and three World Championship Teams. She also was the first female to win the Rome Grand Prix. All of these which Vicki competed with a Thoroughbred.

“When I first started riding, my sport horses were always thoroughbreds. And they are still my preference of horse today,” Vicki said.

“I think certainly for amateur riders’ thoroughbreds are a better horse as, generally, they are quiet. Whenever I return to riding from an injury or something I always ride thoroughbreds as they are a pleasant horse.”

Vicki is regarded very highly in the equestrian community for her passionate love of thoroughbreds. “The best thing about thoroughbreds is their attitude. They are forward-thinking, intelligent horses, more so than other breeds of horse. Thoroughbreds have beautiful faces and eyes which they look at you and show their love,” she said.

Thoroughbreds are Vicki’s breed of choice for competing, such as her iconic Apache who she got straight after his retirement from racing.

“It’s actually a funny story how I got Apache. I was in Cowra doing a clinic when the guy running it mentioned that he has a little horse that just jumps too high for him and asked if I would have a look at him. I wasn’t at all fussed but eventually agreed. I got on and rode him and after the first jump, I thought ‘Wow, he was pretty good’. His owners didn’t want to sell him though, so I just forgot about him for the time.

“3 weeks later the guy called me and said his owners are going to sell him, did you want him, but I didn’t remember what horse he was talking about. He was only selling for $500 and $50 for transport so I thought why not and sent a cheque in the mail. I went down to Bankstown to pick him up but forgot how small he was! Driving back, I was thinking how Wayne (her then husband) was going to kill me because he was such a small chestnut like under 16hh. Turns out to be the best horse I’ve ever owned.

“This was a perfect example of how you don’t find good horses, they find you,” Vicki said.

This dynamic duo achieved the unimaginable in 1987 when they won the Grand Prix in Rome, with Vicki being the first Australian and women to do so. Apache was also ranked in the top 20 for the best horses of that year.

“I trained him (Apache) from cross rails to the Grand Prix. He just came out of nowhere to win and won the biggest class. We won a lot of competitions together until I had to sell him for financial reasons,” Vicki said.

Vicki’s success didn’t just stop in Rome, but instead spanned across the globe. Competing in 3 Olympic games, Vicki was awarded an Australian Sport Medal in 2000.

“I have been very blessed to travel with this sport taking me all over the world. The 3 Olympics I competed in were very special and all great in their own way. My first Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 was probably my favourite as we had a great team and Wayne was the flagbearer for the Australian team which was incredible,” she said.

As Roycroft became Australia’s golden girl in showjumping, the pressure from home started to mount. “You need to expect pressure. I always felt less pressure overseas as you’re more of an underdog but in Australia, I always felt the home crowd expectations,” Vicki said.

Although the pressures were there, Vicki had a great support team behind her every step of the way.

“The great American trainer, George Morris, was a very big mentor for me as he has been there to help me in Rome and places like that. He is still a dear friend now and I bring him out to Australia to do clinics with me,” Vicki said.

Despite being separated now, Vicki’s husband Wayne Roycroft was also influential in her career.

“Wayne was an outstanding coach of 3 of our Gold Medal winning teams. He and his father, Bill taught me a lot and I was able to learn through their coaching,” she said.

Winning more World Cup Qualifiers than any other Australian rider, Vicki’s determination is backed by the advice, “You’ve got to earn what you want. People expect things to be put in their laps, but you must work for it,” she said.

Vicki’s drive to succeed is still alive today, with the idea of retiring never being an option for her.

“The thing with this sport is you can do it at whatever age. I still enjoy producing horses, especially off the track thoroughbreds as you get them off the track and make a sport horse out of them.

“That’s the pleasurable part of it, getting to work with the horse and improve it. That’s what I’ll be doing more of now,” Vicki states.

As Vicki continues to coach the next generation, her best piece of advice for new and upcoming riders is, “You’ve got to let your horses let down a little bit before training them. Let them get the racing syndrome out of their brains.”

After piloting Paths of Glory to success in the 2020 Wyong Cup, Group 1-winning jockey Rachel King has since adopted and retrained the English import to showjumping victory.

Formerly trained by Michael and Richard Freedman, Paths of Glory (or better known as POG), instantly stole Rachel’s heart after she rode him in his second start.

“I always had a passion for equestrian as I did a lot of showjumping as a kid but just never thought about having a thoroughbred of my own,” King said.

“From the first time I rode him he just felt different. Straight away I asked connections if I could take him on after he had finished his racing career.”

The duo’s bond deepened as Rachel became POG’s regular jockey in which they went on to claim a Group 3 win in the JRA Plate at Royal Randwick and three other Group placings.  

After 24 starts and earning over $500,000 in prizemoney, Paths of Glory officially retired from the track on Rachel’s birthday having suffered a minor tendon injury.

