Tired of old ways of racing
SICK of being so tired that he often can’t even enjoy the afterglow of winning a race, Group 1 winning conditioner David Vandyke is stepping up his crusade for later start times for trainers.
“I am always tired and I am sick of being always tired,” Vandyke says.
“I will win a race and all I want to do is go home and fall asleep.
“The reasons why trainers used to get up so early, which probably date back to when a lot of trainers weren’t stabled on course and some had other jobs and had to get their horses worked before everyone else’s day started, aren’t valid anymore.
“It’s not healthy to be deprived of sleep and it affects my mood, the way I think, and often it has knock-on impacts for trainers.
“It predisposes us to increase our caffeine intake and our sugar intake.
“We are more prone to diabetes, obesity, heart disease. It’s very unhealthy not to get enough sleep.”
Vandyke is based on the Sunshine Coast and is in regular dialogue with Turf Club officials about being able to work horses later and thus get more sleep.
Currently, he says, the Sunshine Coast track must close between 8am and 8.30am each morning because of maintenance and renovation work to tracks including the inside grass track.
But he is hopeful that when the renovations finish, track officials will agree to his request to leave it open later in the mornings so he and other trainers can start later.
There is general consensus in the industry about the desire for later start times, especially in an era where working hours are longer than ever with increasing numbers of twilight and night meetings.
However there is no onesize-fits-all approach as different tracks are governed by different restrictions and closing times.
But as a general rule, Vandyke says even pushing start times to one hour later could make a significant difference in the life of a trainer.
“Currently I have to get up at 2.15am to get my horses worked in time and when I only get four or five hours sleep, when in this industry am I going to catch up on sleep?” Vandyke said.
“Ideally, I would like to start a couple of hours later.
“If I started at 5am or something, it would be ideal as that allows us to have sleep in until 4am or something. But even an extra hour would make a lot of difference.
“If I get an extra hour of sleep every night, then by the end of the week that is almost an extra full night of sleep.
“People have to remember that if I have a runner at Ipswich
and I am getting home from the races at 7pm or 8pm, I can’t just walk in the door and go straight to sleep.
“And if we are also going to be racing at night and having twilight meetings, we have just got to bring a bit of balance into it all.”
Vandyke, who found himself in hospital last year after being ordered there by his doctor because of chest pain, believes many trainers and
staff are struggling with trying to balance a demanding workload while operating on very little sleep.
He has been frustrated by the push for more night racing, but if it is here to stay he insists trainers and their staff must start their working days later.
He remains in discussions with Turf Club officials on his home track about his push for later start times.