News

Happy Team Webster has landed another smart one, thank God

8th May 2011

Sydney Morning Herald - Craig Young - Friday, 6 May 2011

'He wouldn't be a factory horse," Pat Webster said when asked about the troubled career of Thankgodyou'rehere, which runs in Saturday's Prime Minister's Cup at the Gold Coast.

The Randwick horseman knows just how good the gelding is but unfortunately his career hasn't been without setbacks.

"In a stable of 20 or more horses he wouldn't have made it, he wouldn't have stood a week there," Webster said. "The big stables can turn horses over, we cannot."

Advertisement: Story continues below The 'we' being Webster and son Wayne, who two years ago was granted permission to train in partnership with his father.

"This horse has the motor of a V8 Supercar but hasn't got the body to cope with it," the father explained. "He has had chronic problems. His training has got to be policed properly, he has never worked hard and never will."

Thankgodyou'rehere is a rising six-year-old but has been to the races on only 12 occasions for seven wins and four seconds with the unplaced run coming on debut at Gosford in April of 2009.

"You think he is short of a gallop but I've learnt to take a deep breath and trust my instincts," Webster said. "You've got to give him enough work without doing too much and that's the hard part."

Wayne Webster doesn't yet have the experience of his father but is thrilled to work alongside the son of a drover, the former jockey, the all-round horseman.

As the father headed north with Thankgodyou'rehere and emerging talent I Walk The Line, which runs in Saturday's Gold Coast Bracelet, Wayne was left to tend to 14 horses at Randwick.

"I'll be honest, I wouldn't have had a Sunday off, [since] I can't remember [when]," Wayne said. "Well, I did have a full knee reconstruction a while ago and I was back in the stable 12 days later."

Some months back the 32-year-old was taking a horse for a swim in the Randwick pool when he slipped and "dislocated my knee . . . ripped all the ligaments off".

"I didn't check the papers when we joined up," he laughed. "I'm supposed to be on half [the profits], in a partnership, but when I approach dad about it he always says, 'The overheads were massive last month'."

But he insisted: "I'm doing what I want in life . . . I'm doing it with my father. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I've probably learnt more about people, about principles, values, since I've been working in partnership with dad."

The proud father knows the son is a willing listener and fast learner. "He [Wayne] is very, very lucky he has a got a good idea, he doesn't go out and stick to the standard training technique," Pat Webster said. "I only noticed it the last three weeks, [but] he knows when to back off on one, knows when to ease up on a horse's workload.

"Persian Storm won at Newcastle the other day. He knew it had enough and he backed off. I knew what he had done, no one else did, and I really stuck my chest out. I just wish owners knew what I'd seen, he'd have a better class of horse to train."

It is all about attention to detail and putting in the hours.

"My sister Dianne is getting married up in Cairns in August and, fair dinkum, dad is trying to work out who isn't going, who'll be staying with the horses," the junior partner said.

"He does trust people but when it comes to horses he just wants one of us there all the time. He has always said you prevent a problem before it happens, you've got to be there, and it is true. One of us is here to open and lock the stable in the morning, we're back in the afternoon and we'll return after dinner if we need to."

While father Webster has spent a lifetime around stables, he made sure the son did an apprenticeship outside racing. Wayne is a qualified chef.

Wayne Webster reveals the team is attracting new clients, with five horses picked up from the recent Inglis Classic Sale.

"I've no doubt this is the best team we've had in work," he said. "We've had five winners in the last seven weeks. Not bad for a small team, and we've had a couple of seconds and thirds. As dad says, it is not how many times you run the horse but how many times you can win with them. We stick to that with all our horses. Our motto is, 'You'll run out of horses before you run out of races'."

Then there is Gerry Harvey. The owner of I Walk The Line. The retail king has been supplying Pat Webster with thoroughbreds for more than 35 years.

"All our owners are special but I've watched dad and Gerry over the years and they've got a great relationship," Wayne Webster said. "Gerry has always stuck solid. If there is an empty box there he'll send one over . . .

"He [dad] won't say it but I know he just craves having a good horse for him. I know he'd love to get a good one for Gerry and this one is a promising horse, I just hope she goes on with it."

A horse like Thankgodyou'rehere. "You give me a good 3 track at Randwick and 1400 metres and I'd race him against any horse in Australia," the son said. "He is a real good horse."