Theresa Bateup was just fifteen years old when she arrived at the Australian Jockey Club office at Randwick in late October 1994 to begin a week of work experience. As a Year 10 student at Cootamundra High School, she was required to spend some time in an industry of her choice. It took the teenager less than a second to plump for the racing industry.
Theresa and brothers, Adam and Scott, spent twelve years of their childhood on the family farm at Stockinbingal on the South West Slopes, about 380kms from Sydney. Their parents Steve and Colleen ran sheep on the property and produced substantial crops of wheat and oats for most of those years.
Their daughter was twelve years old when her first pony arrived on the farm. A palomino gelding called Buddy quickly became her best mate, and the genesis of a passion which was to shape her destiny. “I just jumped on Buddy’s back and learned to ride the hard way,” says Theresa. “He unloaded me on many occasions but I kept getting back on. I think he started to respect me after a while.”
Theresa's first horse! Buddy was the palomino pony who ignited the spark.
A year later the thirteen year old graduated to Arabian horses owned by friends. Before long she was competing on the Arab show circuit, and honing her skills in the noble art of dressage. All the time Theresa found herself “half listening” when her father tuned into the race broadcasts on Saturday afternoons. She didn’t know it then, but her love of horses was already gravitating to the thoroughbred.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Here she is many years after with one of those thoroughbreds Arrows Destiny after a Kembla win 2018.
The flame was fanned over the next couple of years when Colleen Bateup became an operator at the Cootamundra TAB Agency. “Mum would drop me at my weekly netball game before reporting for duty at the TAB,” said Theresa. “After netball I’d go to the TAB Agency and spend the rest of the afternoon watching the races on Sky Channel, reading form guides, and dare I say having a few small wagers.
“Within twelve months my bedroom was plastered with photos of well known horses past and present. I even started keeping scrapbooks and filling them with newspaper clippings on racing. I studied the form closely with a view to having a few modest wagers on Saturdays. You could say the die was cast.”
Is it any wonder the wide eyed youngster from Stockinbingal was beside herself when she reported for work experience in Melbourne Cup week of 1994. She spent time in the office observing several procedures including the handicapping of race fields. She attended barrier trials and has never forgotten a visit to the High Street stables of prominent trainer Bob Thomsen. “I got a big buzz to see the wonderful horse Danewin who’d just returned from Melbourne after running second in the Victoria Derby,” said Theresa. “He’d already won a Group 1 and would win another four later.”
The teenager attended the Randwick meeting the day Jeune won the Melbourne Cup, and remembers having a modest winning wager on a grey mare called Rhythm Review with Darryl McLellan in the saddle
She was at Randwick again four days later when she sat in on a stewards inquiry and was taken to the barriers to view the start of a race. Theresa also reminds me that she was escorted to my broadcasting box during the afternoon to watch a race call in progress. By the time that exciting week was over, the Stockinbingal teenager had little doubt her future lay somewhere in the racing industry.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Twenty six years after her AJC work experience Theresa is a regular visitor to the winners circle. She and Jess Taylor were all smiles after Jarrett's win Sapphire Coast 10/06/2018.
The Theresa Bateup story took a dramatic turn in late 1996 when she passed her HSC with distinction, picking up a scholarship in the process.
She settled on a Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in Economics at the bustling University of Wollongong. She decided to move to the “Gong” and put her mind to a four year course on her chosen subject.
Around this time Theresa had purchased her own Arabian horse. He bore the show ring name of Moongalba Raalik, but she called him “Ricky” for obvious reasons. Not surprisingly Ricky accompanied his new owner to the South Coast city and gave her much to look forward to on weekends.
At the completion of year one of her University studies Theresa moved house to Kembla Grange. The nearness of that racecourse was more than she could bear. She was soon riding trackwork for trainers like Debbie Walters, Diane Poidevin Laine and Kerry Parker and helping out at race meetings whenever she could spare the time. She also soaked up knowledge like a giant sponge.
Theresa was twenty four years old when she took the first tentative step on the long road to a training career. She found herself at an Inglis Mixed Sale in the middle of 2003 with a very limited “bank”. There was something about a plain eight year old gelding called Casiraghi that caught her eye. He obviously didn’t catch anybody else’s eye, because he was knocked down to his lone admirer for $250.
Casiraghi had won eight races in Victoria early in his career for Tony Noonan including a couple at Flemington, but hadn’t won a race in two and a half years. He won an Open Hcp at Queanbeyan at only his fifth start for his new trainer. “It was like winning the Melbourne Cup,” Theresa recalled. “We didn’t race him often and it took him two years to win another one, this time at Moruya at eleven years of age. He’s still alive and well in the care of a friend.”
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers -Theresa and Titaness after a Newcastle win 27/06/2017.
Casiraghi quietly launched the training career of a lady who has a great understanding of racehorses. Most of her success to date has been with inexpensive horses. “I love the Inglis Scone sale where I’ve been able to pick up some amazing bargains,” she said. “The Scone sale comes to Riverside this year which could push the prices up a bit, but I’ll be there as usual.”
