Albert Stapleford can’t lay claim to being Australia’s oldest active horse trainer but he’s probably running a close second. There’s a remarkable 95 year old in South Australia called Bob Hannigan who trains a horse or two at Port Augusta and saddled up an unplaced runner at Balaklava in December. Albert will turn 93 in May of this year, not that he gives the slightest thought to such a trifling matter. His vision and hearing may not be what they were, but he knows his way around a horse as well as he did when he engineered the famous betting plunge with Rutherford at Rosehill almost half a century ago.
Not surprisingly the veteran horseman looked pleased with himself as he leaned on his walking stick in the Gosford winner’s circle following Dissenter’s win in the 2600m BM64 on January 25th. To begin with he’d just reached the magical milestone of 500 career training wins, and he’d achieved it on his hometrack. Dissenter had won three country races before appearing on an Inglis Digital Auction in the middle of last year. Following due research Albert’s son and long time stable foreman Brian Stapleford lodged a successful bid of $10,000 for the daughter of Dissident. Brian quickly put together a syndicate of five owners including three family members - Robert Stapleford and his wife Janelle, Nathan Stapleford, Ryan Van-Kemenade and Nathan Husdon.
Dissenter's first win for her new owners. The mare outstayed her rivals to win a BM64 at Gosford 25/01/2023 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Dissenter wasn’t an overnight success for her new owners but covered exes with three seconds and two fourths in her first nine runs. Despite being left in front a long way from home in the 2600m race, she stuck on gamely to beat Classic Deel and Chappeli. Albert’s trademark judgment came into play when he decided on a seven day backup for Dissenter last Thursday in another BM64 over the slightly shorter trip of 2100m. In form apprentice Tyler Schiller obviously retained the ride. The one paced mare was caught a little flat footed when Isla and Zegalo got away before the turn, but her ability to stay kicked in down the running. In grabbing Zegalo on the line Dissenter looked as though she could have gone another lap.
Dissenter made it 2 Gosford wins in the space of a week for Albert and Tyler Schiller 02/02/2023 -courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Dissenter is one of only two horses the astute trainer has in work at Gosford and by coincidence both are mares. Accommodation is provided by veteran Neil Ward who won the coveted Epsom Hcp with Riverdale from the same barn in 1984. Dissenter’s stablemate is four year old mare Toldyas I’m Lucky, who finished out of a place at Newcastle on Saturday but wasn’t disgraced in a very strong Class 1. To date the daughter of Divine Prophet has a Port Macquarie maiden win and two country placings to her credit. Albert’s decision to persevere might indicate there’s more in the tank.
Albert was born just a few months before Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup in 1930 and has rarely strayed far from the Hunter Valley. He grew up in the historic village of Millfield just 12 km from Cessnock and had an early education with horses. By early teens his interest in racing burgeoned to the extent that he strongly considered becoming an apprentice jockey. With family support and a stroke of good luck he gained an indentureship with respected Randwick trainer Bert Bellingham. “It was my first time on a train and I arrived in Sydney the day before the running of the 1944 AJC Derby,” said Albert. “The boss let me walk over to Randwick to watch the big race, and I can still see the chestnut filly Tea Rose with her big white blaze winning the Derby with Harold Darke in the saddle. Top horses like Shannon and Murray Stream finished out of a place. Little did I know it would be thirty seven years before another filly would win the Derby and that was Rose Of Kingston for Bob Hoysted.”
Despite being captivated by the bustling Randwick racing scene young Albert’s aspirations to become a jockey quickly evaporated. “I had a sudden growth spurt and for eight months I didn’t stop growing,” he said. “By the middle of 1945 it was all over. I headed back to the Hunter Valley determined to do something in the racing industry.”
