Mr Spyro 408 Report post Posted May 2, 2016 Just reading comments on a board after the article yesterday about the victimised horse trainers. Surprised the number of people referring to the wealthy horsey set and how " up themselves " horse people are in general . In other words these idiots make no distinction between the show jumping set and the down to earth blokes and ladies that make up majority of training ranks. Not sure how wide spread these prejudices are but would have to say most I've met are damn hard working blokes / blokesses doing it for the love of the game as bugger all return for all long hours put in. For example we were talking to ex trainer Charlie Faulkner last week when Trevor McKee wandered past and stopped to have a word, Salt of the earth types that wouldn't have a stuck up bone in their bodies. I'm sure most people's here experiences will be more like that. barryb, Huey, mckenzie and 11 others 14 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Hunter 4 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 Spot on. I worked for Charlie about 25yrs ago. Great bunch of guys. Miss it dearly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varro 244 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 Mr T McKee is an absolute gentleman. When I was a teenager through to my late teens, I was frequently at the races helping my grandfather and uncle with their horses, often taking them in the birdcage etc, and Mr McKee would always say hi to me. He even went as far to get me a sunline badge and hat for free, asked how I was. The same goes for Mr Norm Holland, was an absolute gentlemen, was very good to talk to, and made an effort to say hi and even have a chat with my family when they were there, he got on really well with my grandfather. Was a sad day when Mr Holland passed away, he was always good for a laugh and one of racings finest blokes. Trump, Pegs Pride, inside edge and 4 others 7 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump 2,741 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 Yes re NBH. Wasn't he a dapper little bloke, lively as hell and full of the joy of life either at Ellerslie or on the golf course. Belinda, DatoStar and Dopey 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porky 900 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 yeah these genuine, largely unheralded gents and their hard working teams go on regardless...still getting the odd winner and good strike rates. Watched Jim Cassidy, Part 1,2 and 3 yesterday and the number of times he thanked trainers and Patrick Campbell for his advice and guidance during his apprenticeship shows real testament to the bloke. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazach 133 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 Agree most race horse trainers and those associated with putting in the long hours needed at the track are totally dedicated and hard working types. There are not many "born with a silver spoon in their mouth" types at the race track at 5.30am! Pegs Pride and porky 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disillusioned 389 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 Erm, bazach, there are many folk in this country that put in 'long hours' and are 'totally dedicated' and 'hard working'. In industries other than Racing, such effort is usually well-remunerated. That the folk you cite are still, despite signs having been about for yonks, slaving away for no real reward suggests to me that they either regard their 'industry' as a hobby (which seems to me the way it is headed) or are downright delusional,,,. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalano 951 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 16 minutes ago, Disillusioned said: That the folk you cite are still, despite signs having been about for yonks, slaving away for no real reward suggests to me that they either regard their 'industry' as a hobby (which seems to me the way it is headed) or are downright delusional Or, maybe they enjoy going to work every day... I wonder how good that feels! porky 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disillusioned 389 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 20 minutes ago, Catalano said: Or, maybe they enjoy going to work every day... I wonder how good that feels! No problems with that, Catalano... So they're hobbyists... Loads of folk enjoy their jobs! My point is that, if you're in Life for a fortune, Racing ain't (for most) the way to go... Whinging that that is unfair is inherently an unproductive exercise... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trump 2,741 Report post Posted March 31, 2017 Bazach, there's nothing wrong with being "born with a silver spoon in your mouth". It's what one does with the spoon that counts. Some choke on it, others use it as a tool to further their gains. Ragamuffin 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatoStar 43 Report post Posted April 1, 2017 On 31 March 2017 at 7:04 AM, Varro said: Mr T McKee is an absolute gentleman. When I was a teenager through to my late teens, I was frequently at the races helping my grandfather and uncle with their horses, often taking them in the birdcage etc, and Mr McKee would always say hi to me. He even went as far to get me a sunline badge and hat for free, asked how I was. The same goes for Mr Norm Holland, was an absolute gentlemen, was very good to talk to, and made an effort to say hi and even have a chat with my family when they were there, he got on really well with my grandfather. Was a sad day when Mr Holland passed away, he was always good for a laugh and one of racings finest blokes. Norm was a top fella , he always had time to talk to my son when at Ellerslie, one day he told me Matt could be a jockey , problem was he was nine at the time and taller than Norm ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spyro 408 Report post Posted April 1, 2017 Something that impressed me no end - I was at Ellerslie on Derby Day years back , one of the busiest days for everybody. There was an obviously mentally handicapped fella there that kept shouting over at Dave O'Sullivan " Where's Lance ? " Dave went over to him and had a few words and basically said Lance was busy but would be in the parade ring shortly. When Lance came out, and before he jumped on the horse, Dave led Lance over to meet this bloke, to shake his hand and have a few words. I thought with all that was going on, to take the time to do that was a bloody decent gesture and it probably made the day for this poor bloke. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopey 214 Report post Posted April 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Mr Spyro said: Something that impressed me no end - I was at Ellerslie on Derby Day years back , one of the busiest days for everybody. There was an obviously mentally handicapped fella there that kept shouting over at Dave O'Sullivan " Where's Lance ? " Dave went over to him and had a few words and basically said Lance was busy but would be in the parade ring shortly. When Lance came out, and before he jumped on the horse, Dave led Lance over to meet this bloke, to shake his hand and have a few words. I thought with all that was going on, to take the time to do that was a bloody decent gesture and it probably made the day for this poor bloke. It's was you wasn't it, come on be honest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spyro 408 Report post Posted April 2, 2017 4 hours ago, Dopey said: It's was you wasn't it, come on be honest. Well I wouldn't need to be Albert Einstein to see how you acquired your moniker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopey 214 Report post Posted April 3, 2017 20 hours ago, Mr Spyro said: Well I wouldn't need to be Albert Einstein to see how you acquired your moniker. Hey - well I ain't HAPPY Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
