The Innovators: National Pony Racing Series

Cover image courtesy of Thoroughbred Industry Careers

Lindy Maurice, chief executive officer of TIC, faced one common complaint following each of the handful of pop-up races that she organised over the last couple of years: ‘What next for these kids who are now hooked on racing?’ Hence, she explained that ‘adding some structure around it’ was the natural next step.

There’s much more to it than that, however. Though it might sound simple enough, it’s become a mammoth task to get the series off the ground, in part because of Maurice’s prudent consideration for a strong educational aspect.

A series of taster days will be open to all Pony Club Australia (PCA) members to select the riders, and from 12 qualifying races held over six race days and across five states there will be finals run at Randwick in the autumn of 2024.

Aside from exposing them to the jockeys’ inner sanctum and the hallowed turf of some of Australia’s premier tracks, it will be an opportunity to teach the young people both about themselves and their horses as athletes and, crucially, what the thoroughbred industry has to offer.

“Those more competitive kids that were really into it will now have something to strive for - another race,” Maurice told TTR AusNZ.

“Mainly, we did it because the kids really loved it, and it really was having an impact on them. We realised how little engaged with the equestrian community racing is, and how little they know about our industry.

“When you give them a real insight into our industry, they say, ‘Oh, this is amazing.’ So, that made us think there's a job to be done here.

“There's nothing that beats that real-life immersion. You can stand up at a careers expo, and you can talk about our industry until you're blue in the face, but ultimately, when you get horse-loving kids and you take them into the jockey's rooms, and they meet the stars of the sport, and they see their name up on the big screen when they're on television, it's incredibly powerful.”

The pop-up races were also a hit with the general public. A clip of Pedro and Clara Anderson charging up the straight at The Valley on the night of the G1 William Reid S. last March was seen over 280,000 times on Twitter - over five times more popular than the clip of feature-race winner Imperatriz (I Am Invincible).

Jumping through hoops

In creating a series, Maurice might be meeting a high demand but that doesn’t make it an easy task. Partnering with PCA has been a big help she says, not least as they provide the insurance, but the fractured nature of Australia’s racing governance turns the inter-state series into a considerable exercise in coordination - especially for a relatively small charity like TIC.

“It’s pretty much consumed us,” she said. “It's just because we are dealing with the race clubs, the PRAs, the stewards, the vets, the sponsors, the pony clubs, the riders, the parents, with safety being the number one priority. It's just a huge amount of logistical gathering to repeat in every state.”

Maurice is quick to add that the support she’s received has been positive, clarifying that it’s mostly the stated-based structure of things that makes it more challenging.

“We're a national body that is doing things to try and benefit the entire industry,” Maurice said of TIC. “We're unencumbered, so we decide what we think needs to happen, and then we find the dollars to pay for it.

“The race clubs that are on board are very supportive, and are really excited about hosting these races and being part of it.”

With Maurice’s eye on the education aspect, the series has the potential to harbour huge rewards for the whole industry.

“This is not about racing,” Maurice states. “This is about exposing a future generation to all the different careers. It's an educational program, more than a pony racing series.

“That's why we're putting so many resources behind it, because at those taster days we spend half of the day with them off their ponies, and we're just talking to them about their horse health, and their own health, and all the careers they can do.

“By the end of those taster days, we would have hosted around 350 riders across Australia. Those kids will then know all the different careers they can do, whether it's a journalist, whether it's a bloodstock agent, a trainer - whatever it may be.”

The support

With the resources required, Maurice reached out first to her usual suspects. The same stakeholders who pitched in when she first launched TIC were given first refusal on supporting the series, the positive response reflecting both the glaring benefit of a pony racing series and Maurice’s success in past endeavours.

“I needed to get to 20 sponsors, so I just reached out to those who'd helped me along the way,” she said.

“I’ve had great support from John Messara, Vin Cox, Chris Waller, Katie Page, Charlie Duckworth all the way through just like-minded people that really are invested in the Australian industry and see the benefit of having a grassroots initiative.”

