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Veteran trainer Terry Walshe can celebrate his birthday in style when he saddles up in-form mare Ebony Rein in the Akubra Kempsey Cup (1450m) on Friday.
Walsh turned 71 on Wednesday and will line-up with what he thinks is his first runner in a Kempsey Cup.
“I know I haven’t won the Cup and it may also be my first runner,” he said of Ebony Rein.Walshe races Ebony Rein with David Walker and the galloper has been able to win five of her 11 starts.
The real story behind Ebony Rein is the lengths Walshe has to go to train his only present stable horse.“I also train her full sister Shadow Rein, who is spelling, and she has won ten races. They both won on the same day at Port Macquarie about one month ago,” he said.
Walshe lives at Bowraville and varies his galloper’s training between beach work, swimming and gallops at Coffs Harbour which is a round trip of some 160 kilometres twice a week.He sets off at 4.30am twice a week en route to Coffs Harbour for fast work before returning home a few hours later.
The rest of the time, training is a swim in the ocean or ridden work by his son David along the beach.“I’m a hobby trainer and retired so I have the time – it’s my only option to work my horses because it’s the closest track for me to have the horses worked,” he said.
Walshe hopes Ebony Rein can adopt her usual tactics of setting the speed.“It’s a vicious home turn at Kempsey so if she can be in front it will be an advantage because horses that can’t handle it can finish up out wide,” he said.
Ebony Rein has won three of her six starts this campaign and will push for favouritism.“She ran fast time to win at Coffs Harbour last start and ran seventh at Brisbane but was only beaten about four lengths in a stronger race at her previous start,” he added.
“I can’t see a lot of speed in the field so if she can lead it will be a bit of an advantage.”