China Horse Club, the owners of Paths of Glory, gave the jockey their blessing and the grey was rehomed with Rachel.

“He had a good break after that to recover and then the work started. It’s been over a year now and he has really turned his hand to showjumping which is what I have always enjoyed,” Rachel said.

“Because I hadn’t done showjumping in years though, we both were learning on the go and taking this journey together.”

So far, the pair has entered multiple competitions and training days in which POG has consistently competed in *1m classes.

“He is such a good horse to have as he is low maintenance which fits into my racing schedule.

“It doesn’t matter when I ride him, he is always the same and doesn’t get too fresh.

 “I’m only doing it for a bit of fun, but he is truly a great horse to have,” Rachel said.

Although extremely happy with her companion POG, Rachel hasn’t ruled out the possibility of expanding her showjumping team to include other off the track Thoroughbreds.

“If I find one at the races, I keep an eye on them. I’m just waiting for the right horse to turn up and for me to have the same feeling as I did with POG,” Rachel concluded.

By Abby Delucyk

As someone passionate about giving horses a life of luxury after racing, Emma Cox took on 8yo Teddy through mutual friends of the family in the middle of COVID lockdowns. Little did she know that this horse would be crowned a winner in the 2023 Sydney Royal Easter Show and become her new best friend.

Regal Edition, now known as Teddy, is an 8yo Reliable Man X Cross Rate gelding who raced as Greenspan. Bred by Bradbury Park in New Zealand, he was brought to Australia as a two-year-old for the Proven Thoroughbreds syndication. He was introduced to racing at the iconic Royal Randwick by trainer John Thompson before being transferred to Goulburn under John Bateman and finally to Kembla Grange under the guidance of Kerry Parker.

Retired from racing only 18 months ago, Teddy has since pursued a career in showing and won the Inaugural Up & Coming Led Thoroughbred class for horses who have retired from racing within the last two years at the 2023 Sydney Royal Easter Show.

As winners, Emma said, “We did not expect it in the lead up to the show, long-term competitor, master horseman and our trainer at home, Stephen Gladstone, was leading Teddy, so I knew I did not have to worry about anything. My job that day was to prep the horse to look the part, Steve did the rest!”

Based in Centennial Park, the original showgrounds for Sydney Royal, Emma spends many hours a day ensuring that Teddy is as healthy and prepared as possible for each show, particularly the royals. “Preparation really begins twelve months before. The training, feeding, short spells and management of their day-to-day care is endless, but the feeling of riding at Sydney makes it all worth it.”

Teddy’s success did not end in the led classes. Emma rode him herself to finish 5^th in the Novice Hack 15.2-16hh and 8^th in the Lady’s Hack, an achievement for any horse, but particularly one so new to showing. “We went with the aim of being called in off the ring for a workout, so to leave placing amongst some beautiful and seasoned horses from across Australia was an amazing feeling.”

Teddy, named in tribute to Emma’s previous thoroughbred ‘Bear’, had stolen her heart after she accidentally stumbled upon him. “I spent ten months during COVID looking for a special horse to take on and show. We seemed to be having no luck when Bill Mitchell phoned and said he had a horse that had raced that day who may be suited for life as a show horse.”

Emma did not see any photos of him but drove to Kembla Grange the next day and picked him up. “The connection of my parents’ golfing friends, Peter and Meg Robinson, who owned some racehorses themselves, found him. When he arrived, he was fluffy and a little rough around the edges, but he settled in instantly, which was fantastic. I just had to cross my fingers and hope a special little horse was hiding underneath,” Emma said.

“Teddy loves to work. The harder it is or, the more interesting the trick, the more he gets into it. We do a lot of dressage and cross-training at home, and often our warmup at a show consists of the same. When the atmosphere at a show is unsettling for him, I will always go back to moving him off my leg, controlling the shoulder, and regaining his focus, something Steve has taught me for many years,” Emma said.

As Teddy has only been retired from the track for 18 months, he has a lot of potential and capacity to grow in the sport. “The plan is to continue to show Teddy as he is just such a pleasure. He makes it so easy, which is not always the case. Our next competition will be the Pacific Coast Hack Championships before a well-deserved spell to spend some time with our next horse.” Emma said.

We wish this duo good luck in all future competitions.

Emma and Teddy are proudly sponsored by Mickie Magan – Equine Herbalist and Body Worker

Photo Credit: Allira Fontana Photography

By Abby Delucyk

“I was just a kid who loved horses and lived on a farm.”

Rising NSW Apprentice jockey Chelsea Hillier may be from a small rural country town, but she is making a big impact on the racing scene.

Growing up in rural Barraba, Hillier has been surrounded by horses her whole life.

