Farrier to winning trainer

WHEN Gaetan Delon arrived in Tasmania seven years ago he was oblivious to horse racing.

The former Frenchman even admitted he was “scared of horses” when he first stepped foot in a stable on the North-West Coast.

But in Devonport yesterday, Delon captured his first winner as a trainer at his first attempt to suggest he has a bright future in the caper.

The aptly named Gamble In Paris (David Pires) delivered a brilliant first-up effort to score an emphatic win in the

Goodstone Group 3YO Maiden over 1150m.

Delon’s seven-year journey that led him to training in his own right is a result of a friendship he developed with top mentor John Keys, who runs a breeding-training operation at Wesley Vale.

When Delon, 26, arrived in Tasmania in December 2013, he was looking for work and found employment at Keys’ property.

“I knew nothing about horses, and I was a bit afraid of them first-up, but I was keen to work and John began teaching me to ride and he taught me about the horse racing business,” Delon said.

“I eventually took up being a farrier and that became my main source of income, but I was very keen to be a trainer and John was a fantastic teacher.”

Delon not only fell in love with Tasmania and the racing game, he fell in love with Keys’ daughter Amber, who he married and together they have a son, Wesley.

“We just moved into our new house, so this has been a fantastic week for our family,” he said.

Gamble In Paris had his first start in the Tasmanian Magic Millions 2YO Classic in February, which was to be his first start for Delon, but a delay with paperwork prevented the horse from running in his name.

“He is a nice horse that has ability, and hopefully he can win again,” he said.

STAR Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey will return home after finishing out of a place in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday.

Mystic Journey was lining up for the second time this preparation and found a suitable racing surface (good 3), but after enjoying a cosy run in fourth to the home turn she failed to run on and finished 10th to Behemoth, beaten almost six lengths.

“She will come home this week and I’ll make an assessment before making any further race plans,” Trinder said.

Mystic Journey met an unsuitable rain-affected (soft 6) track first-up in the P. B. Lawrence when eighth of 11 and beaten 4.5 lengths but on Saturday she raced on a suitable surface and started from a good gate (4).

Trinder said he had the Makybe Diva Stakes on the drawing board as well as the Group 1 $1 million Empire Rose (1600m) in November but those plans are on hold.”