Every month we will be putting the spotlight on one of our owners, asking them 10 questions to learn a bit more about their involvement with our stable!
This month we interviewed Chris Guthrie. Chris is a part owner of Lady Solly, who he owns in partnership with Jacque Hogan. The ownership came about due to Chris’ long-time friendship with Jacque’s late father, Greg. Chris spoke to us about his love of horse racing, his connection with the sport, and how much enjoyment he’s had with Lady Solly (5 min read).
How did you get involved with the sport of horse racing?
My racing background is strongly influenced by the late Greg Hogan who I knew for many, many years. Greg was a local farmer who I had a lot to do with in the Wimmera district. We had raced a number of horses in partnerships together over the last 20 years or so, so I suppose you could say I was in my 40’s when I started racing with him. Greg was on the Donald Racing Club committee for probably 50 years, and I spent about 20 years on the committee myself. He was a legend in terms of training horses and was outside the square in the way he presented and trained his horses. He was a bloke that was almost a horse whisperer in a sense as he had such a great rapport with the horses he trained and treated them as though he was living with them.
What are some of your favourite memories with the late Greg Hogan?
One of my favourite stories about Greg is that when he started as a jockey, his first winner was at a place called Watchem. He rode his father’s horse to the race meeting, which was a distance of about 30kms, he won the race and then rode all the way home again! One of his best horses was called Mary Bachelor who won about 28 races and raced in the era of Think Big. In fact, one race it actually got done in a photo finish to come 2nd behind Think Big. As Greg didn’t flog his horses, they had great longevity and Mary Batchelor had an additional 32 second placings. He was also a great judge of a horse, as told by the time he bid on a horse owned by breeder David Hains. Greg was the last bidder but it never got to the reserve so he had 24hrs to make up the money but he couldn’t. David Hains ended up racing the horse himself with trainer TJ Smith, a horse they named Kingston Town.
What’s your favourite horse owned apart from Lady Solly, and why?
One that comes to mind is “Inlet” who Greg and I purchased off Lloyd Williams. He was a bit of a battler but we got plenty of joy when we raced him. His first start was at Bendigo, and because he hadn’t been ridden in a couple of years I remember putting the jockey on and just saying “good luck”! We had to explain what the story was behind the horse and it took him four or five runs to get close to fitness. He then went to Warracknabeal where he came up 30-1 against a red-hot favourite of Darren Weir’s, but we knocked him off to get our maiden victory. The horse wasn’t a star but certainly proved that Greg was still a great trainer.
What is your connection with Lady Solly?
Greg’s daughter Jacque was the secret behind Lady Solly, as Greg and I went down to the sales to buy a yearling to get Jacque interested in the sport. On the day, Solly didn’t look like much but Greg could certainly see something in her. It was June and one of the last yearling sales before the end of the season, and we ended up getting her for just $800. Greg didn’t want to train the horse as he was getting on a bit, and so Solly had 3 trainers before we discovered Adam. Each time with the other trainers she had a mishap as she wasn’t comfortable in a high-density operation.
How did you find Adam to become the trainer of Lady Solly?
Through an acquaintance, I just went and watched Adam one day when he was training Tough Vic at Great Western. He didn’t know who I was or why I was there, but his attention to detail was what struck me when I was watching him. I mentioned to him that I had a horse that goes alright and asked if he would be interested in training it. He asked who it was and straight away said “that horse beat one of mine at Sandown earlier in the year, it goes pretty quick”. This shows that he has a great level of racing knowledge and he got back to me later that week to say he’d have a go and the rest is history. Jacque should also be commended for her involvement with Solly as she inherited a lot of her father’s philosophies about handling horses. She’s a big believer in getting the internal system of the horse right and was responsible for getting Solly right from this perspective.
What current horses do you own?
Alongside Solly I’ve also got a few other unraced horses. I’ve got a broodmare with a Rebel Raider colt, and she’s currently in foal to Ringadingding. I’ve also got an Ilovethiscity unraced three-year-old who will hopefully be racing at some stage next year.
What’s the best bit about owning a horse with AJ Chambers Racing?
His secret is his honesty and communication, he’s the only trainer I’ve come across who will tell you exactly as he sees it. He’s usually fairly accurate with how the horse is going to go as well, as most trainers will hedge their bets. Adam has also got great attention to detail, as referenced earlier when I saw him in action at Great Western with Tough Vic. The beach is also a great asset to have, as Solly gets a lot of flesh injuries and the salt water certainly helps with healing those as well as keeping her mentally fresh.
What is the race you most want to win as an owner?
A race like the Group 1 Lightning Stakes would be a special race to win as an owner. I wanted to go in the race last year with Solly, which ended up being won by Nature Strip. My theory was that if she ran a 4th or 5th it would look really good on her resume, and you usually only get one chance with a horse like we have in your lifetime. It’s something I’d like to look at again this year if she is going well, especially if there’s a limited field again or we can get a wet track. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her yet, as seen by her ability to settle and take a sit off the pace in her first up run this campaign. If we can replicate that in a good race, she might not win one but she’d be competitive.
What is your favourite racehorse of all time?
I’d have to say that So You Think was a clear standout, he was the best-looking horse you could ever see, and he raced like it. I love pure black horses, and So You Think just had an aura about him. In my opinion he would have beaten anyone from any era. He wasn’t a two miler either but he ran so well in the Melbourne Cup (3rd, 2010) which goes to show how good he was.
What advice could you provide to owners looking to get involved for the first time?
Well since every horse costs the same to train, whether they are a maiden or if they are a champion, you may as well be buying a small share in an expensive one as opposed to a big share in an ordinary one. When you’re in a big syndicate you can have a lot of fun, which is what owning a horse is all about.
