Many commercial horse trainers drive themselves to the races while their horses are transported by major floating companies. Sometimes those horses are in the parade yard before the trainers so much as catch a glimpse of them. Life’s a bit different for Rebecca Dunn, a small team trainer from Williamtown near Newcastle who not only runs her operation on a carefully managed budget but prefers it that way. Seven days a week this lifelong horse devotee works pre-dawn to dusk, tending to the needs of three racehorses and another dozen or so special animals in her life. More about that later.
It was 8am on Golden Slipper morning March 22nd, when Rebecca loaded five year old mare Inferencia onto her angle load trailer in readiness for the two hour trip to Rosehill Gardens. As the trainer jumped into the driver’s seat of her trusty 4WD, she was grateful that Inferencia was in the first of ten races. An early arrival at Rosehill would put her in front of the inevitable Slipper day congestion. Rebecca was travelling alone but probably preferred it that way. Conversation is difficult when you’re dealing with a few butterflies. Although Inferencia was burdened with another awkward barrier draw, Rebecca was delighted with the mare’s demeanour and quietly fancied her prospects.
You won’t be surprised to learn that the trainer attended to all pre-race protocol, and saddled the mare up before leading her into the hallowed confines of the Rosehill parade yard. And on Golden Slipper day too. She and jockey Jason Collett had already agreed the mare should go forward from gate 14. The in-form jockey had won on Inferencia at Newcastle fifteen days earlier and Rebecca was hopeful the previous connection would be of benefit to Collett.
Jason Collett had ridden Inferencia twice before Saturday's win for a Gosford placing and this narrow win at Newcastle 07/03/2025 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Complete with her black lambswool winkers, Inferencia flew the gates and the jockey immediately set a course for the fence. He allowed the mare to use her natural speed and cross under her own steam. She reached the lead with minimum effort by the 1000m, but was reluctant to relax. The astute Collett didn’t attempt to “snag” her back. He allowed Inferencia to run fast enough to keep her happy, and fast enough to discourage the “snipers”. The mare was more than two lengths in front at the 200m, and a length clear with 100m to go but the swoopers were coming. Inferencia kept finding the line to just hold out fast finishers Twin Turbo and Highborn Harry. Rebecca watched the race from the cordoned off area reserved for strappers and could clearly see the mare’s head. “I know her so well,” said the trainer. “I saw the way she flared her nostrils in the last few strides. It sounds silly but that’s how I knew she’d just done enough. By the same token I was relieved when that number went up.”
The swoopers are coming but Inferencia does enough to hold out Twin Turbo (outside) and Highborn Harry in the Midway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It wasn’t as if this was Rebecca’s first metropolitan training success. She’d won a midweek maiden at Warwick Farm with On Her Word almost six years ago and there had been only a handful of city runners since. But this was her first ever Saturday metropolitan victory, and on Golden Slipper day too. The interviewers came from all directions. Rebecca looked as though she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She did a little of both as she spoke with Sky’s Greg Radley. “It was all so surreal,” said Bec. “The story behind this mare is almost book material. I bred her, reared her, broke her in, educated her and I’ve hardly been off her back in the last three and a half years. “She’s quirky, and she likes having her own way, but we get on so well. Sometimes we agree to disagree but usually come to terms. She wouldn’t have been heard of in a big stable.”
Rebecca didn't know whether to laugh or cry after her most thrilling moment in racing. She did a bit of both as she spoke with Greg Radley after the Midway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
You’ve heard the story many times over - a kid born away from the big city and introduced to horses early in life. Rebecca learned how to win and how to lose in Pony Club on the Central Coast. She tried every event Pony Club offers and was pretty good at most of them. By mid teens you could see her passion for the show ring emerging - a passion that burns brightly to this day.
By keeping only a few racehorses she’s able to put the necessary time into her two precious show performers. One of them is a homebred five year old mare called Claire De La Lune, the daughter of an Andalusian stallion and a mare by talented racehorse Arena. Rebecca’s second stringer is former racehorse Iama Princess gifted to her by former trainer Jenny Graham. Iama Princess was winless in seven starts, but her show ring aptitude belies her racetrack performances. It was Claire De La Lune who gave her trainer and rider a stunning victory in the Best Lady Rider Class at last year’s Sydney Royal. Rebecca has both Claire De La Lune and Iama Princess primed for this year’s edition of the famous show.
Almost as good as a Rosehill win on Slipper day! Rebecca won "Best Lady Rider" class at last year's Sydney Royal on Claire De La Lune.
It’s been well documented in the last few days that Inferencia came into Rebecca’s life through a bizarre twist of fate. A decade ago she was asked to train an unraced filly by Reward For Effort who was backward, immature and requiring a lot of time. By the time she was ready to race Rebecca and the original owner had gone their separate ways. The daughter of Reward For Effort finished up in the trainer’s hands, and a brief racing career got under way. At this time Rebecca had been hobby training for only three years after having won her first race with Image Hunter at Taree - to this day one of her favourite horses.
Is it any wonder Rebecca and Inferencia have a close bond. They were "besties" from the outset.
The Reward For Effort filly was named Forever Ranga and won a Muswellbrook maiden at her seventh start with Aaron Bullock on board. She followed up quickly with a Cl 1 Tuncurry win with Ben Looker in the saddle. Following a disappointing effort at Gosford next start Rebecca made the decision to call it quits and give the mare an opportunity at stud. In searching for a stallion at an affordable service fee she selected Inference, winner of a Gr 1 Randwick Guineas and a placegetter in both a Victoria Derby and Rosehill Guineas. The resultant foal was the mare destined to give Rebecca Dunn an extraordinary thrill on Golden Slipper day 2025.
Rebecca trains her team of three on a 21 acre property she named “Savannah” a stone’s throw from the Williamtown airport. Within the confines of that 21 acres, she has a 700m grass track upon which she can canter her racehorses and give younger horses invaluable early education. Most of the time she works alone. On those odd occasions when she needs to work two or three horses in tandem, Rebecca arranges for friends to help out. “Savannah” also boasts ten spacious boxes with corresponding day yards, multiple paddocks and a treadmill if required. Another luxury if needed is Birubi Beach just a short float trip away at Anna Bay. Her self proclaimed piece de resistance is the use of a Hunter Water Land Package, 2000 acres of vacant land adjacent to her property providing endless riding trails. The area sits atop an artesian water table which guarantees green grass in the driest of times.
Rebecca hasn’t ruled out an expansion of her thoroughbred training operation but for now she’s content doing what she’s doing with just three horses in work. Inferencia’s unraced three year old full brother Ammirati is nearing his debut, while nine year old mare On Her Word has had one run back after an absence of three and a half years. The horse to give Rebecca her maiden metropolitan win had two foals during her time away from racing, both by fashionably bred Outreach who ran second to Vancouver in the Canonbury Stakes at his one and only race start. “I’ve got a two year old filly and a yearling colt out of On Her Word and I can’t wait to get started on them”, said Rebecca. “Some say I’m crazy for putting a nine year old mare back into work but she’s as sound as a bell and always loved being in work.”
It's only a mid week affair but a metro win nevertheless - Josh Parr gets On Her Word home at Warwick Farm 12/06/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Stable star Inferencia has now stretched her record to twenty seven starts for six wins, seven placings and $175,000 in prize money. “I haven’t even thought of where we go from here,” said the trainer. “Whether to capitalise on her winning streak and go again while her confidence is up, or look for a suitable race during the Brisbane carnival. With a Rosehill win under the belt I’d now love to win one at Royal Randwick. I took Artlee down a couple of times in 2019 for great supporters Peter and Julie Rogers, but we had no joy.”
Friends and family are united in their claim that there’s no harder worker in racing than Rebecca Dunn. One small example went unnoticed on Saturday evening. The indefatigable dynamo started at 4.30am on Saturday morning doing as much as she could fit in before getting ready for the trip to Rosehill. We’ve already covered the extent of her duties at the races, not to mention a two hour trip home. With Inferencia safely bedded down, Rebecca fed random show horses and broodmares before suddenly remembering there was one important last chore to be ticked off. What do you think the “Williamtown Wonder” was doing at 7.30pm on Saturday night - a quick grocery shop at a Raymond Terrace supermarket that’s what! She must have been exhausted when her head finally hit the pillow. Then again maybe the adrenaline was still running. After all she had won her first Saturday metropolitan race - and on Golden Slipper day too!
(Banner image - They're coming from everywhere but Inferencia (Jason Collett) hangs on grimly to score an all the way win in the Midway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)