KINGSTON, Jamaica - Gary Subratie, one of the top conditioners of horses over the past two decades, saddled his 600th winner at Caymanas Park on Saturday, November 23, 2019.
The milestone achievement was reached with one of his promising three-year-old runners Crimson, who outshone his three-year-old rivals, to win a Restricted Stakes event run for the United Racehorse Trainers’ Association Trophy over nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820 metres).
Crimson, under champion jockey Anthony Thomas, came from behind to win by two lengths in a time of 1:54.3. Roy Rogers (Roger Hewitt) was second with Tricky One (Dane Nelson) third.
The achievement of saddling 600 winners had a profound effect on the normally subdued Subratie.
“I am very pleased with the horse’s performance but also elated on reaching the milestone of 600 winners. Thank God for small mercies. The assistance at the stables, throughout many years, has been exemplary. It has been years of toil.
“It was a milestone that I did not expect to get so quickly but one day at a time, one race at a time and now, I just have to keep on going and keep plugging away and then let us see what happens from here onwards.
“There have been lots of disappointments in my career but to get a gift like Wow Wow makes doing the hard work so sweet,” the man who has now won 600 races shared.
Then the inevitable question came — which is the best horse you have trained?
“I’ve had a lot of good horses in my career but this year has been a good year, it’s a special year for me and the main reason for that is the two-year-old Wow Wow, who continues to amaze me every time he runs.
“It is not just because Wow Wow wins his races, it is the commanding manner in which he does so. Wow Wow is by far the best juvenile I have trained,” said the man who got his trainer’s licence in Florida and started his first horse at the Calder racetrack in 1997.
Subratie then moved to Jamaica in 1998, where he has steadily grown in stature as a second-generation trainer with his father Errol “Big Sub” assisting in clearing the path for his first winner, Royal Invitation.
“Over the years, I have had the pleasure of training some outstanding horses with Ron Ron probably the best I have had under my care.
“Then there was Bigman In Town who sold for a very high price at the yearling sale and then went on to distinguish himself in Trinidad.
“While, I will always remember and appreciate the likes of a Ron Ron, I can never ever forget one horse, who was a $40,000 claimer, Bushy Park Raja.
“That horse built my name, my career, by winning 13 races and it was a strange twist of fate that allowed me to train Bushy Park Raja.
“Bushy Park Raja carried a knee injury and was destined to become a trail horse and following a mix-up by the driver of the trailer transporting him to his trail duties, he ended up at my stables and I then decided to race him and the rest as they say is history,” a now smiling yet reflective Subratie shared with this publication.
The man who now sits in third place on the current trainers’ list says racing is his life and hopefully, it will continue to be rewarding.
“Racing is very fickle endeavour, there are many peaks and troughs; sometimes you wonder whether it is worth it or not but the work has to continue and then comes along a Wow Wow or a Ron Ron or a Bigman In Town and faith is restored along with the winning smiles on the faces of the people at the stables and of course, family members.
“Winning 600 races is not possible without very strong support by family and I have that support,” a now appreciative Subratie stated.
Subratie offered that apart from those who work at the stables and family, there is another very important element in the racing mix and that is the owner.
“Over the many years, I have been in racing, I have been blessed with some outstanding owners. These are the people who spend the money, they are the gateway to success and as a trainer, the job becomes much easier when you have the right owners and that is what I have had since I started to condition horses,” Subratie stated.
Commenting on the performance of Crimson, Subratie said: “Crimson is a lovely horse but has had a number of problems. He has had pneumonia, a number of virus issues along with a number of other drawbacks.
“Now, he is coming around quite nicely and this is really encouraging and the task is to keep him healthy for future engagements,” Subratie ended.
