Joanna Hassett carrying on the family legacy in North Queensland

By Jordan Gerrans

Happy horses are usually fast horses.

That is the thinking Townsville trainer Joanna Hassett is using around her new stables a stone's throw from Cluden Park in North Queensland.

The 41-year-old has over the last couple of years purchased a property in the vicinity of the race track and constructed a handful of stables in her backyard for her beloved team of horses.

The Wulguru suburb of Townsville is a hive of activity with stables using the Cluden track.

Hassett enjoyed a career best campaign in the 2021-22 season.

She had not trained a double digit figure for winners across a season since way back in 2013-14 but picked up 11 in that season, which is her most ever.

They also came at the best possible time for an NQ trainer, preparing half a dozen winners through June, July and August, which is off course when the carnival is held. 

Bakuhatsu winning the Townsville Lightning Handicap was also one of her career highlights as a trainer.

The smiling horsewoman believes the new spacious stables that she put her blood, sweat and tears into played a key role in the winning run her barn experienced.

“I am pretty proud of what I have done with my little business and working full-time as well,” Hassett said.

“Now building these stables, Rome was not built in a day and there is still a few more things that needs to be done.

“But, I think they reflect that the horses are happy, it is lovely and quiet.

“If the horse are happy and I am happy – well everyone is happy.”

While Bakuhatsu tasted carnival success last year, Hassett has decided to take a slightly different approach with her team in 2023.

She was set to have a big team of horses descend on Cairns’ Cannon Park for their Cup day this Saturday afternoon but instead she will look south to Home Hill on Thursday of next week when the club hosts a rare midweek TAB fixture.

The big carnival days through the northern winter always draw a massive crowd and that is where the big prize money is on offer, but for Hassett, she cut her teeth in the bush and that is where her heart is.

And, that is where she loves racing her gallopers.

While Home Hill is not exactly remote being an hour south of Townsville, it has that country racing feeling that Hassett’s family grew up entrenched in.

Hassett’s mother Anna grew up on Oak Park Station, a name now synonymous with the Oak Park races, and was the secretary at the Prairie Race Club for 38 years. 

Anna fell for a trainer in Gordon Hassett and the clan have been embedded in racing ever since throughout North Queensland.

Anna’s husband Gordon was president of the Oak Park Race Club prior to Anna’s appointment to the committee in 1982.

She remained on the Oak Park committee for 32 years, retiring in 2014.

Anna retired from the Prairie Race Club committee in 2017, taking a step back.

With her handful or so gallopers in work, Joanna is keeping the family tradition alive.

On the back of her strong results in recent racing seasons, Joanna attributes that to her flash new stables, as well as her own confidence growing.

“It has always been a hobby for me carrying on a generational thing, both my grandfathers were trainers as well as my father and my uncle and my sisters,” Joanna said.

“I wasn’t pushed into but it was always a natural progression.

“When I first started out I was probably given a few more opportunities because I knew so many people in racing but you never stop learning.

“I have got more confidence in myself lately – I always had the basics to train after working for other people – but now I think it is all about confidence.

“I just had to be confident in the decisions I am made with my horses and I definitely think I am more confident within myself now.”

As Hassett grew up around the industry, she eventually began working for Townsville trainer Steven O'Dea, who now trains in partnership with Matthew Hoysted in Brisbane.

When O'Dea progressed from working his team in Townsville to wanting to test himself in the big smoke, Hassett was working as his foreman.

A group of owners that had horses with O'Dea nudged the keen horsewoman to take out her own licence as they were keen to continue to race their horses locally instead of sending them with O’Dea to the big time.

Looking back on it now, Hassett says she never really considering training in her own right until that moment.

“I was happy to take horses to the bush and support all those community clubs that I grew up at,” Hassett said.

“Now as I get a few better horses and owners, it is nice to see all the fruits of it all coming through, all the hard work.

“I can hopefully keep going and get a few more.”

Hassett has three horses nominated for Home Hill’s TAB meeting next Thursday afternoon.