In-form Fred a worthy award winner

There’s no doubting the passion – and the perseverance is starting to pay off for Rockbank harness racing trainer Fred Spiteri.

Spiteri received the Victorian Square Trotters Association Colin Redwood Award for Determination in Trotting at the annual awards night at Tabcorp Park Melton at the weekend, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more modest recipient.

“It was nice to win, don’t get me wrong – but there are probably plenty of people who are out there who deserve it a lot more than me.  It was nice, though, mainly because it was associated with such nice people,” Spiteri said.

“The VSTA people are very passionate about what they do and want to see the trotter advance – and that’s all any of us are trying to do!”

Spiteri is perhaps selling himself short.  Since his retirement around five years ago Spiteri and his hardworking partner Mandy Payne have been able to spend more time with their team – and the results are showing.

He’s enjoyed the four best seasons of his career (headlined by 17 wins in a memorable 2019-20) along with an unforgettable VicBred Super Series 3YO trotters final win 12 months ago with Majestical Belle, who is spearheading the couple’s hopes for a career-best 2022.

Spiteri first dreamed of training horses as a boy in his home country of Malta.  He was 12 when he arrived in Australia but had spent a good part of his childhood surrounded by “plenty of horses and donkeys running around the streets” at home.

“That’s where I got my passion for them, I guess.  My uncle had horses and back home in Malta they were used for things like selling vegetables or grapes from the back of the cart.  They’d go from village to village and sometimes I used to go along with my uncle for the ride.”

Once Spiteri had finished his school, he took up a carpentry apprenticeship, completing that and setting his career up before indulging himself to take up his horse training hobby.

“I was 28 when I finally got my first horse.  It was pacers early on, and I had a few what you would call ‘bread and butter’ but nothing too good.  Nowadays, I’ve mainly got trotters – although don’t get me wrong, if you’ve got a good pacer, I’d take it!” he laughed.

Spiteri believes his results are because he and Mandy being able to spend more time with their team at home on their Rockbank property, but also the quality of horses they have in their stable.

“I’m working seven now, and two young ones.  Trainers aren’t magicians – you can definitely ruin a good horse if you are silly, but to get the results, you need the horse with ability there in the first place, then you’ve got to be patient.

“We’ve always just leased them in the past, but the last few of years we’ve bought a couple – we bought Majestical Belle (Majestic Son – Avid (Modern Art) three years ago and she’s turned out okay.   We’ll have more like her if you’ve got them!”

Majestical Belle has now won seven races from her 32 starts, with $109,000 in earnings to her name.  She’s won three of her past five starts, including two at Melton.  Other handy trotters in the Spiteri barn are Fling About (eight wins); Electrojet (seven wins); and Megeve (six wins).

Spiteri professes to be “no expert – just lucky enough at the moment”!

“I’m just enjoying every day doing the horses – it gives you a bit of satisfaction when they do go alright – it’s a lifestyle thing.

“I haven’t worked for anyone else – just picked up bits and pieces from every Tom, Dick and Harry. People say little things you remember, and you keep it in the back of your head.

“I think perhaps I’m just a bit like an old bottle of wine – getting better with age!” he laughed.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink