Brad Abbott picked exactly the right moment to visit his fellow trainer Leon Jurd at the Menangle training complex in December of 2016.
He arrived just as Leon’s vet was completing an examination of the eight year old gelding Don Boston, who was already the veteran of 92 race starts.
Leon had purchased Don Boston from Queensland interests a year earlier and had more than covered his investment. The son of Ponder (USA) had recorded five wins and eight placings for Jurd, but was starting to show the telltale signs of four seasons on the racetrack.
Leon had all but made up his mind to retire Don Boston after scans and x/rays revealed multiple niggling issues. Brad Abbott was aware the old horse had his share of talent and immediately offered to take him off Leon’s hands. “I had only a handful of horses in work and convinced Leon that I had the time to keep him in cotton wool”, recalled Brad. “We did a deal whereby I took the horse on the condition I paid him a percentage of prize money from his first win”.
Don Boston’s win at Menangle last Tuesday (October 29th) was his twenty first, since that deal was struck between Abbott and Jurd. Those wins and twenty four placings have netted $181,000 for the grand old warrior. “His legs are certainly not pretty to look at, but they belie his current form”, said Brad. “He’s had five wins and two seconds from his last seven starts’.
Image courtesy National Trotguide - Brad is a picture of concentration at the races.
For his last three race starts Don Boston has been under the scrutiny of the HRNSW veterinary team. The controlling body has a new rule in place, whereby a horse has to be vetted before every race once he attains twelve years of age or two hundred race starts.
“The Don” is a youthful eleven years of age, but is now the veteran of 203 starts. All up he’s accumulated thirty six wins and an amazing fifty placings for $278,836. “The vet got us to trot him up before last week’s race, and he was impossible to fault”, said his young trainer.
Don Boston isn’t the only iron gelding to visit the winners circle on Sydney tracks in recent weeks. Fourteen year old Mega Alexander won his thirty fifth race when he scored at Bankstown, while twelve year old A Passion For Aces made it win number fifty two when he scored at Menangle.
For the record, Brad has driven Don Boston in fifteen of his twenty one wins. David Morris has steered him to a couple of wins, as has Todd McCarthy. Don Boston provided teenager Ryan Sanderson with his first winning drive recently while James Rattray did the honours at Menangle last Tuesday. “I’ve been battling with an ACL ligament issue in one knee, and had to get James to fill in for me”, said the trainer.
Image courtesy National Trotguide - Brad has driven Don Boston in 15 of his 21 wins.
Brad Abbott was born and reared in the Central Western township of Blayney, 35 km west of Bathurst. His parents dabbled with the odd harness horse as he was growing up, but the youngster showed minimal interest.
His initial sporting involvement was in the unlikely pursuit of kick boxing. He became very active in the sport for a short time and competed at a respectable level. The grind of training started to bite and young Abbott quickly lost interest.
Three or four years passed before his harness racing roots suddenly surfaced. He’d completed a four year butchering apprenticeship in Blayney, but decided to put his trade on hold while he moved to Sydney and gained a start in the Menangle stables of Rickie Alchin.
He spent two years with the respected Alchin, and later worked for experienced horsemen like David Thorn and Darren McCall. He asked many questions and observed every move his tutors made.
Brad was just eighteen years old when his world was turned upside down.
He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of part of the immune system which limits the ability of the body to fight infection. The young man took the setback fairly and squarely on the chin and applied himself to following the advice and direction of his medical team.
He underwent a gruelling nine months of chemotherapy, followed by six weeks of intense radiation. To Brad’s delight he was declared clear of the cancer and remains so to the present day.
His early brush with such a frightening illness helped to shape his outlook on life. Not wanting to waste a moment, the nineteen year old threw himself into the job of mastering the art of training and driving standardbred horses.
By keeping his team to low numbers, Brad has been able to train horses with niggling issues - horses who require the extra time larger stables are unable to provide.
Don Boston has obviously been a tremendous advertisement for the stable, but several other second hand horses have gone on to further success.
Image courtesy Ashlee Brennan - Brad and Don Boston - a popular Menangle combination.
Storm Cruiser, Always Bad, Balmoral Boy, Oneace and Demolition Dave won thirty races between them while Heza Conman has notched a hat trick in recent weeks.
Don Boston and Heza Conman are the only horses Brad has at the races currently, but he’ll produce a couple more in the near future. Duke Of Albany has won twelve races from seventy four starts in NZ, Vic and Qld and is about to embark on his first campaign for Abbott. Dontrattlehiscage had two starts for Brad early this year before going amiss.
Both horses have had tendon problems and Brad knows they represent a challenge but he’s prepared to take a throw at the stumps.
When you’ve had a horse like Don Boston in your life, you never say never.
(Banner image courtesy National Trotguide - Brad Abbott and "The Don" in full flight at Menangle)