Ben Sporle

Binney bred Diamanda himself after gifting a 10 per cent share in an unraced Clarry Conners-trained mare to his son for his 21st birthday. While Miss Glitter might have retired a 48-start maiden that birthday present is now paying off some 25 years later once he was gifted the mare in retirement. Without a permit to train at nearby racecourses, Binney has had to be inventive over the years as to how he trains his horses.

48-hours out from the Melbourne Cup and most trainers with a runner in the $10 million race would be dining out with owners or littered amongst the countless racing functions across the city. Then there’s Paul Preusker. He’s some 300-kilometres south-east of Melbourne at McKenzie’s Creek on the outskirts of Horsham in Victoria’s Wimmera, and when this writer rang him, he was in the midst of patching up his own grass track on a Sunday afternoon.

WHEN King Island institution Jim Taylor and his wife Sue set off caravaning around Australia recently, they weren’t sure what they would return home to on their beloved island in Bass Strait, known for its world-famous beef, cheeses, golf courses and its iconic summer racing carnival.