Lindsey Smith admits he doesn't have the personality to run a very large racing stable, but his decision to operate two stables on opposite sides of the country is a sure sign of his willingness to take on a challenge.
There can't be too many trainers in the world who operate two stables nearly 3500km apart, but a sense of opportunity to realise an ambition he has had for a few years saw him assume the Warrnambool-based operations of disqualified trainer Darren Weir in May.
With his family, and most of his owners, back in Perth, Smith made the decision to expand his operation to Victoria, while maintaining his Western Australian base.
"It was a world-class stable and it was an opportunity to take them over. I had a plan to do something, but not on that scale and the opportunity came up. It wasn't something I had thought of a week before. It was a something that had crossed my mind quite a lot," he told TDN AusNZ.
"It was a world-class stable and it was an opportunity to take them over. I had a plan to do something, but not on that scale and the opportunity came up." - Lindsey Smith
Smith loves to have a hands-on approach to his training, something that is difficult to achieve when you are splitting your team across a continent. But with faith in his staff, both the existing ones in Perth and his new ones in Warrnambool, he took the leap.
"You've got to have good staff and good systems in place. It's probably not as hard as I’d thought it would be. The hardest part is missing your family, after about three weeks, you can get a little bit home sick, but I'm heading back now and that will take care of itself," he said.
Trainer Lindsey Smith enjoys his hands on approach to racing
"I'm hands on, so I'm always working and I'm always with the horses, whichever stable I'm at. It’s not like I'm not close to them. To ride some of them in work is handy, to know where they are at, and to have wonderful staff at both stables and they know what's required."
"To ride some of them in work is handy, to know where they are at, and to have wonderful staff at both stables and they know what's required." - Lindsey Smith
"Once you get systems up and running and you follow them it works out pretty good."
But Smith said those systems were different at each base. His Western Australia stable had already implemented a few things he had learned from Weir during the Victorian trainer's visits to Perth over the past few years.
With access to the beach environment at his new base, the influence of Weir's techniques has grown further, especially considering Smith inherited several of the trainer's former staff.
Growing the owner base
The beach has been a key selling point to existing and prospective owners for Smith, who admitted the greatest challenge was ensuring he had the backing in Victoria in order to make an impact.
"My Perth owners, the boys who own Scales Of Justice, they own maybe four horses over here. Spicer Thoroughbreds have been added to the stable. I always chased Brad for a horse to send to Perth and he always promised one, and so I had to come here and get one myself," Smith said.
"He buys well-bred horses and he likes that beach environment."
Scales Of Justice
The shallow pool of owners in Perth was one of the reasons Smith thought it would be wise to broaden his horizons. He said the ownership environment in Victoria was far more vibrant and would allow him to further his ambitions.
"I've got a few more people to sell to now. The hardest thing is to have to invest in your own business," Smith said.
"I can speculate up to a million dollars a year at the sales and I have good owners, but it’s still a bit tricky, it’s certainly not getting easier."
"Selling them in Western Australia is not easy. Owning a horse in WA is something that's a bit flat at the moment. You just notice at the races in Victoria that it’s something they love, the owners."
Success is often the best way for a trainer to sell horses and Smith has made a sensational start to his Victorian business with seven winners from 13 starters from his Warrnambool base.
Black Heart Bart, Malaguerra and Scales Of Justice at the beach
They include Reykjavik (Artie Schiller {USA}) who won the Listed Winter Championship, and his Group 1 winner Scales Of Justice (Not a Single Doubt), who was dominant in last Saturday's G3 Bletchingly S. at Caulfield.
"That's why we brought those two horses over. It's always good to have a couple of the veterans helping you along," Smith said. "It’s like a footy team, you need a mix of both young and old."
Of his other five wins, four have been with horses sent to him by Spicer and the other is from a group led by Chris Wells, the owner of Scales Of Justice. Smith has continued to have success in WA as well, with three winners in July, including Bel My Pago (Bel Esprit) at Belmont on Saturday.
The right base
Wells visited Smith's Warrnambool stables over the weekend and was amazed by how much the city of 30,000 is invested in its racing.
"He was talking about how he noticed how much the training side of things impacts the rest of the town and how many businesses would be impacted, whether it be mechanics, petrol, tyres, feed, if anything would happen," Smith said.
"It's a beautiful place. It's a very kind place. I couldn't have come across a better place to base myself."
"They all love their horses, and it’s a great environment for them. Hopefully, the beaches remain accessible."
Lindsey Smith uses the beaches close to his stable
Training on the beaches in the region has become a hot-button local issue, with Smith saying the access was vital to his success.
But he harbours no ambitions to mimic Weir when it comes to the expanding the size of his stable.
"We’ve got a lot of young horses coming through, but there will only ever be up to 42. There's no plans to do anything bigger, or have another base," he said.
"I haven't got that sort of personality to have 300 horses, so the two stables, one in Perth and one in Warrnambool, with be sufficient for me."
