Ron Quinton is as sentimental as the next bloke when it comes to the important milestones in his long and distinguished career. The legendary horseman saddled up only one member of his twenty horse team on Saturday, and that was Miss Mya in a 1200m maiden at Kembla Grange - the place where his riding talents first came under notice.
As he watched Louise Day take Miss Mya onto the track, it’s just possible his mind flashed back fifty seven years to the unforgettable occasion of his first win. The diminutive apprentice was having only his third race ride, and fittingly the horse in question was trained by his revered boss Theo Green. Surnames beginning with the letter “Q” are in short supply at the best of times - racehorse names beginning with the same letter are even fewer. For a jockey named Quinton to score his first win on a horse called Quelimane was a very unlikely scenario.
Miss Mya was having only her fourth start in Saturday’s race and was ridden for the first time by the talented Louise Day, who’s currently doing her best to compete against powerful opposition without the luxury of a claim. “Louise has ridden several winners for me over the last three years or so,” said Ron. “Perhaps the most notable is Media Starguest who’s won three races, and Louise has ridden him in all three. She’s a native of Roscommon in Ireland, where I rode my 2000th career winner while contracted to John Oxx. Maybe I am a sentimentalist.”
Ron Quinton was anxious to get Louise Day's impressions of Miss Mya's win at Kembla - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Miss Mya was obliged to race three wide with cover to the hometurn at Kembla, before being eased to the extreme outside on straightening up. She moved very quickly from the 300m, perhaps getting to the front a shade earlier than Day desired. The jockey needn’t have worried. Miss Mya dropped into another gear and quickly put 3.5 lengths on Edna with Mayapple third, in front of favourite Dame Cartland. Regular race watchers couldn’t help but notice the strikingly familiar red jacket and white cap, as Miss Mya surged to a better than average maiden victory. The four year old is raced by third generation owner/breeder Sandy Tait and his wife Kathy whose son Olly Tait stands the mare’s sire Smart Missile at his Twin Hills Stud at Cootamundra.
Miss Mya pricked the ears as she strolled home for Louise Day at Kembla on Saturday - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Ron Quinton first donned the legendary Tait colours more than fifty years ago. He recalls having a handful of rides for Griff and Daisy Tait in the mid 1960’s before being called upon to partner rising star Baguette at his first run back from a spell in the autumn of 1970. The Rego colt was unbeaten in three runs and was on track for the Golden Slipper. “Back then Slipper hopefuls didn’t have the benefit of ballot free lead up races like the Todman and Pago Pago Stakes,” said Ron. “Baguette had to do what Todman and Fine And Dandy had done previously by taking on older horses as two year olds.
“For some reason George Moore was unavailable and I was asked to ride him in a Canterbury Flying Welter. He beat them with ridiculous ease and I was hoping George Moore might go missing again on Slipper day. That didn’t happen of course and Baguette went on to win the two year old triple crown with George in the saddle. I rode him another five times for wins in the Hobartville Stakes and the Canterbury Stakes, but Moore rarely let that horse out of his sight.”
Quinton rode many winners in the Tait colours for Neville Begg who became the family trainer following the retirement of Fil Allotta in 1975. He thinks he won around eight races on the genuine mare Of Two Cities, and recalls riding Fiancee to some smart two year old wins in 1980 - smart enough to earn her favouritism in the Golden Slipper. She was off the boil in the Slipper of that year won famously by her stablemate Dark Eclipse. Just two years later Ron won his first Slipper on Marscay and added another three over the following four years - Sir Dapper, Rory’s Jester and Marauding. His four win haul sees him still sharing the Slipper riding record with Shane Dye. Even Quinton agrees Dye’s performance to win four Slippers consecutively, was a unique achievement.
Ron wins his second Golden Slipper on Sir Dapper in 1983. The colt came from well back to score a dominant win over Been There - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Ron recalls another fateful day at Canterbury in 1986 when the famous colours were highlighted for the wrong reason. He was riding a horse called Addictive for Neville Begg in a race over the 1550 metres trip. The gelding had settled just off the pace as they swung to the back straight when the pace slowed suddenly. Addictive clipped heels and blundered badly, spearing the jockey high into the air. It could easily have been a harmless tumble, but became a serious one when Ron landed awkwardly and took the brunt of the impact on his left wrist.
The result was a very complicated fracture which saw him hospitalized for a few days after which he was sidelined for several months. Despite failing to heal in the correct alignment, the wrist gave him no trouble in another seven years of race riding and in subsequent years as a trainer. To this day he marvels at the good fortune he experienced in almost thirty years as a professional jockey. “Can you believe I never broke a leg or suffered a serious head injury,” said Ron. “Most of my problems involved arms, wrists and collar bones. I was incredibly lucky when you look at the volume of rides I had over three decades.”
