Dane McKinnon follows his passion into racing

By Jordan Gerrans

Around three years ago Central Queensland’s Dane McKinnon walked away from a steady career as an engineer to chase his passion in life.

Having grown up riding horses at Westwood – which is inland from Rockhampton – his obsession was of course gallopers.

After stepping away from his engineer job, he first rode track work for other trainers while also breaking in and pre-training horses.

Over the last year or so the 32-year-old has turned to preparing his own small team of race horses.

After nine previous attempts, McKinnon nabbed his first winner at Thangool on Saturday afternoon.

That passion for racing pushed him to give up a job as an engineer to work with thoroughbreds on a full-time basis and Saturday’s result provided McKinnon with some much-needed reward for effort.

“That is why we all do it,” he said around his enthusiasm for horses.

“I always wanted to get into training and get further into race horses.

“I thought I better get into now about three years ago.”

It was a mare by the name of Rowbositi who gave the rookie trainer his maiden victory.

The four-year-old previously did her racing on the Northern Rivers of NSW before McKinnon purchased her online earlier this year.

Rowbositi will always be a horse McKinnon remembers as she became his first winner.

But, it looked unlikely that she would earn that special milestone just a few weeks ago.

“She had that one start for me at Mackay before I tipped her out and gave her a freshen up,” the young trainer said.

“She is a frustrating mare to ride in her track work and I actually tried to sell her not long ago.

“She was up for sale online and luckily she did not sell so we put her back into work.

“I have tried and few different things with her to get her calmer and easier to ride. I was very lucky that she did not sell in the end.”

Rowbositi knocked off her maiden status with apprentice Nikki Olzard in the saddle in a 1200 metre maiden event at Thangool on the grass.

“It was unreal to cheer one on for the first time,” McKinnon said.

“I have owned race horses before in my life and never had a winner, so it was unbelievable. It will keep me coming back I reckon.”

McKinnon has 10 horses in his stable at Westwood and has a 1300 metre track at his property.

He heads into Callaghan Park at Rockhampton to get his team galloped by a jockey but does the majority of his slow work on his own at home. 

Of his 10 horses in work, four are race horses of his own with the rest pre-trainers and breakers for other trainers and owners.

McKinnon thinks the size of his yard at 10 is manageable going forward but is keen to see the number of race horses he prepares increase with the pre-trainers and breakers slowing down as his training career gains momentum.

“I would like to eventually get a few more gallopers and less breakers,” he said.

McKinnon grew up riding and learned to break in horses with his parents previously owning trotters, as well.

He also has a background in polocrosse.

It was Rockhampton trainer Kevin Miller who first introduced McKinnon to other racing industry people at the track and gave him a few horses to work with.

He went on to ride work for Miller, Peter Fleming and Kerrod Smyth before stepping away from that to focus on his own team.

McKinnon has another from his barn - Rapid Instinct – set to race this weekend.

The maiden galloper has had one official race start and is entered for both Rockhampton Jockey Club’s races on Saturday and Emerald Jockey Club’s non-TAB meeting on Sunday.