Aaron Swain joins the training ranks

Harness Racing blood runs deep in twenty three year old Aaron Swain’s veins.
 
With the Southern Harness industry struggling to get young people into the game he's taken a bit of a punt and taken up training.
 
“I just thought with people getting out (of the industry) I’d take a stab and get in,” he said.
 
Swain trained his first winner Beau Cishlom on Trans-Tasman Drivers Day at Ascot Park last month.
 
“I saw him on Tom Kilkelly’s website Horse Trader and I thought he looked alright when he ran third at Forbury. Dave Clark at Riverton owned him so I did a bit of a deal. He’s a nice horse to have around.”
 
Beau Cishlom is owned by Swain’s partner Rose Keast and Wendy Clark.
 
“She’s (Rose) not from a horse background."

"She’s from a motor racing background. Her father was head mechanic for Angus Fogg, a V8 driver.”
 
Swain leases twelve boxes and two acres at Lorneville from Dean Laurie an agricultural contractor who lives down the road.
 
“He was going to bowl the place and cut everything for baleage."

"He knew nothing about horses but thought it looked too good to trash so he gave me a yodel one day and asked me if I wanted to move in."

Initially it was "no" but I had a good think about it and I ended up moving in."

"Dean’s real good to deal with.”
 
The property has an 800 metre track and was formally used by the late Bill Grice and Tony Stratford; twelve boxes, four day yards and three paddocks.
 
New Zealand Cup winner Bonnies Chance is buried on the property.
 
Swain started by initially breaking in horse for clients like Nathan Williamson, Kina Craig Stud and Jan Holmes.
 
Now he has four horses in training, three being broken in and the rest being jogged up.
 
“I’ve also got a seventeen and a half shire (type of Draft Horse) in the paddock."

"He’s a big bugger and he’s for a wedding party at Bendigo Station."

"They want him to go in the carriage. I’ve got to put him in the cart so I’m expanding the business in a way. I don’t know whether I’ve got a cart to fit him.”
  
If his colours look familiar they are. He’s inherited the yellow and white colour used by his auntie, Denise Swain.

Denise has had a lifetime involvement in harness racing and trained open class pacer Clancy which won twelve races including the Hannon Memorial and Thames Cup.

His biggest pay day was when he ran second to Christopher Vance in the 1991 New Zealand Cup.
 
“It’s good to have the colours but there’s also a lot of pressure, as the colours have won a lot of good races."

"Every time I race I feel like she’s watching.”
 
Swain has been around harness racing all his life. His father Murray trains and mother Wendy has owned plenty of horses.
 
“Thanks to her (Denise) and Dad for passing on their knowledge and mum for her support."

"Denise said to me the other day that you can’t buy knowledge."

"I also appreciated the help of Brian and Elizabeth Ferns for the use of their stables."

"I tried to get out of it and worked on a beef and sheep station."

"I also had a stint over in Aussie but you always get lured back.”
 
While in Aussie he worked at Shannon Price’s stables in Queensland when quality pacers Caesars Folly and Terror Time were competing.
 
Terror Time won twentythree races including the $150,000 Group One 2011 Garrard’s Nursery Pace Final for two year olds at Albion Park. Caesar’s Folly won the three year old version on the same night. He was bred by Tuapeka Lodge and won thirty one races.
 
When Swain returned to Southland he also had a stint  at Hamish Hunter's stable. By then a family was on the way.
 
“Bailey was on the way so I thought there’s not much money in being a stablehand so I went and worked at Farmlands for about three years."

"That was a good time.”
 
Bailey who's three and Hunter who's nearly two have the honour of having the Lorneville stable named after them – Huntley Lodge.
 
A recent addition to the stable is Franco Harrison which was purchased for $4,000 for which Swain has formed a syndicate of first time owners.
 
“They’re a bunch of young fellas that want to have a bit of fun on the Central Otago circuit."

"They wanted something running down the straight so they all put money in."

"They’re first time owners and there are eight of them.”
 
Franco Harrison started with Steven McRae before being bought by the goHarness syndicate and transferred to Cran Dalgety’s stable.

He’s since been with Greg and Nina Hope and latterly with Brad Mowbray. Dalgety got two wins out of the gelding while the Hopes also got a win.
 
“He’s a C1 horses and we’ll be looking at starting him in the Junior Drivers’ race which is penalty free.”
 
Aaron Swain knows training race horses is a hard road but it hasn’t deterred him from trying and to help pay the bills he supplements his income by eeling.
 
“I’m just focusing on pre-training and breaking in horses and that way you’ve always got an income coming in."

"I also catch a few eels commercially which helps a lot moneywise. Most afternoons I try to get out eeling.”
 
You can’t help but be impressed by the energy Aaron Swain carries for the industry.
 
His pedigree and the support he has around him would suggest that there’s going to be more than one winner. The colours demand it, eh Denise!

Bruce Stewart

Southland Harness Racing   –   Check site here