Far from an exhaustive list, Maurice notes some of the famous colours that the 10 riders in each of the two divisions will don, such as those of Ciaron Maher, the Cooks, Annabel Neasham, Hermitage Thoroughbreds, Inglis, Jonathan Munz, Yulong, Gai Waterhouse, Lizzie Jelfs, Woppitt Bloodstock, Tony Gollan, Ranvet, Seymour Bloodstock, Craig Sneesby and Linda Huddy’s Peachester Lodge.

She gave a particular mention to Carl and Lorraine Holt, co-owners of Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), whose colours have been used in past pop-up races.

“When we were running the Explorer Program, they just made an anonymous donation one time to our bank account. I'd never met them, had never had any interaction with them whatsoever.

“They said that they saw what we were doing, educating young people, and loved the fact that we were trying to give young people a start.

“I actually rang them and said, ‘I think there's been a banking error, would you like me to return the money?’ Thankfully they said no because at the time we didn’t have much in the bank.”

An uphill battle

The National Pony Racing Series may yet steal its thunder, but, for now, TICs crowning achievement to date is undoubtedly the Explorer Cadetship Program. A 12-month ‘ultimate pathway’ into the industry, it’s now sadly on hold for lack of a suitable facility.

When the TAFE NSW Richmond Equine Unit closed last year, and 12 TAFE staff lost their jobs in the process, TIC lost a home for their flagship program.

At the time of its closure, it was one of only two facilities in the whole of Australia to run courses on trackwork, teaching students on thoroughbreds.

“The last remaining one was Melbourne Polytechnic, but I’m told it no longer runs a track-riding course now either,” Maurice said. “So, there's none. There's nowhere you can go and learn trackwork - it’s only on-the-job training now.”

That means that keen pony racers will have to find an alternative path into racing, without the help and support a well-structured program such as TIC’s once offered. Whilst TIC still searches for a new home to restart the Explorer Cadetship, it’s a huge problem, according to Maurice.

“Not having the Explorer Program, I think, is a bit of a tragedy, because ultimately we would be pouring these kids into that program.

“At the moment, it doesn't matter if you've ridden a pony or not, you're still not ready for trackwork in Australia. Those pathways need to be there for kids that either ride ponies or don't ride ponies. It's equally needed for both people, I would think.

“That training that we were doing was proven and successful, and at the moment there isn't anything like that.

“We are still hoping and looking to find a solution to start training people again, because that is what we do. But, in the meantime, we're going to reach as many young ones as we can and educate them.”

A lasting impact

Not every pony racing graduate is expected to become a professional jockey - the comprehensive educational approach Maurice has taken makes that all too obvious. However, the evidence from Europe is that a strong pony racing network helps produce world-class jockeys.

At 24 years old, David Egan is young enough to remember his own pony racing days in Ireland. Though he’s the son of an accomplished jockey, Egan retains that his destiny was far from fixed, and that it was pony racing that ignited his passion for the sport.

Speaking to TTR AusNZ from Newmarket, where he formed his career, Egan gave a compelling account.

“Pony racing is absolutely amazing, not just for me personally, but for so many British and Irish jockeys,” he said.

“I got the bug when I was about 13 and I had my first pony race ride. Being a jockey wasn't always necessarily something I wanted to do, but the evening after my first pony race I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

“It sort of gripped me that much. Bearing in mind I finished tailed-off last, it obviously wasn't through success that I caught the bug.

“It was all just practice and making me comfortable in a racing environment, I think was the biggest, because when I had my first ride and the first couple of rides I felt I was that little bit more ahead of someone who was completely thrown in at the deep end.”

Egan only won a single pony race in his roughly 50 attempts, but he’s now one of the hottest young jockeys in Europe, known to racing fans worldwide as the winning partner of Mishriff (Ire) in the 2021 Saudi Cup.

All that practice was only possible because, as Egan explained, pony racing in his home nation of Ireland is so far ahead that whole meetings are held just for the ponies.

That might be a scary thought for Maurice at this stage, but there seems little doubt that the demand, and accompanying support, will keep growing in Australia - and all to the benefit of the wider industry.