Former station hand welcomes short trip to Warwick

By Glenn Davis

Travelling long distances to race meetings comes with the territory for country trainers.

But, it’ll be a welcome change for trainer Naomi Hemmings when she makes a mere nine-minute trip from her stables for the Warwick meeting on Sunday.

Typhoon Tip will spearhead the stable’s charge in the Class 3 Handicap over 1500 metres along with Miss Helmut in the Benchmark 65 Handicap and Cravings in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate. 

Hazina is also an acceptor for the Maiden Plate but may struggle to get a run from fifth emergency.

Hemmings lived for 12 years out west, basing herself at Betoota for a time when she first came to Queensland.

She worked as a station hand after arriving from South Australia in 1995 and was also employed as a cook close to the South Australia border.

“I left school to join the racing industry and eventually made my way to Queensland,” Hemmings said.

“I stayed for 12 years out west before I gradually made my way to Warwick.”

Hemmings put in the hard yards at Betoota but decided not to renew her trainer’s licence after a few years.

After moving to Warwick, she met and later married well-known Warwick trainer Michael Hemmings.

“I had my trainers’ licence before I met Michael and I started off riding trackwork at Warwick,” she said.

“But, in those days if you had a trainer’s licence you weren’t allowed to ride trackwork for other stables until the rules were changed.

“That’s when I decided to take up training again after the rules changed."

Hemmings has a stable of eight in work and still helps her husband with his training duties.

She experienced a lean trot before Typhoon Tip broke a long run of outs when the four-year-old won at Beaudesert on February 6.

It was the daughter of Supido’s second win in 25 starts.

Typhoon Tip is coming off a brave fourth at her latest appearance behind the Paul Duncan-trained Tavis Town in a 1400 metre Benchmark race at the Sunshine Coast on February 23.

Hemmings is hopeful she can return home with a winner from her team and rates Typhoon Tip as her best hope.

“Her last run was good but she lacked a bit of confidence to take a gap when it opened,” Hemmings said.

“We have to give her a barrier freshener every now and then and she had one just before her run at the Sunshine Coast.

“Her barrier (10) on Sunday won’t be a worry and I’m hoping she’ll run well again.”