“We have always had horses growing up as Dad is a jockey and mum loves to ride.”

Although Chelsea was an active member of Barraba Pony Club, she never competed in any specific discipline and simply enjoyed riding and being around horses.

Her passion for horses was forced to sit on the backburner as her family relocated to Glen Innes and went on to attend Fairholme College boarding school in Toowoomba.

It wasn’t until Chelsea finished school that she could invest her time into racing. Reuniting with her passion, Chelsea stayed in Queensland where she started on the ground with trainer Brian Smith.

Although Chelsea enjoyed this experience, she had a burning desire to learn to ride trackwork and decided to move back home to Glenn Innes to ignite this dream.

She picked up where she left off and started riding trackwork for local trainer Paddy Cunningham. It was here that Chelsea put in the hours to learn the ins and outs of riding.

“It was since riding trackwork that I always had in the back of my mind to become a jockey. I always was that little bit too heavy so I resigned to the fact I could never be a jockey,” Chelsea said.

Chelsea was on a roll with her riding practice before this came to an abrupt holt after she sustained a bad injury from a routine morning ride on a Coffs Harbour beach. This saw Chelsea sidelined for 12 months.

With this forced time off, Chelsea decided to relocate to Sydney. When covid hit, Hillier used this time to strip some weight and become a jockey for popular trainer, Mark Newnham.

“The weight aspect is really challenging part for me as I am not naturally a lightweight and need to stay on top of this. The mental side of being a jockey is also a challenge as you have to remember to stay true to yourself,” Chelsea said.

As the weight stayed off, Chelsea has continued to excel in her riding career and has since moved to Scone to ride on behalf of Rod Northam. A career highlight for Hillier was when she scored at Treble in front of a home crowd at Deepwater earlier this year.

“This was a pretty big achievement for myself considering I was so heavy and just the journey I took to get here. I really look up to Craig Williams as an inspiration for riding but also as the person he is. He really gives back to the sport, and I admire his kindness,” Chelsea said.

Paying tribute to her families’ support, Hillier mentions “I have been bought up in a way that nothing is easy, and you have to work hard for what you want. I would love to be able to ride in Sydney one day and just be the best rider I can be.”

With hard work being ingrained in Hillier’s DNA, it’s no surprise that she is an apprentice to watch this season.

By Abby Delucyk

If you told a young Amy Walker that she would be donning the iconic blue uniform and strapping ‘Exploring’ in the prestigious 2023 Golden Slipper, she would have thought you were lying.

Now, this is her reality.

Amy’s love for horses was ingrained into her from a young age through the influence of her mother, who spent her childhood surrounded by horses.

“My mum passed on this passion as she bought me my first horse when I was around 7 years old. She always said I would grow out of this obsession I had with riding and kept insisting it was just a hobby. Much to her dismay I was very persistent with it, and she ended up buying me a years’ worth of riding lessons to help me develop my skills,” Amy said.

It was at Mulgoa Pony Club that Amy learnt the fundamentals of riding and got up at the crack of dawn every Saturday to ride.

With Amy still well and truly invested in riding, she purchased her first off the track Thoroughbred in 2013, who was a 3yo 17hh gelding called ‘Ace’. This purchase kick started her ownership of horses, which has expanded to having 4 horses in her care now.  

As Amy grew up, her introduction into the racing industry came through her experience of working at a TAB call centre for 3 years when she was fresh out of school.

“It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do but I knew it was never in an office job and instead working with animals. I left TAB and worked in a dog shelter before I started at a dressage stable with Hannah & Heidi Scott in Glenorie,” Amy said.

Although Amy had returned to working with horses, she still didn’t feel like she was in the right job.

“I always remember driving past the Godolphin stables at Agnes Banks and dreaming of working there. I thought why not ask if they have a position available, so I gave them a call but wasn’t hopeful at all because I know how hard it is to work there,” Walker said.

To Amy’s surprise, Godolphin came calling the next day to organise an interview which sent her hopes skyrocketing. Within 72hrs from her original call, Amy was offered a racing hand job for Godolphin.

“Godolphin is just an all-round amazing place to work, and I’ve achieved a lot with them. I’ve been there for 4 years now and genuinely can’t fault it,” Amy said.

Within these 4 years, Amy’s favourite moment was in 2019 when she strapped her first winner, Vivaro at Hawkesbury, just a month after she started at the well-known stable.

Despite this, Amy mentions, “My favourite horse will always be Segalas as she was the first horse I looked after at Godolphin and strapped for 3 years.  

“I love being a stable hand and strapper, but I would eventually love to explore the possibility of being a Foreman one day and working up to this. The good thing with Godolphin is they always offer room for growth and the opportunities are endless.

“I found my dream job which not a lot of people can say,” Amy concluded.

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.”