A tribute to Pat Duff

Legendary jockey Mick Dittman is among those paying tribute to Hall of Fame trainer Pat Duff who passed away overnight.

On top of being a brilliant trainer and master horseman, Duff, was highly regarded for the influence he had on Queensland’s jockey ranks, guiding the careers of some of the sport’s biggest names including Dittman, Michael Pelling and Jimmy Byrne.

A Hall of Fame inductee in his own right, Dittman spent the final two years of his apprenticeship under Duff’s tutelage at Eagle Farm before going on to enjoy a stellar riding career that included more than 1700 winners, 88 Group 1s and triumphs in the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper.

Earlier today, Racing Queensland confirmed the 84-year-old had passed away following a recent fall and further health complications.

“The great thing about him is you knew he was always for you,” Dittman recalled.

“It didn’t matter whether you were in the right or you were in the wrong, he was for you. He’d educate you well too, he gave us a lot of good advice and he got to the stage where he was someone who was needed in the industry.

“He was all for his apprentices, he’d go out of his way for them.

“He will be remembered fondly by a lot of people. He trained winners all his life, he was never out of the limelight…a quiet man who never went looking for publicity but he did it his way and he did it well.”

Over the journey, Duff touched the careers of many of Queensland’s best hoops including Larry Olsen and Lenny Hill, but was particularly proud of his relationship with Mandy Radecker and the wave of female jockeys who followed in her footsteps.

In 2007, Radecker created history when she became the first female jockey to win the Brisbane metropolitan apprentice jockeys’ title.

Unsurprisingly, it was another emerging female star, Emily Lang, who piloted Duff’s last winner just three weeks ago when Optimus Maximus saluted in a maiden at Ipswich.

“He was never afraid to put me on,” Radecker said.

“But he did use to always have a saying with the owners which I did learn a lot from. It’s okay if the owners are right but we cannot be wrong, so if I don’t push to put you on one, there’s a reason, just keep your head down and keep working.

“He’ll leave a huge hole in the racing industry and also anybody who was lucky enough to have him touch their lives.”

In a touching tribute on Sky Racing, Kiaarn Dickens, who would see Duff regularly during her time working for the Racing Queensland Apprentice School at Deagon, paid tribute to the master trainer during today’s telecast from the Sunshine Coast.

Having spent time as an apprentice herself, Dickens, who was best known for strapping the Group 1-winning “Boom Brothers” Temple Of Boom and Spirit Of Boom for Tony Gollan before joining Sky Racing, spoke glowingly of his broader impact on the industry.

“His career as a Hall of Fame trainer is a beautiful story of hard work and success, along with helping many, many other participants to succeed along the way,” Dickens said.

“I will miss your kindness, Pat, and the push you always gave me and other females in a male dominated industry to reach the stars.

“Scott St in Deagon has lost a treasure in the man who always left people better than he found them.”

Raised at Wondai in the South Burnett, Duff spent time training from the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Brisbane, enjoying success at every stop.

Along the way he claimed some of racing’s biggest features including  the Prime Minister's Cup (Our Cavalier and Hard To Catch), Queensland Cup (Bay Legend), AJC Challenge Stakes (Star of Florida {twice}), AJC San Domenico Stakes (Star of Florida), Toowoomba Cup (Hard Case, Akbar Tibita), King George IV Stakes (Handsome Prince), AWA Stakes (Handsome Prince), McDougall Stakes (Scomeld), Goldmarket (Hard to Catch), BTC Sprint (Hard to Catch), Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (Heart of the Citi), Cleveland Bay Handicap (Power Arrow), Frazer Handicap (Lord Medes), FAI Stakes (Prince of Marscay), Freshman Stakes (Prince of Rory), Robins Kitchen Quality (Prince of Rory) and Magic Millions Prelude (Tolodama).

Having arrived at Duff’s stables as a 15-year-old from the Atherton Tablelands, Pelling said they found common ground in the way they viewed the world.

“He was from the country himself, so we sort of had similar backgrounds in the land and cattle,” Pelling said.

“And one thing he did tell me very early on was if you want to find a direction in life, just find someone you admire that you see as someone you’d like to be like, and just do what they do and I stuck with that.

“Whether they be horse trainers or businessmen or whatever, I tried to emulate them.

“Pat did say to me once that any man who didn’t have an opinion was a coward, so Pat would have his opinion on things and stand by them if he believed in them, so he wasn’t backward in coming forward.

“Everybody who knew Pat is going to be quite saddened by his passing, but I think you should rejoice in the fact that he lived a wonderful life…he loved horse training, he loved horses and he loved racing people.”

His late wife, Dina, and his children were mainstays of the stable, while his twin brother, Cedric, also spent more than 40 years working side-by-side.

On top of being a true family man, Cameron Partington, the Queensland representative for the Australian Trainers’ Association, said Duff was a horseman without peer.

“None better,” Partington said.

“The way he could touch a horse. All horsemen have got it, but not all trainers are horsemen…but he had it in spades.

“He could just run his hand over a horse and tell you he’s not right, he’s not ready or there’s a problem here and he would find it.”

Tributes also flowed through on social media with participants and punters alike remembering one of the true gentlemen of Queensland racing.

Racing Queensland extends its sincere condolences to the Duff family.