Wendy Peel was paid the ultimate compliment by David Reynolds when he elected to entrust her with the ride on Rather Salubrious in Saturday’s Battle Of The Bush Final, even though apprentices were unable to claim. Wendy, who’s still entitled to a 3kg allowance on metropolitan tracks, was the only apprentice to ride in Saturday’s $200,000 feature.
The trainer received three phone calls from jockey managers offering the services of some very high profile riders, but honoured a promise he’d made to Wendy after she’d ridden the mare into third place in a BM85 at Eagle Farm in early May.
“She didn’t travel well in soft going on the day, but David was happy with my ride,” said Wendy. “He told me she would contest a Battle Of The Bush Qualifier in the north, and guaranteed me the ride should she make the Final at Eagle Farm.”
Wendy’s association with the Reynolds stable began in early April when she was offered a handful of rides at a Rockhampton meeting. After studying the fields she decided to call a few trainers who hadn’t booked jockeys for their horses in other races. “David was one of the trainers I rang. He listened intently as I ran through my credentials and told me I could ride Rather Salubrious in the BM65,” recalled Wendy.
“Rather Salubrious had won a 1200m race at Monto two weeks earlier, but jumped to 1600m at Rocky and was still on the fresh side. She overraced and just got a little tired in the closing stages to finish 5th not far from the winner. A week later she won an open race at Chinchilla and followed that with her Eagle Farm placing. That was the last I saw of her until she entered the parade yard on Saturday. In between times she’d run second at Jandowae on Cup Day, before comfortably winning the Battle Of The Bush Qualifier at Goondiwindi with 57kgs. She was well ridden in both of those races by the promising apprentice Angela Jones.”
Wendy Peel looked every bit the seasoned jockey as she bounded Rather Salubrious out of gate 6 and rode her aggressively in the early stages to ensure a reasonably forward spot. She was travelling one off the fence in 6th spot at the 600m, where the mare tended to hit a flat spot. “David told me she can do that in her races, and you have to keep her up to the mark,” said Wendy. “We were in the clear on straightening for home, but she seemed to be labouring for a while. She gradually gathered momentum and all of a sudden she went from no hope to a real chance. She really needs 1400m or further. David did an enormous job to keep her sharp enough for this race.”
Wendy was probably looking for the trainer as Rather Salubrious got up to beat Bollente in the Battle Of The Bush - courtesy Trackside Photography.
After successful NSW stints with Sue Grills at Tamworth and Rodney Robb at Nyngan, Wendy decided to move to Queensland midway through 2020 when an opportunity came up with Paul Butterworth in Brisbane. Just days after winning her first ever metropolitan race on Canapes, Wendy sustained a broken hip in a freakish accident at the jump outs. The injury required surgery and put her on the sidelines for several months.
It’s been a tough road back for the fiercely determined 28 year old, but her unfailing work ethic has been recognized by several trainers. She’s ridden a number of winners in recent months for Paul Butterworth, Kacy Fogden, Lindsay Hatch, Kevin Kemp and Brian Wakefield with the latter going out of his way to acknowledge her input to his stable.
In order to have the flexibility to attend a wider range of meetings, Wendy only recently transferred her indentures from Paul Butterworth to Lorraine Erhart. Lorraine’s husband, former ace jockey Tony Erhart has taken an interest in her career and offers invaluable tutelage.
Wendy had a traumatic experience shortly before leaving the Butterworth stable when her great favourite Canapes suffered a fatal heart attack during a track gallop at Doomben. “He slowed down suddenly after completing the work and staggered towards the outside fence,” said Wendy. “He actually hit the fence and threw me over his neck. I was unhurt but deeply upset. He’d been so good to me.”
Wendy has worked hard to re-establish herself in Brisbane following a hip injury last year - courtesy Trackside Photography.
Saturday marked a very special milestone in the relatively short training career of 47 year old David Reynolds who currently trains a team of 18 horses from his 350 acre property at Dalby on the Darling Downs. The ample space allows David to give his horses plenty of time in the paddock, and the opportunity to vary their routines. With the help of a dedicated and talented all female staff, the horses are “popped” over a few cavalettis from time to time. On occasions the girls will saddle up the more highly strung members of the team and take them on long walks through the oat crop. The on-course swimming facility at Dalby is also an important part of the training regime.
David spent a lot of time with horses during his childhood including a lengthy period in pony club. “My grandfather had a large property at Rockhampton where I spent a lot of time as a kid,” he said. “I learned to ride on ponies around my grandfather’s farm, and he taught me all the basics of horse management - lessons I’ve never forgotten. My interest in racing gradually developed over the years.”
A decade ago David decided to quietly join the ranks of racehorse owners. He kept a horse or two of his own with a local trainer and spent a lot of time helping out around the stables. One day he made the snap decision to apply for his own licence and has been training in his own right for just over six years. By his own admission he’s asked a lot of questions and learned from his mistakes along the way.
“I think I’ve won about 60 races in our region and I’m getting keener by the day. None of it would be possible without the support of a great team. My apprentice Shannyn Stephan is going ahead in leaps and bounds and rode the Bundaberg Cup winner for trainer Kym Afford last year. My partner Megan Purvis is a great work rider as is Tenika Armstrong. A special mention of Mel Hoffman who plays a key role in the running of the place.”
A great moment for Dalby trainer David Reynolds in just his 6th year of training - courtesy Trackside Photography.
With the expert help of Melbourne bloodstock agent Darren Freyer, David has been able to source Rather Salubrious and Music Scene from Victorian stables for his clients. Rather Salubrious has won 10 races for $236,000 while Music Scene has won 9 races with an astonishing 28 placings thrown in. Racing exclusively on the country circuit, he’s been able to give his owners a fun ride by collecting around $130,000 in prize money. The trainer hopes to find a few more interstate horses who might respond to the idyllic lifestyle at his Dalby establishment Go 2 Lodge.
Interesting to note that an early congratulatory handshake on Saturday came from Peter Moody who was obviously in Brisbane to cast his eye over Incentivise, spectacular winner of Tattersall’s Cup. It’s well documented that Moody will soon take over the training of the Queensland star who has been promoted to outright favouritism for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Peter was also very interested in the performance of Rather Salubrious who is a daughter of Highly Recommended - a horse he trained in Melbourne a few years ago. The son of Fastnet Rock raced only 19 times for two wins including the Gr 2 Alister Clark Stakes of 2012. He explained to David that the stallion had a few issues but plenty of ability.
When the euphoria of Saturday’s fairy tale win subsides, Reynolds will have the pleasant task of plotting a future course for the five year old mare. “She’ll have two or three weeks on the grass at Dalby before we look at our options,” said the trainer. “Placed correctly at 1400m or a touch further, you’d think she has another one or two metro wins in the tank.”
The Battle Of The Bush concept has proven a runaway winner for Queensland racing, and can only get better. David says many of his owners are already talking about launching a search for the right horse for 2022.
Those owners are aware they have a trainer who knows what it takes to win the race already billed as the BOTB.
David had phone calls from the managers of three high profile jockeys. He stuck fast with Wendy with happy results - courtesy Trackside Photography.
(Banner image - The marigolds at Eagle Farm were much brighter than the Brisbane skies as Wendy returned to scale on Rather Salubrious - courtesy Trackside Photography.)