Racing community mourns loss of industry pioneer

By Jordan Gerrans

Kaye Hill is being remembered as a pioneer of the racing industry in Queensland who was able to go out on top as she trained a winner in the days before her sad passing.

She was 75 years of age.

Kaye began her extensive and important racing journey in Brisbane before training in Gympie and most recently at Nanango before her death.

The stable were in the winner's enclosure for the final time on Friday of last week when Prince Of Diamonds won at Gatton in a Benchmark 62 Handicap over 1075 metres.

The veteran horsewoman passed away in the days following Prince Of Diamonds’ seventh career victory, which were all prepared by Kaye.

She made her name as a trainer in recent years but it was a young Kaye Nichols who created headlines and broke ground for females in racing back in the 1960s.

In June of 1964, Kaye – who was just a teenager at the time - was pushing to become the first female to be licenced as a strapper at the Queensland Turf Club.

At the time, Kaye was working for her father Jack Nichols who trained in Brisbane.

Female strappers were licenced in Victoria and New South Wales at the time and the QTC approved Kaye’s proposal not long after and she became the first female stablehand and strapper.

Kaye continued to push for more female representation in the sport and eventually took out her own training licence at Gympie.

She worked for Gympie trainer Barry Thomas.

Barry stepped away from the training ranks back in 2007 with his son Trevor preparing a team of gallopers in the city currently.

“She worked as a strapper for my father when she moved from Brisbane to Gympie originally,” Trevor said.

“Dad knew her as she was growing up as he spent all his life here in Gympie.

“That was until she was able to gain a trainer's licence herself and then of course she trained from there on in at Gympie for a lot of years.”

According to Racing.com’s statistics, Kaye prepared 200 winners dating back to 1994.

The majority of those came on the country and provincial circuit in Queensland but she did prepare one winner at city level in both Sydney and Brisbane.

Between the 1997-98 and 2000-01 campaigns, Kaye collected more than 20 winners each season.

“She was the nicest person and very quick-witted,” Trevor said.

“She loved her racing. I saw her at the last Nanango meeting and she was always smiling – she always had a smile on her face.

“She was one of the happiest people you would ever meet.

“She was always good to the kids, as well, she always put young apprentices on to give them a go over the years.”

Former jockey Bonnie Thomson rode for Hill’s stable when she was an apprentice and described Kaye as ‘such a lovely lady’.

Nanango Race Club Treasurer Andrew Manson said the entire community was mourning the loss of the respected conditioner.

Kaye was assisted in training her team of horses by her husband Paul.

As Trevor Thomas notes, Kaye was always keen to support young riders and that was only underscored by her last winner at Gatton.

The veteran trainer engaged Sunshine Coast apprentice Kayla Johnston who is only in the first year of her riding career.

Kaye had known Johnston’s father John, who is also a trainer, for a long period of time and wanted to give the emerging rider a leg-up.

Kayla led throughout to score aboard Prince Of Diamonds, which was the seventh winner of her riding tenure.

“She wanted Kayla to ride her horse for her,” John said.

“She said before that race that she had been watching Kayla ride and wanted to put her on.

“It was good she could get the money. I have known Kaye for a very long time and she was one of the most lovely ladies you would ever meet.

“I have known her through racing for many years when I would go up to Gympie and always talk to her.”

Racing Queensland extends its condolences to the Hill and Nichols families.