Trainer saddled with love of horses that continues after racing
LIFE as a trainer was not always on the cards for Joanna Hassett but, as is the case with many racing families, she evolved into the role.
And the journey has fuelled a passion for horses beyond the racetrack.
The Townsville-based trainer’s father and grandfathers were all trainers, so being on the scene was inevitable.
Since then she has broadened her horizons further than picking up wins on the course by rehoming horses after their racing days.
“I think as soon as a horse comes into the stable I’m straight away thinking: ‘It’d be useful for this, or wouldn’t be for this,’ ” Hassett said.
“We get a bad name in racing for things that have been shown on television, but I like to make a difference by finding them the right home and giving them the love and the after-racing care they all deserve, because they really do.
“They try their heart out for you while they’re racing and they deserve to go on to bigger and better things, which they all can.”
Hassett has brought on a small team to assist her and her stable, enabling her to adopt a more hands-on approach to the way her horses are trained.
She believes close contact is important for a trainer to avoid losing touch with racers.
Her efforts led to a win at the most recent Cluden races, where Ceebiz Kit returned from a 33-week spell to claim the 1000m 0-58 handicap.
Prior to the race, Hassett said the five-year-old gelding’s time in the Tablelands had reaped benefits.
She has steadily built a close contingent in Townsville’s racing community, one method being to keep her training fees “pretty competitive” to encourage the “ordinary person” to get involved and buy shares in a horse.
Hassett said by doing so it gets more people entertained by the industry and strengthens the community she has developed around her.
“I’ve also got a lot of people who were lost to racing to come back and buy a horse just as an interest,” she said.
“It’s really rewarding seeing them so happy to follow their horse, whether they come mid field, last or it wins and then they get their families involved, and they get the next generation involved.
“I think a lot of people have been lost to the game and it’s because of the price point.
“It’s getting a lot higher for the normal person, and also they just lost interest.”