GAI Waterhouse's Randwick stables are down on numbers with as many as 30 boxes empty, causing Sydney's highest-profile trainer to cut staff, reports The Age. It says: The Smith-Waterhouse stable has dominated Sydney racing for more than 50 years, starting with Gai's late father TJ, but the past couple of seasons have failed to reach Waterhouse's lofty standards, which has her reassessing the business. ''I don't have Darley or the chicken kings [Ingham family] to fall back on,'' Waterhouse told T
GAI Waterhouse's Randwick stables are down on numbers with as many as 30 boxes empty, causing Sydney's highest-profile trainer to cut staff, reports The Age.
It says: The Smith-Waterhouse stable has dominated Sydney racing for more than 50 years, starting with Gai's late father TJ, but the past couple of seasons have failed to reach Waterhouse's lofty standards, which has her reassessing the business.
''I don't have Darley or the chicken kings [Ingham family] to fall back on,'' Waterhouse told TheAge. ''I'm an independent trainer and have to make the decisions that are right for my stable and business...''It's hard times at the moment. I have had to put off a couple of staff and my numbers are down.''
Waterhouse, who has a wages bill of $60,000 a week, spoke of the difficulty of running a multimillion-dollar business after being beaten for the trainers' title last year.
''I want to be winning 100 races in Sydney and 10 group 1s every year and that is the break-even point,'' Waterhouse said last July.
She has had six group 1 winners this season, including her maiden Caulfield Cup win with Descarado, while the tally was boosted by More Joyous's four wins at the highest level. She has prepared 75 city winners with two months of the season remaining. (www.theage.com.au)