James Joseph Atkins is a revered name in Queensland racing, but for those who knew him, it was the way the legendary trainer went about his craft which defined him more than the winners he had on the track. In the final Written In the Stars, Jessica Owers talks to those who knew JJ, and witnessed, with fascination, his "old ways".
Born into one of Australia's most famous racing families, Sam Hayes had no shortage of career advice growing up, but it was the words of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, plus the inspiration of his late father Peter, which led him to step in his own direction.
In an industry full of unsung heroes, Basil Nolan doesn’t know why he was singled out for induction into the Queensland Racing Hall Of Fame. But as Jessica Owers reports, Nolan’s experiences in 54 years running Raheen Stud have shaped a perspective which has helped him give back to the thoroughbred industry.
Over 14 years, Emma Cully has become an indispensable and important part of the success of Star Thoroughbreds - the quiet constant beside Denise Martin. So how did this Irish-born daughter of a national hunt trainer end up in the heartbeat of one of Australia’s leading syndication companies? Jessica Owers finds out.
Apache Cat was born to stand out, be it on the racetrack, in the paddock or in retirement, as an ambassador for the industry. As the first equine subject of Written In the Stars, Jessica Owers found out from those closest to him that he was never destined to be "just another brown horse".
Soft-spoken and studiously modest, Adrian Bott has spent a decade alongside Gai Waterhouse shaping Tulloch Lodge’s modern chapter. He talks to Jessica Owers about balancing pressure and expectation, all the while proving the quietest voices in racing can still command the highest respect.
As a kid, Elliott Walden thought his farm life in Kentucky was boring, but after a detour via the training ranks, he became, through his association with WinStar farm, one of the most successful and revered figures in American breeding and bloodstock. He reflects on his journey with Jessica Owers in Written In the Stars.
Amid the ups and downs of the thoroughbred breeding game, the coming, and going, of two champion stallions and personal upheaval, Gray Williamson remains content on the same Western Australian farm where he grew up. He tells Jessica Owers, there is much to be positive about.
In the century of selling at the National Yearling Sale, there have been few figures as significant as Michael Floyd. In this week's Written In the Stars, Jessica Owers speaks to the man whose vision brought the iconic sales complex at Karaka to life.
A glorified 'hay shed' built on a six-acre plot of flat land between a racecourse and a swamp becomes the epicentre of the Australian thoroughbred industry every January. Jessica Owers looks at how Magic Millions' Bundall bush block became an Australian racing icon.
