Free newsletter sign up

Get our latest horse racing news, reviews, exclusives and more direct to your email inbox.
Sign up here

PP Blog

Read our Horse Racing Blog, keeping you up to date with all the latest horse race betting info & horse racing systems.

PP TV

Watch the TVN coverage of today's horse racing and view video replays through BigPond.

PP Radio

Listen to the day's racing through Sky Racing Radio. Plus racing news, previews and horse racing tips.

Harrison gets home with Embraer

Wednesday 8 September 2010
By Glenn Davis

As Patinack Farm continued its march towards its first Brisbane premiership, Nicky Harrison celebrated a debut win as a hobby trainer at Eagle Farm.

Harrison, 28, won Wednesday's LHMU Handicap (1000m) with Embraer, the only horse she has in work at Doomben.

The four-year-old, who is leased by Harrison and three partners, scored a comfortable length win over debutant Shafeeq at his eighth start.

Harrison is the principal of real estate firm Smart Choice at Mitchelton in Brisbane's northwestern suburbs and has no desire to extend her career as a trainer.

"I've been around horses all my life, ever since I starting riding at pony clubs," Harrison said.

"I've only had my trainer's licence since the start of the year but I've been a real estate agent for six years."

Harrison worked as a track rider for several years for some of Brisbane's top trainers including Rob Heathcote, Barry Baldwin and Liam Birchley before deciding to take the plunge to train herself.

"I went overseas four years ago and worked for two years with Aidan O'Brien in Ireland," she said.

"When I went overseas all I wanted to do was work for a top trainer.

"I've got my licence now but I've got no plans to train any more horses. Real estate is my business and horses are just a hobby."

Harrison ventured into training after her stepfather, veteran trainer John Fitzgerald, picked out Embraer in the sale ring.

"Embraer was a reject at the sales and was passed in for $2,000," she said.

"I said to Fitzy when I first wanted to train it had to be a boy. I didn't want to train a filly.

"I've had him since he was a baby after he was broken in. He's my pride and joy.

"I only train him and he's my first winner."

Earlier, Patinack Farm's John Thompson took the outright lead in the Brisbane trainers' premiership when Unpaid won the Bert/CIPQ Plate (1835m).

Thompson and Brian Smith started the day level with five wins but Nathan Tinkler's stable sounded an ominous warning to his Queensland rivals with Unpaid's commanding 2-1/4 length win.

"He's not a bad horse and I'm sure he'll run further," stable foreman Toby Edmonds said.

"He's been racing on the speed and he had 58 kilos when he ran second at his last two starts at Caloundra."

Jockey Stathi Katsidis believed there was a lot of merit in Unpaid's win after the four-year-old was set alight from near the rear of the field coming to the home turn.

"I probably went too early on him and we were lucky enough to hold on," Katsidis said.

"All he wanted to do was go to sleep and he should run further."

Patinack Farm's Gold Coast stable will soon be strengthened noticeably in quality following Tinkler's decision to shut down his racing operation at Warwick Farm in Sydney's southwest.

By November, 80 horses will be split between Patinack's Hawkesbury and Gold Coast properties as well as their training centre at Flemington in Melbourne.