One of Theresa’s favourites Monegal was a $3000 “steal” at Scone in 2017. To date the mare has posted five wins and six placings for $181,000. She won the recent Bega Cup and has a Canterbury win to her credit.
Fleeting Stryke holds the distinction of being Theresa’s first ever Scone yearling for an amazing $2000. She won three races with ten placings for $155,000. She was second in the $100,000 Inglis 2YO Challenge.
Theresa had a lot of time for the now retired Arrows Destiny whom she raced on lease. The gelding won six races including a dead heat in the 2018 Bateman’s Bay Cup. He accumulated $134,000 in prize money.
The trainer describes Halliday Road as a tough little customer whose record should be better. He’s won four races with a whopping thirteen second placings, some of which should have been wins. Theresa was delighted to give Kembla apprentice Madison Waters her first winning ride recently on Halliday Road on the Sapphire Coast.
Race caller Anthony Manton recently dubbed Jarrett “The King of the Coast”. Theresa has won six races with the handsome gelding, five on the Sapphire Coast track and one at Kembla. The trainer enjoys racing on the Sapphire Coast track and has been premier trainer the last two seasons.
Burden Of Proof was another Scone bargain at $3000, going on to win four races and $130,000.
Zariz Alwyns was a handy horse for the stable being voted Nowra Horse of the Year a couple of seasons back.
Bateup did a great job with a second hand mare called Giant’s Daughter in 2016. She was plagued with joint problems, but put together three wins and a metro second after joining Theresa’s stable.
She has fond memories of Skyway who gave her a maiden metropolitan win. The race was actually run at Newcastle at a transferred metropolitan meeting.
Lightning Gail was another notable city winner for the stable, winning a fillies and mares event at Warwick Farm with Deanne Panya in the saddle.
River Charge has just gone to the paddock after a win and six placings from only nine starts. “He’s a very handy Class 1 horse who will be competitive next time in,” said Theresa.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - The promising River Charge wins his maiden at Moruya 12/04/2020.
The trainer is pretty excited about The Guru who’s been showing staying promise. The three year old followed a 2000m Kembla win with a good third behind Stockman and Reinvest over the same trip in Saturday class at Randwick. Interesting to note The Guru is a half brother to one of Theresa’s early favourites Fleeting Stryke, and was a $50,000 MM purchase - the dearest yearling she’s ever trained.
The trainer was delighted to see genuine filly Eberlee win her maiden in game fashion at Kembla on Saturday. “She probably found the best part of the track, but had to overcome a check in the straight and never stopped trying,” she said. “Eberlee was bred privately by Fay Godfrey who was disappointed the current lockdown kept her away from Kembla. She races Eberlee with a friend Mick Barbaro.”
Theresa acknowledges the help she’s had from some talented riders in the last few years. Jockeys like Brock Ryan, Brodie Loy, Andrew Adkins, Scott Pollard, Rachel Murray and Jenny Duggan with special mention of her great friend Jess Taylor. “Jess actually rides work for me one day a week, and is always here for jump outs and trials,” she says. “If I need her to ride horses at a faraway bush meeting, she’ll do her best to get there.”
Theresa has thirty horses in work at Kembla Grange with a number of two and three year olds coming through. “For the first few years I had a bunch of old geldings, mostly castoffs from other stables,” she said. “I’ve been working on getting younger horses into the place, always praying one of them might be my dream horse.”
Life has turned the full circle for Theresa’s partner Michael Ahearn who was initially apprenticed to Bernie Howlett at Kembla Grange. He had an association with the Bryan Guy stable at Rosehill before that trainer’s move to the Gold Coast. Michael later moved to the Northern Rivers where he rode successfully for a number of years. “His experience is invaluable,” says Theresa. “He rides a large part of my work and I rely heavily on his assessment of horses.”
If pedigree counts for anything, Michael and Theresa’s three year old son Zac should show some sort of affinity with horses. Cooper, Theresa’s eleven year old son from a previous relationship showed some interest early, but nowadays is far more connected to technology and talking to friends online.
The trainer’s thirty horse operation requires the services of a staff of eight people and a handful of casuals. “I’m blessed with a great team,” says Theresa. “I’m proud of them all.”
Theresa’s hard earned Bachelor of Commerce degree is housed in an attractive frame and occupies a prominent place on a wall at home. She proudly recalls that she made the Dean’s merit list after her first year at Wollongong University.
You don’t need a University degree to train racehorses. The necessary prerequisites are horse sense, patience, gut feel, dedication and tolerance for endless hours on the job. Theresa Bateup ticks every box.
Theresa bought her own pure Arabian before beginning her Uni course. She and Moongalba Raalik were a great show ring combination.
(Banner image courtesy Bradley Photographers One of five wins for Monegal (Brock Ryan) - The Bega Cup 02/02/2020)