Before even contemplating a career as a trainer, Albert decided to learn about horses from the grass roots. He landed a job at the famous Segenhoe Stud which had its beginnings in the early nineteenth century, but emerged as a dominant force in the thoroughbred world when taken over by Lionel Israel in 1938. For some 47 years Segenhoe bred yearlings featured at the Inglis Yearling Sales. In the mid 1940’s some of those yearlings were prepared for sale by a young and very enthusiastic Albert Stapleford. He looks back on his time at Segenhoe as a valuable learning curve.
Inevitably the notion of becoming a horse trainer started to dominate young Stapleford’s thoughts. What better way to start than assisting his father Albert Snr who was training a small team of horses at the time. To establish a livelihood he did what most young Hunter Valley men of his age were doing in that era, and that was to get a job in the Cessnock coal mines. On the horse training side he got away to a dream start in 1947 when his very first runner Renmark won a Muswellbrook maiden. Who would have thought Albert Stapleford Jnr would still be winning races seventy six years later.
Albert has kept his team around the twenty mark for most of his career, but has rarely been without a good horse - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In his busiest years as a commercial trainer Albert rarely exceeded a team of twenty, but usually had a better than average horse in the stable. He emphatically declares that Southern Sweep was potentially the best horse he’s ever trained. The son of Let’s Go South raced in the late 80’s and early 90’s recording five wins and eight placings from forty one starts. “He had tendon problems for most his career, and was very high maintenance,” said the trainer. “He won a race at Rosehill one day by a huge space with Malcolm Fitzgerald in the saddle, and there was another day at Randwick when he got up to win in a tight finish with Neil Campton on board. Neil said he faltered over the half mile crossing and won on sheer heart. He was dead lame after the race. We never saw the best of Southern Sweep.”
How fitting it was that Albert’s all time favourite should carry his name. Magic Albert won four metropolitan 2YO races and was a strong third to Excellerator in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. The son of Zeditave bounced back as a three year old to win the Gr 2 Peter Pan Stakes and the Gr 3 Spring Stakes at Newcastle beating dual Gr 1 winner Viscount. He had a record of seven wins from just thirteen starts when his career was terminated by injury early in 2002. He began his stud career at Yarraman Park before spending his latter years at Stuart Lamont’s Kooringal Stud at Wagga. As his winners continued to flow all around Australia he was universally tagged as a great “bread and butter” sire. He’s deservedly credited with five Gr 1 winners including Albert The Fat (BTC Cup and Emirates Stakes) and Ilovethiscity (Randwick Guineas). Magic Albert died in 2019 the day after his twenty first birthday. Twenty four hours later three of his progeny won in different parts of the country.
Glen Boss rode Magic Albert in his first win (02/12/2000) at Rosehill. The chestnut went on to win a Gr. 2 before a successful stud career - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Rutherford wasn’t the best horse to come through the Stapleford stable but he was the centrepiece of a great racing yarn in 1974. The son of Kaoru Star was owned by the renowned meat industry giant David Throsby who loved racing and enjoyed a punt. Albert hatched the plan to set Rutherford for a Rosehill Graduation immediately after he won a Gosford maiden in the spring of that year with Jack Thompson on board. The gelding followed that with a second in fast time to Gilded Bronze in an Intermediate Hcp on his home track. Even though the Rosehill race was still six weeks away, Albert elected not to run him again. He enlisted the help of Jack Thompson in preparing the chestnut for the job at hand, and this is where the story takes an amazing twist. Thompson drove to Gosford on six consecutive Sundays to gallop Rutherford away from prying eyes. Jack was then in his early 50’s but still a master of his trade.
On Dec 14th 1974 the three year old opened at 330/1 in a pretty handy Graduation field at Rosehill. On track the betting was consistent without being spectacular and the horse shortened to 100/1. Off track there was a flood of money for Rutherford in SP betting shops which still had a presence a decade after the advent of the TAB.
