WHEN more than 10,000 people flood through the gates of the Murrumbidgee Turf Club for the Wagga Gold Cup Chris Wilson will have the best seat in the house.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The veteran clerk of the course has been in the role for more than 30 years and has seen more than most.
This year he will be riding his 17hh Quarter Horse/Percheron cross called Demo as he assists the field to the gates and later leads the winner back home after the finish.
But over the years he has had several top mounts to use in the role, and they were not all grey.
He fondly talks about an Appaloosa he used to ride about 20 years ago, that earned him the wrath and jibes of committee members, but was as steady and reliable as they come.
And another chestnut horse served him well and trotted alongside high-profile winners at the track for a number of years.
“I have had horses in all different shapes and sizes, and they can all do the job,” he said.
When he pulls on his white riding pants and red shirt Mr Wilson steps in to a role that he says he “simply just loves.”
It doesn’t matter whether he is clerk of the course for the prestigious Wagga Gold Cup, the Town Plate or the Boorowa Picnic Races, he thrives on the atmosphere of it all.
He is the first person who gets to talk to the jockey after they have just won a big race.
And some of these jockeys he assists are house-hold names across Australia and the globe for that matter.
“They grin like Cheshire cats, they are always so happy with a win, and they pat the horse and then tell me how great the run was or that they didn’t expect it to get up and run like that,” he said.
“I just love these stories,” Mr Wilson said.
“The best thing about the Wagga Gold Cup carnival is that we get some of the top jockeys in Australia,” he said.
“I get to talk to all of them and hear their stories.”
“We can talk to them when the public can’t,” he said.
Mr Wilson said during the carnival there were some huge days to put in and the clerk of the course horses needed to be fit.
“By the time I am finished on Friday I have to get home and be ready to start first thing on Saturday for the Boorowa picnics,” he said.
“By the end of it I will have a sore bum like a boundary rider.”
Mr Wilson said horses were in his blood, he had a lifelong involvement with pony club, rodeos and even bush picnic races.
“One thing I really like to see is our local horses and trainers get up and beat the competition,” he said.
“Tim Donnelly and Dave Heywood always have some good ones,” he said.
“And Trevor Sutherland and Gary Colvin are top Wagga trainers too,” he said.
“There is nothing quite like seeing a local knock off the tall poppies,” he said.
Mr Wilson said he truly admired jockeys and trainers and those committed to the racing industry.
“Those jockeys you see on cup day are riding in little saddles with nothing more than a surcingle and a pair of irons … I can tell you they are braver than bull riders,” he said.