He's allergic to horses and his success is nothing short of extraordinary - The Lagoon's Steve Turnbull has just become the first person in Australia to train 4000 winners in the harness racing industry.
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Mr Turnbull brought up the massive milestone when his horse You Cannot Hide won at Parkes on Saturday, June 25.
Harness racing has always been a family affair for the Turnbulls, so it was fitting that Mr Turnbull's son Mitch took the reins to bring up the highly anticipated victory.
It was also Mitch's 400th driving win, which was the cherry on the cake that's been 50 years in the making.
Mr Turnbull's life was only ever going to revolve around horses, with his father Tony 'AD' Turnbull a harness racing legend.
AD and Hondo Grattan, or the 'Bathurst Bulldog' as he was fondly known as, took the racing scene by storm.
But before 'Hondo', Mr Turnbull recalls a horse named Miniature Bill.
He remembers the family taking the horse to South Australia for the Inter Dominion - the most prestigious event in harness racing - and being stopped on the way over because they had goats aboard the float as well.
"We had to take two goats with us because I was allergic to cow milk," Mr Turnbull said.
"We got into trouble somewhere between here and South Australia because the bloke said 'There's no goats allowed', so they had to wait until he left and then they got the goats through."
Funnily enough, Mr Turnbull is also allergic to horses, not that he's let that stop him.
At the age of 14, around 12 months away from being able to get his training licence, Mr Turnbull recalls pestering his dad for a horse.
He got his wish, but the road to success wasn't easy as he was given a horse that had barely been handled.
However, after some hard work and a few close calls with the horse being hard to control, Radiant Group gave Mr Turnbull his first taste of training success.
He then went on to compete against some of the best.
"I was wiping up one night and Dad was washing and I kept hounding him, 'I want a horse to train Dad, I get my licence next year'," Mr Turnbull said.
"He said you can have that old bay gelding over in the paddock. It was a three-year-old and had only been half taught to lead.
"The next night I got home at about half past nine for tea and Dad said, 'Where in the flaming hell have you been? You didn't bring that blurry horse home did you?'
"I was riding my pony and he wouldn't lead off the pony, so I had to get off and walk them back, it was about three kilometres and he wouldn't lead."
From wrangling the unhandled horse home as day turned to dusk, to running third in an Inter Dominion heat and then selling him to race America, Radiant Group gave Mr Turnbull a great introduction the industry that engulfed his life.
With a career that has spanned half a century and seen him accumulate more wins than anyone else in the industry, Mr Turnbull has worked with some brilliant horses.
He recalls pacers like Lead On Lea, On The Track Again and Robyn Loggy as being some of the early standouts.
Smooth Dixie and Fierce Allegiance were other Mr Turnbull was also very fond of, with Smooth Dixie giving him his first Group One victory and Fierce Allegiance winning Penrith's annual Renshaw Cup in 2006.
Other standouts include: Atomic Red; Conviction; Runaway Red; My Dusky Sound NZ; Im Blue Double Dee; Joes Star Of Mia; Four Trumps; Royal Surprise; Courtsinsession; Mouse In The House; Pixies Parlour; Smooth Baht; Art Series and Myra Dawn.
Mr Turnbull said he knows there's some he's missed from that list, but he's grateful for every owner and every horse he's seen success with.
But there is one that stands as his clear favourite and brought him more joy than any other runner - Smooth Satin, or 'Socks' as he was fondly known.
"He was the best. He could sit, he could sprint, he could do whatever you wanted. He'd always give his best," Mr Turnbull said.
"We lined up in his first race and I let him sit out in the death because he was pretty relaxed.
"About half way down the straight I thought Colin McDowell had me, he was out in front and going. I was about a half length behind him and I pulled the ear plugs and he [Smooth Satin] jumped about a metre sideways and went past the leader at 100 miles an hour.
"We lived the dream from there on."
Mr Turnbull and Smooth Satin combined to win two of the most prestigious races in Australasian Harness Racing - The Inter Dominion and the Miracle Mile.
Mr Turnbull said his Inter Dominion victory provided the biggest buzz of his career.
Having now won almost every major feature race there is to win in the industry, a derby still escapes Mr Turnbull's grasp and is at the top of his bucket list.
"I'd love to win a derby, that's my aim at the moment," he said.
Through all the ups and downs of the rollercoaster ride that is horse racing, Mr Turnbull has always had family by his side.
He thanked his wife Jenny first and foremost.
Being married for over 40 years, she has been a rock through hard times, rejoiced with him during their successes and always been his biggest supporter.
Mr Turnbull said his parents and in-laws were very good to them, as were their own children Jack Butler, Nathan, Josh, Amanda and Mitch who are now highly successful trainers and drivers themselves.
"Jack Butler, he's like a foster child to us, he's up in Queensland now and going enormous," Mr Turnbull said.
"Nathan had a break for a bit but he's back now and going really well.
"Josh does all the breaking in, he goes from daylight to dark some days, and has a few of his own that have been winning races.
"Amanda is just a gifted driver, the horses have always run for her. And Mitch is driving better than he ever has at the moment I think."
Mr Turnbull also thanked the dedicated staff he's had over the years, many of who have become part of the family.
Now the team embark on the road to 5000.
Mr Turnbull is unsure if he'll get there, but is eager to enjoy the journey.
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Amy Rees
Journalist at the Western Advocate in Bathurst since May, 2021.
Journalist at the Western Advocate in Bathurst since May, 2021.