While skilfully avoiding trouble in thousands of races, the master horseman quietly posted 2168 career wins, including 190 stakes wins and 46 at Gr 1 level. He won the Sydney apprentices premiership in 1966/1967 and was only twenty two years old when he notched his first jockey’s title in 1969/1970. Over the following six seasons Ron was highly competitive but had to contend with fierce opposition from Des Lake who won a premiership, Kevin Langby who won four on the trot and Malcolm Johnston who landed his first title in 1975/1976. Ron got his second the following year, but had no answer to Johnston’s 115 winners in 1977/1978. Then came the dominant Quinton era, when the champion jockey reeled off six consecutive premierships.
Ron's fourth Slipper on Marauding in 1987. He won narrowly from Lygon Arms and Boasting (outside) - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
From limited opportunities as a trainer at the elite level, Ron boasts a creditable record. With relatively small teams to draw on, he’s landed six Group 1 winners, only one of them of the male gender. Jim Cassidy helped Ron to Group 1 status when he guided the stallion Easy Rocking to victory in the 2000 Salinger Stakes. Two years later Flemington was again the venue when Bulla Borghese and Chris Munce gave the Sydney horseman his second taste of Group 1 glory.
In twenty years as stable jockey for Neville Begg, Ron got to observe the training methods of the vastly experienced horseman. Begg’s reputation as a trainer of fillies and mares became legendary during the golden years when he chased Tommy Smith home in nine premierships. Whether or not Ron’s methods are based on those of his old friend is unclear, but his success rate with fillies and mares speaks for itself. Safely locked away in the record books is his stunning four timer in the prestigious Coolmore Classic with Ofcourseican (2012), Peeping (2016), Daysee Doom (2018) and Dixie Blossoms (2019).
Dixie Blossoms (Christian Reith) gives Ron his fourth Coolmore Classic 2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Ron’s delighted to be training Dixie Blossom’s first foal this season - an impressive Exceed And Excel filly who’ll carry the colours of her owner/breeder Alan Osburg. The filly is one of thirteen two year old’s on the trainer’s books this year, eight of which are owned by Gall Bloodstock. Ray Gall, founder and managing director of the successful operation was one of the first owners to support Ron when the former ace jockey turned to training twenty nine years ago. Quinton has always regarded Mamzelle Pedrille as the horse to launch his training career. The brilliant mare won eleven races in the Gall Bloodstock apricot and white silks, ten of them on metropolitan tracks in three states.
Ron is delighted to continue his association with the Tait family per medium of four horses currently in the stable. Miss Mya as aforementioned is owned by Sandy and Kathy Tait, while Sandy and sister Jill Nivison own unraced three year old Smart As Smart, a two year old Dundeel filly and tried mare Dolphina, winner of four Riverina races under Tim Donnelly.
Not surprisingly Ron anxiously awaits the return of Libertini’s full sister De An Andretti into the stable. Like many Sydney trainers he’s also praying for a return to firm tracks. The level headed Quinton has refused many requests to be drawn into comparisons with the ill fated Libertini, a three time Group 2 winner who suffered a fatal heart attack in trackwork earlier this year. “Let’s just wait and see what she can do on fast ground,” said Ron. “She had a couple of recent trials but was never going to show her best on these endless heavy tracks. Owner Gerry Harvey agreed, and we turned her out again. It’s hard to believe she’s a four year old with only two starts under her belt, but I’m sure Gerry’s patience will be rewarded.”
De An Andretti (Andrew Adkins) was impressive in winning a Hawkesbury maiden in April of last year - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Quinton has followed in the footsteps of his legendary tutor Theo Green by developing the talents of a lengthy list of talented jockeys. Mark Newnham, Hugh Bowman, Sam Clipperton, Mitch Newman, Mitchell Bell, Scott Pollard, Nozi Tomizawa, Bobby El-Issa, Brad Pengelly, Travis Wolfgram and Taylor Marshall have all benefited from the wise counsel offered by the veteran horseman. Ron’s contribution to the racing industry on and off the track has earned him two notable accolades. In 2006 he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame. Eight years later he was the recipient of the Order Of Australia Medal in recognition of his services to racing.
The master and his pupil - Ron with Sam Clipperton - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
This is the same bloke who delighted in journeying to Kembla Grange on Saturday to saddle up a winner for valued clients Sandy and Kathy Tait. This is the same bloke who cherishes the memory of Quelimane’s win at Kembla fifty seven years ago. It was an unimportant win on a mediocre horse, but for the pony club champion from Mendooran it was the beginning of one of Australian racing’s most enduring careers.
(Banner image - The familiar Tait colours were on display at Kembla. Miss Mya won her maiden in effortless fashion - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)