Trainer finding a winning balance

For Victorian hobby harness racing trainer Peter Hall, life’s all about balance, and with one of the best training strike rates going around, he seems to have that just about right!

Over the past two seasons, Hall has had just six starters as a trainer – for three winners, a second, a third and a fifth.  And this season has been without a blemish – two starts for two wins with his young square gaiter Shes Ruby Roo (Creatine).

“When you finish playing footy you’ve got to get into something else, and I got into harness racing,” Hall said.

“I’ve always been heavily involved in football and netball coaching, but the harness racing was my sporting interest outside that, and I’ve just managed it around my other commitments with family, kids and work.”

Hall’s first harness racing interest 20 years ago was in a trotting broodmare, Maybe Hall (Keystone Salute)(a winner of 23 races and $130,000 in stakes), who left the handy Maybetothemax (Yankee Paco) (21 wins) and Flingitandwingit (Fling It) (12 wins).

“We started off breeding and racing our own.  At first, I would do some pre training, then send the horses on to a preferred trainer,” Hall said.

“After five or six years doing it that way, I started to give them a few starts myself and then send them on to the trainer, and it’s just gone on that way.

“We own our own business, and now I just like to do one horse at a time.  I love it, but it’s all about getting the balance right.  My wife Lindy and my daughters Ali, Elivia and Jemma are a fantastic support to me and have been since I first started in the sport.”

Hall said, as well as football and netball, he had been heavily involved in athletics, and had adopted some of the conditioning approaches in preparing his equine team.

“I think that once you have got the work into them, you can afford to go back the other way to get the best out of them.  So when they are fit I tend to do a fair bit of sprint work, rather than endurance, to keep their mind fresh,” he said.

“I have to say I am very particular and very consistent in what I do – I think it’s the little things are what counts.”

Hall had his first starter as a trainer in 2016 with Winkanditsover (17 wins), a horse he bred as well as raced. Winkanditsover won at its first two starts for Hall, whose career record now stands at 31 starers for seven wins and nine places.

Hall said after being based for a long time at the Kyabram track, he had recently moved to Dean and Rochelle King’s property just outside town.

“It’s got a new barn and stables and a brand-new track, very well cambered and perfect for trotters – he’s an engineer by trade, so everything he does is spot on,” Hall said.

“Before Shes Ruby Roo I had never had a filly before and have always wanted one.  I think you’ve got to keep them relaxed if you can, and there was sometimes a bit much going on for her at the Ky track – out here it’s nice and peaceful and relaxing for her and me and they are very supportive!”

Hall said Shes Ruby Roo was showing plenty of up-side, and would be aimed at the NSW Oaks, all going well.

“We got her from Benstud and of course that means her dam was bred to the right stallion and her background is from a really good family with group one winners right through,” Hall said.

“We bought her at the Nutrien Sales.  I am good friends with Craig (Judd) and his family from Benstud. They have all been very supportive and the deal was that once she finished racing, she would go back to them and breed on,” he said.

After two placed runs as a two-year-old last season, Shes Ruby Roo has now won both her two 3YO starts by 12 metres and 13 metres.

“When Nathan (driver Nathan Jack) got off after her maiden win, he said she gave him a really good feel – Nathan usually doesn’t wrap them up too much if they don’t deserve it, so that was lovely to hear.  I told him that we were thinking about taking her to the NSW Oaks and his opinion was we’d be silly not to,” Hall said.

“We’re having a great time with her and hoping there’ll be more to come.  I’m a part owner with (Kyabram trainer) Graham Lyon, and we’ve brought in some gallops owners from the We Are Crackers syndicate.

“We’ve had plenty of fun with gallopers over the years and now at last I’ve brought them across into harness racing.  If you find one and it goes and you’re having some fun, then that’s what it’s all about, so hopefully the roll keeps going.”

Shes Ruby Roo will be attempting to make it three straight wins when she goes around at Kilmore tonight (Apr 27) in Race 4, the Broadstead Kilmore 3YO Trot.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink