How a Man and a Mare became Balnarring’s pin-up pair
Mick Binney fell off in his first ride at Balnarring, the same track he would later serve 28 years on the committee of. The 79yo trainer, who once sold pencils at the racecourse gates, will have the community flocking through them on Australia Day to watch his marvel Diamanda run in the Balnarring Cup.
Preusker: The man who wants a watering system - and maybe the Melbourne Cup
Paul Preusker is the man who denied His Majesty the King’s horse a start in the Melbourne Cup. Hiding away in Horsham far from the festivities, third time around he knows he needs a ‘shit ton of luck’ but believes he can win the $10 million race.
End of the Line: King Island racing loses its heartbeat
After 134-years the hammer has fallen on the iconic King Island racing season. For Cups King Jim Taylor has been front and centre for 61 years, AFL Grand Final weekend all of a sudden looks very different.
Picnic plunges to the Big League: Bedggood’s ascent on Top 10
With no pedigree in racing, Gavin Bedggood fell into horses by mistake from chasing girls. Now the racing world is standing up and taking notice, as the man who started with second hand sheds and horses is now no longer chasing his dream but living it.
Trainer-Milkman who saved the day and backed Poon retires
The hours being a milkman and a horse trainer are hard to juggle but Brad Cole managed for decades. A 40-year training career included answering an SOS call that helped launch a global jockey but months later he was fighting for his own life.
About the Author
The saying goes ‘racing people are never boring’ and in a sport filled with great storytellers - some yarns told across the bar over a beer are sometimes just too good not to share.
Calling his first thoroughbred race as a fourteen year-old, Ben Sporle has held a lifelong passion for horse racing and the people that make it tick.
Here you will find just some of their tales of the track.