Canberra racing stalwart Barbara Joseph said she was "gobsmacked" to receive the Special Recognition Award honouring her career earlier this week at the NSW Country and Provincial Awards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
She said the award was a special recognition from her peers and an opportunity to reflect on how far and wide her racing has taken her.
"I sat down and had a look at all the race tracks that I've been on and it's quite surprising," said Joseph. "I've won the Darwin Cup, I've won races in Melbourne, I've run races in Brisbane and on every track in Sydney.
"I added up that in the whole of NSW I've raced horses on 37 tracks, and that's not counting Victoria, Brisbane, or Darwin," she said.
Joseph was the first woman to win the prestigious Doncaster Mile and has been a pioneer in the sport but she said her greatest joy is finding bargain horses to make the industry more accessible to the everyday person.
"I usually buy them and come home and sell them," she said. "I get great pleasure from breaking them in, getting them going and getting them to win races. And then to see the joy on the owners' faces."
Joseph's ability to develop young horses has transcended to personnel with many of Canberra's premier trainers beginning their careers underneath her including Luke Pepper, Nick Olive, and Scott Collings.
Joseph and her training partner, son Paul Jones, continue to be well trusted with thoroughbreds and will unveil another star import on Friday, Overdane.
The 7-year-old gelding has had a strong career racing in Hong Kong amassing nearly $600,000 in prizemoney.
"He's a get back and get home horse, I'm looking forward to him racing and seeing if he's more competitive when he gets into the race," Joseph said.
"But he's a lovely looking horse and I'm very happy that the owners gave us the chance to train him."
Overdane will come up against stablemate Bank On Henry in the Tony Campbell Memorial Cup, a race honouring the life of the much-admired former race caller.
"Tony Campbell and I were the best of mates, we were really close," Joseph said. "He did a lot for my career and he was just so good for Canberra racing.
"He really was the voice of Canberra racing and he's sadly missed."
The race coincides with the popular Student Race Day at Thoroughbred Park.
