Stoneyrise and the odyssey to Randwick0:37
Three days drive away from Sydney, is the 137,00 acre home to Stoneyrise. The bush racing cult hero, reared by James Hatch, that is set to take the home of Australian racing by storm.
WARNING. SATURDAY TELE ONLY … DO NOT USE BEFORE SPEAKING TO NIC GIBSON ON DAILY TELEGRAPH PIC DESK … NO ONLINE UNTIL SATURDAY 1/4/17….. Raring to go. Trainer James hatch leads his frisky Stoneyrise racehorse out for an afternoon walk on his remote Wombah Station 200km west of Bourke. Pic Nathan Edwards
IN the outback, the only sound is a deafening silence. The landscape is flat and dusty, stretching all the way to the horizon, the blazing sun scorching the earth.
Out here, you could drive for hours and not see another person. This is the last place you would expect to find a racehorse trainer.
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This isn’t the back of Bourke. It’s another 200km past it — but this is where James Hatch, a 60-year-old farmer and hobby trainer, prepares Stoneyrise, the little horse with a big heart who is becoming a bush racing cult hero.
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Hatch’s property, all 55,000 hectares of it, is near Hungerford, a drought-affected town close to the NSW-Queensland border.
This is about as far removed as you can get from the manicured lawns and cacophony of 20,000-plus race fans at world famous Royal Randwick on Saturday for Day One of The Championships.
But Hatch and Stoneyrise have made the three-day trek to Sydney to race in the $ 400,000 Country Championships Final.
Raring to go: Trainer James Hatch leads Stoneyrise out for an afternoon stroll on his remote property 200km west of Bourke. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
This is the quintessential tale of the Aussie battler rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful in the Sport of Kings — and on their turf.
Hatch normally starts Stoneyrise in racing outposts like Noorama, Quilpie and Louth. The trainer has never had a starter at Randwick.
“I went to Randwick once, back in the ‘80s,’’ Hatch said. “That’s a fair while ago so I’m not real sure how to get there but we will find it.’’
James Hatch and Stoneyrise: “All of Bourke is getting behind us, I think half the town is coming to Randwick.’’ Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
Hatch’s wife, Cheryl, chimed in. “You know, James hasn’t had a holiday in 25 years,’’ she said.
“We had a family wedding in Fiji last year but James stayed behind because he had to take care of the sheep and cattle, and his horses.’’
Stoneyrise has another thoroughbred, nearly 4000 sheep and 600 cattle as company on the vast Hatch outback property.
But it is in this harsh, desolate environment that Stoneyrise is happiest — and you get the impression his trainer is too.
“When we took ‘Stoney’ to Dubbo for the (Country Championship) Qualifier it took us two days to get there,’’ Hatch said.
James Hatch works Stoneyrise on a dried lake bed before confronting a heavy track at Randwick, a racing surface he has never had to cope with in his 14-start career. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
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“I don’t think he was really keen on things at Dubbo. He would not have had a cup full of water in him. He is a bugger like that.
“He just doesn’t like being away from home, he doesn’t like sleeping in someone else’s bed.’’
Hatch trains Stoneyrise on a dry lake bed near his homestead.
Stoneyrise is tied to an old Ford Festiva Hatch he uses only on the property — it would never pass a motor vehicle registration check — and the gelding gallops along at a steady pace around a 2000m track.
The gang’s all here: Hatch, accompanied by his trusty pooch, uses his old Festiva to give “Stoney” a run on the property’s 2000m track. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
“The lake bed is usually dry but it does have some ‘give’ in it so that helps when you work the horses,’’ Hatch said.
“We had some rain last winter but it has been a bit ordinary since, hasn’t rained out here for weeks. It has been real hot the last few months, we’ve had a few days in summer when it has been around 50C.
“All that rain you are getting in Sydney — we can see the clouds but that is about it.’’
Hatch said he will put a saddle on Stoneyrise about once a week. “But with me he has to carry about 100kg,’’ the trainer said.
James Hatch and “Stoney” spend some quality time together on the dried lake bed as they put the final touches on their preparation for their Randwick assignment. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
Stoneyrise will have to race on a heavy track at Randwick, a racing surface he has never had to cope with in his 14-start career.
“He has never seen a wet track in his life so that is an unknown for us,’’ Hatch said. “But he is bred to handle the wet so we are hoping.’’
Hatch spent $ 7000 to buy Stoneyrise as a yearling and the gelding has won six of his 14 starts, earnings stakes of more than $ 110,000. First prizemoney in the Country Championships Final is $ 210,000.
Big city, here we come: James and Cheryl Hatch with their little horse Stoneyrise on their Hungerford property before their long journey south. Picture: Nathan EdwardsSource:News Corp Australia
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“We didn’t pay a lot for him, he was very small as a yearling and he is still small, but he looks a good buy now,’’ Hatch said.
“To have a runner at Randwick on such a really good day like this is going to be an experience. All of Bourke is getting behind us, I think half the town is coming to Randwick.’’
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Originally published as Bush battler’s almighty Rise
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