Family enjoying fruits of move

Harness racing’s Ainsworth family is now enjoying the rewards of a leap of faith eight years ago that saw them shift across the country and try their luck in Victoria.
Barry and Katrina Ainsworth, their three sons Ashley, Toby and Jason, and their daughter Kira-Nareece had spent their lives in Western Australia, but were convinced there were better opportunities for the family on the east coast.

The move resulted not only in a change in environment, but also a fortuitous shift in focus from pacers to trotters – a master stroke that’s delivered the Ainsworths their most successful run in the sport.
“We used to do a bit of renovating and selling stuff in the west – buying houses and renovating, and we kept moving our way down the coast,” Barry Ainsworth said.
“Then we ran out of coast and we went inland. We always had horses and we ended up getting more and more and as the kids got older they got more and more interested,” he said.
“We finished up at a little place called Wagin where we got a lot bigger. Wagin had a dozen or so meetings, and we’d go down to Albany for their season, and we were within reach of Gloucester Park, which was a couple of hours away.”
But Barry said the couple found it a challenge to remain viable in the sport, and with their sons starting to be involved in the sport, a fresh start in Victoria seemed like the best option.
“Ash was only very young, too young probably, and he was pretty handy on the reins early on. But we were watching what was happening in Victoria and we started to plan a shift, initially to settle in Maryborough,” he said.
“It was an absolute nightmare transporting the horses over. We did it all ourselves, eight horses in the first trip then eight in the second. We’d drive for 30 hours, then rehydrate the horses and get going again.
“We were stabled at Maryborough for a few months, then we got an opportunity at the Charlton Training Centre and that made it. It’s a fantastic centre and really good people – we’ve encountered nothing but good people in country Victoria since we moved over.
“We’ve never regretted the move for a moment. Everyone has half a chance here, the racing can be intense, but it’s a much more level playing field.”
The Ainsworths now have their own property at Moyreisk, halfway between St Arnaud and Avoca.
“Katrina works at the hospital at St Arnaud, and Ashley is back here with us, along with his partner Emily. We’ve got 140 acres with a 1050 metre race-style track where we can do all the work.
“The other boys float in and out, and Kira-Nareece helps out when she’s needed. Toby is working for Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin, and he and his partner Ada Massa have half a dozen of their own.
“Jason is at Peter Mannings with his partner Natasha Raven and they are working about 10.”
So far this season, Barry, Katrina and Ashley have had 17 winners and 28 placegetters from 132 starters, with a heavy bias towards square-gaiters.
“When we first came across here, we had mostly pacers. Trotters were just too expensive in the west,” Barry said.
“Now we’ve got 18 horses in work, and they are mostly trotters.
“Ashley spent 18 months working at Yabby Dam Farms and that’s really where the change came from. We’ve been able to get some fantastically bred horses from Anton (Golino) and we’ve reassessed out training methods.
“We have probably 10 Yabby Dam bred horses here at the moment, and they appreciate being trained the European way. They enjoy having the time spent on them and appreciate coming along quietly.
“We work them five days a week then they are out in the paddocks. We try to keep them pretty natural and I think that helps them get the right mindset. They go around in circles until they are ready. Sometimes it will take 18 months to be strong enough to do the job, but if the horse is worth it, then that’s time well spent.
“We’ve hardened them up and gone back to a lot of the old ways, simplified the approach really, like my dad used to train and it’s definitely working for us.”
Barry and Katrina own almost all of the horses in their stable.
“Something we work very hard on is managing our long-term horses. It’s nice to come home with the lot when you win, but the feed used to come in on the back of a ute, now it comes in on a truck. That is a bit scary!
“We will have to look at syndicating a few in the future, possibly, but at the moment, we’re enjoying the run we’re having.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink