Leading bush trainer Pat Webster set for higher honours

By Jordan Gerrans

Leading bush horseman Pat Webster has finally scratched an itch that has been pestering him for the last few years.

Previously based at St George in the Downs racing district, Webster has consistently produced excellent results with his modest team of gallopers.

His name has been up in lights by winning the Country Stampede Final late last year before going close to snaring the Battle of the Bush crown in 2022.

Webster has also prepared winners at a strike-rate of better than 20 per cent in each of the last three campaigns.

He completed all this with his horses while also sweating it out on a building site every day and looking after his children away from work and the track. 

Webster has over the last few months dived head first into full-time training to see if he can take his stable to the next level.

The 46-year-old has relocated his family to a property just outside of Toowoomba as he aims to cement himself as a serious player on the provincial racing scene.

It is a move the respected bush trainer has considered for some time.

“We have looked at trying to get into somewhere down here to try and have a crack at the training,” Webster said.

“We have thought about doing something like this a lot in recent years and I have looked at a lot of different places to come to around this area.

“When we landed here, we are pretty happy that we did.

“I would really like to have a decent crack at the provincial areas of training.”

He has hit the ground running on the Darling Downs, preparing a winning double at Toowoomba late last month, as well as two recent winners on the sand at Roma.

While the move was about Webster’s training ambitions, it was also focussed on his young family.

His teenage son is keen on the gallopers and will give him a hand around the barn while his daughter is an enthusiastic young show jumper and is heavily involved in the pony club scene.

And, more than anything, Webster had enough of sweating it out during the warmer days on building sites around St George.

“I was sick of building, as well,” he said with a chuckle.

“It gets hot out there on roofs and stuff in summer.

“I had enough of that.”

Ian and Dell Price - along with their son Ivan and his wife Helen - purchased the Bahram training and spelling centre in February of this year and the Webster family took over managing the property in April on the outskirts of Toowoomba.

Webster and Ivan played football in the same side when they were youngsters and have also worked together in recent years.

“He had a love for horses and he knew I did so he gave us the opportunity here,” Webster said.

“It was just a good area for us to come to as a family and there is more opportunities for all of us.”

The move also coincided with Webster’s daughter – Pip – starting high school, which she can now do at Toowoomba.

The team brought all their country grade horses to the Darling Downs from St George – with a dozen gallopers making the move – while adding another handful in recent months.

The ambitious trainer would like to get to around 20 in work when he is settled into the new environment.

An American bred gelding has been the stable star for the Webster’s in recent years that has also pushed his interest to relocate to a higher level.

Gelding V J Day has bounced around to a number of trainers across his eight years as a race horse but it has been Webster on the bush circuit who has got the best out of his old legs.

He is a 14 time winner across his career with ten of those coming for Webster with trainers such as Georgie Holt and Kacy Fogden previously having him in their care.

The horse has had an amazing journey across his life time, winning his first ever race at Newcastle in Great Britain way back in March of 2018.

The stable had hoped he would be a contender for the famous Weetwood Handicap in their new town of Toowoomba, but after a bumper field was nominated, the Webster yard has had to look elsewhere.

Nearing $250,000 in career stakes earnings, Webster and his trusty old gelding will head south of the border to Lismore on Thursday after accepting that they were unlucky to get a start in the Clifford Park feature on a metropolitan Saturday.

“V J has been awesome for the stable, he has really put our name out there a bit, just the Country Stampede and the Battle of the Bush, those races,” Webster said.

“He is that tough, he carries big weights every time and tries his heart out.

“When he first came to us, I honestly thought he would struggle to win a race for us because he is a big strong horse and is hard on his legs, so he has a few issues.”

While V J Day will not be able to make his presence felt on his new home deck on Saturday, the stable has a duo of runners ready for the Colts, Geldings and Entires Benchmark 75 Handicap over 1200 metres.

Rejoiced and Coat Of Arms are both last start winners – who are also relatively lightly-raced - and the stable are optimistic they will have a bright future.

“Rejoiced has only had one start for the stable but he has won four from six after coming up from Sydney,” Webster said.

“He looks very promising.

“He has done everything right for us in the lead-up and won well first-up and I am looking for a big run on Saturday.

“Coat of Arms has been really good for the stable since he came to us and his last win at Toowoomba was excellent as he sat three wide the trip.

“He finished off strong.

“I think he will race well in that grade of race this Saturday.”