{"id":293361,"date":"2023-10-13T13:39:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T13:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=293361"},"modified":"2023-10-13T13:39:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T13:39:06","slug":"why-gai-waterhouse-will-never-slow-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/horse-racing\/why-gai-waterhouse-will-never-slow-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gai Waterhouse will never slow down"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Christian Nicolussi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gai Waterhouse in Tulloch Lodge at her Randwick stables.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty<\/cite><\/p>\n

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

Gai Waterhouse, arguably Australia\u2019s most famous horse trainer, is sitting at Tulloch Lodge, her historic stables in suburban Kensington, staring at the countless oil paintings of her late father, the legendary trainer Tommy Smith.<\/p>\n

Smith died a day before his 82nd birthday, but was still training.<\/p>\n

He never retired. And even at 69, Waterhouse has no intentions of giving up the caper any time soon. If ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day he died, Dad was sitting in his office, very much foot on the pedal,\u201d Waterhouse says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loved it. When you become a horse trainer, it\u2019s a lifestyle that you\u2019ve chosen, and you\u2019re 24\/7 in the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said it before that when you stop, people stop calling. We wouldn\u2019t be doing this interview. People wouldn\u2019t ring me for my opinion, to come here, do this … while you\u2019re in the workplace, you\u2019re an integral part of the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grandkids only want to see so much of their grandmother. You need to learn your place. I\u2019m not at the top of their pecking order.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love racing. I don\u2019t want to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waterhouse is still switched on. The only thing causing her grief are the ligaments in her right knee, which has led her to swimming every morning at Balmoral Beach whenever she\u2019s in Sydney.<\/p>\n

Before she leaves the house for track work and the early dip in the harbour, Waterhouse chops up a banana and arranges the pieces into a smiley face on top of a bowl of cereal for her husband, bookmaker Robbie Waterhouse. She has done it for years.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gai Waterhouse will be in Melbourne on Saturday with her Cups hopeful Just Fine<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty\/SMH<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u201cBut when Gai isn\u2019t happy with me, it\u2019s an upside-down smile; those are the days I need to make amends,\u201d Robbie says.<\/p>\n

Waterhouse is class, and she has an old-school appreciation of good fashion and being a good host. She apologises for there being no fresh-cut flowers when we sit down for our interview, then asks why I did not bother to have a shave.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a much better chance of being successful if you\u2019re attentive to detail,\u201d Waterhouse says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this day and age, everyone has become very slack. When you walk into Tulloch Lodge, I almost want you to feel like you\u2019re walking into a David Jones or Harrods.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to see people chewing gum, or tears in your clothes. The stables are a special place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waterhouse has now been training in partnership with Adrian Bott for seven years. At the time, most people in the racing game viewed it as a succession plan, with Bott to eventually take over, and Waterhouse to slip quietly out the back stable door.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have their stable flying.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

Who seriously expected the odd couple to be humming like they are after all this time?<\/p>\n

\u201cI want Adrian to be successful, I want him to make our business a success, I want him to have his own home, to have a lifestyle he can enjoy, and to get the recognition he deserves,\u201d Waterhouse says.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old Bott who grew up in Scone \u2013 serious horse country in the Hunter Valley \u2013 and was educated at Sydney\u2019s prestigious Riverview College, certainly knows how fortunate he is to be working alongside Waterhouse.<\/p>\n

The two seem to fit. They have had their run-ins but Waterhouse gets disappointed rather than angry.<\/p>\n

They speak up to half a dozen times by lunchtime, sometimes more, depending on what is happening with the horses and what time of year it is.<\/p>\n

Bott, who was still in nappies when Waterhouse commenced training in 1992, knew there was immense pressure to deliver when teaming up with such a giant of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u2018In this day and age, everyone has become very slack. When you walk into Tulloch Lodge, I almost want you to feel like you\u2019re walking into Harrods\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely never lost sight of the opportunity I\u2019d been given, and who I was going to be working with,\u201d Bott said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was always the most difficult aspect to overcome in the early stages of the partnership, just that pressure, which did not come from Gai, but the pressure I put on myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you become more comfortable in your role and in your ability as the partnership grows.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winners have come thick and fast for Waterhouse and Bott since the new racing season commenced on August 1. They have a healthy roster of two-year-olds, which is always the best guide to a stable\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

As for The Everest on Saturday, they will saddle up Alcohol Free, the ultra-expensive mare purchased from Europe, and the Gerry Harvey and John Singleton-owned giant horse, Hawaii Five Oh.<\/p>\n

Both have excellent chances.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gai Waterhouse celebrates with her father TJ Smith.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fairfax<\/cite><\/p>\n

Waterhouse, however, will be nowhere near Randwick. In fact, she has not been sighted on a Sydney race day since the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to the track [at dawn for work] and then the races, I found it was a very long day,\u201d Waterhouse said. \u201cI thought I could be of much more benefit to Adrian if I watched from home, if I spoke to the jockeys in the morning to get their thoughts, then leave it to Adrian to have the final say.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing jockeys for two seconds before a race, and knowing you could be deciding the fate of millions of dollars, it\u2019s madness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like being on the control panel and trying to work out how we can win the race. If we were to win The Everest it would be phenomenal. It would be a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for where she will be in five years, Waterhouse says: \u201cStill training with Adrian, working with fascinating people and fascinating horses, and probably sitting here being interviewed by you. Hopefully, you\u2019ve learned how to shave by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christian Nicolussi Gai Waterhouse in Tulloch Lodge at her Randwick stables.Credit: Kate Geraghty Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Gai Waterhouse, arguably Australia\u2019s most famous horse trainer, is sitting at Tulloch Lodge, her historic stables in suburban Kensington, staring at the countless oil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293360,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Gai Waterhouse will never slow down - Sports Life Tale<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/horse-racing\/why-gai-waterhouse-will-never-slow-down\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Gai Waterhouse will never slow down - Sports Life Tale\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christian Nicolussi Gai Waterhouse in Tulloch Lodge at her Randwick stables.Credit: Kate Geraghty Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. 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