Despite a wide gate Rutherford enjoyed a perfect run just off the pace before dashing to the lead at the 300m. His supporters went into panic mode when the Jack Denham trained Punto Banco emerged from the pack and got dangerously close in the dying stages of the race. There was immense relief when the judge declared the son of Kaoru Star a winner by only a short head - way too close for comfort. There was one more setback for Rutherford backers before the whole amazing tale was put to bed. It was an unwritten law that off course bookmakers paid out on the starting prices published by the Sydney Morning Herald, who returned the horse at 50/1. It was well documented that he’d closed out at 100/1 on track. One or two veteran punters who were involved in the “plonk” still bemoan their ill fortune.
Albert’s friendship with Jack Thompson remained strong right up to the great jockey’s retirement in 1983 at the age of 62. “I trained Thommo’s final winner It’s Lunchtime at Wyong, and I also sent Neil Campton and Sammy Howard off into retirement,” he said. “Neil’s last winner was Pied Piper and Sammy coincidentally won a race on Rutherford at his final ride.”
Other smart horses to keep Albert’s Gosford stable in the spotlight include Maitland Gold who won four races with eight placings for $291,000. She finished second in both the Light Fingers and the Surround Stakes before scoring a well deserved win in the Gr 2 Phar Lap Stakes with Chris Munce in the saddle. Pekalan’s nine wins included a Belle Of The Turf Stakes and four metropolitan victories. Aunty Betty, a daughter of Encounter won six races for Albert including three in town, while Myalla Prince won nine races including three at Canterbury. This ultra consistent gelding also posted a whopping nineteen placings. Hasta La Quista won five races for the stable including the listed Mitchell McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley with Craig Williams doing the honours.
Maitland Gold was one of Albert's favourites. Here she is winning the Gr. 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill in 2001 with Chris Munce on board - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
You’d think Dissenter’s two wins in a week would be by far the highlight of Albert’s recent racing involvement. They paled into insignificance alongside the thrill he got to see grandson Mitchell Stapleford have his first barrier trial ride on Monday morning. Mitchell rode the Mark Newnham trained Just An Upstart in an open trial over 740m at Randwick and gave the horse every chance. He had the gelding perfectly balanced just off the pace before riding him out hands and heels to finish fourth, just over a length from Miss Hellfire. He got top marks from his grandfather who was watching on at Gosford,
Mitchell’s father is Albert’s youngest son David “Perce” Stapleford who takes up the story. “Mitch had absolutely no interest in horses during childhood,” he said. “I’d go so far as to say he hated horses, and obviously I was waiting for him to look for another direction in life. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he suddenly put up his hand to become an apprentice jockey. I thought he was kidding at first but he was deadly serious, and before we knew it he was at Randwick at the Mark Mewnham stable. Provided his weight stays in check I think he’ll be there for the long haul.”
Mitchell has the full support of his mum and dad, and uncle Brian Stapleford who’s been Albert’s stable foreman for many years. A wonderful story will evolve should Mitchell go on to live the dream Albert had to abandon way back in 1945. Sadly he’ll have to face the challenge without the guarantee of rides from his grandfather, whose licence will expire in June. “I’m well enough to poke about with a couple of horses but my eyesight isn’t good enough to allow me to drive the car,” said Albert. “I don’t like having to trouble people to run me around all over the place. I’m hoping Dissenter can send me off with another win or two between now and June. We’ll probably give her a crack at a 2400m midweeker at Warwick Farm on February 22nd.”
Sentimentalists like me will be saddened by the prospect of Albert Stapleford coming to the end of an amazing career. He was only seventeen when he stood proudly in the winner’s circle at Muswellbrook to greet Renmark, the first of his 501 winners. Albert has been happy to fly under the radar all these years. He hasn’t had access to unlimited funds at the yearling sales, and in the main has had to work with horses of unremarkable pedigrees. His greatest gift has been the ability to identify a talented horse when one walked into his barn, and to develop those talents over time. Few have done it better than Albert Stapleford and none have earned more respect along the way.
(Banner image - Albert attended the sashing after Dissenter's win at Gosford on January 25 - his 500th career training win - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)