Mark Newnham, New South Wales racing, the whip and the 'eccentric genius' of Gai Waterhouse

Idol Horse Podcast

When it was announced that Mark Newnham would be headed to Hong Kong at age 55 he was adamant it was a 'one way ticket' and he would train there until he retired.

Mark had worked in Sydney racing for the previous 40 years, in stables, as a mature-aged apprentice, then jockey, assistant and trainer, so we thought he'd be the perfect person to provide some perspective on racing in New South Wales, where prizemoney is booming, but independent and educated industry views are sometimes hard to find.

Mark also talks about the whip: do jockeys need to carry a whip in a race as an instrument of safety? He tells us why racing should always place the horse as hero when it comes to marketing, we touch on Australian racing's staffing issues, marketing racing careers and Mark's philosophy in guiding apprentice jockeys, something he was famous for at Randwick.

Then there are Mark's influences: the eccentric genius of Gai Waterhouse and her superstar Pierro, Bart Cummings and Mark's father John, an old-school newspaper man who introduced his son to racing and the characters of Sydney horse racing media at a young age.

00:00 Introduction to Mark Newnham's journey

03:02 The unique challenges of training in Hong Kong

06:05 Prizemoney is great, but what would Mark change about racing in New South Wales?

09:04 Staffing issues in the racing industry

11:53 Mark's philosophy on guiding apprentices

14:46 Mark Newnham's career as a jockey

18:12 Influences: The 'eccentric genius' of Gai Waterhouse, Bart Cummings and Mark's father John

21:00 What makes a champion like Pierro different?

23:56 The Future of horse racing and promoting the horse as hero

26:53 Whip use: is the whip necessary for jockey and horse safety?

29:56 Goals for the upcoming Hong Kong season