Covid restrictions currently being enforced in the Liverpool LGA caused one Warwick Farm trainer a great deal of anguish on Saturday. Horse loving Lauri Parker would have given anything to be at Randwick with her five year old stallion Torrens, but was obliged to watch the race at home with husband Matt Parker.
“We were able to arrange for a strapper to meet the horse transport on arrival,” said Lauri. “My friend Lucy Singleton whose husband Scott had a runner in the TAB Highway, was kind enough to saddle him up.
It was then up to apprentice Ellen Hennessy to take him around in the 2400m BM78. She gave him a dream run and I was pretty confident as they neared the turn. I know it wasn’t a field of superstars but it was good to see him put them away by a big margin.”
Torrens posted a margin of almost 4 lengths in winning the BM78 at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Lauri had been pretty deflated when she left Kembla on August 14th after Torrens had run a dismal race behind Crystal Pegasus in a BM78. “In all fairness they ran a track record and Jay Ford told me he was never travelling,” she said. “He’s a horse who appreciates the slower tempo of a 2400m race, when he can get up on the bit and travel within himself. Saturday’s race worked out perfectly.”
Lauri was surprised earlier this year when she received a phone call from Vincent Balasubramaniam asking her to train an emerging stayer called Torrens for he and partner Michael Graham. “The horse had raced sixteen times on the NSW northern rivers and in Queensland for five wins and three placings including a BM78 at Eagle Farm,” said Lauri. “He’d been well trained and well placed by Ballina trainer Ethan Ensby, but the owners were keen to try him from a Sydney base.”
Young Lauri Wray grew up with her parents Jenny and Geoff and her only sibling Graham on a four hectare property at Hoxton Park, not far from Warwick Farm. Hopelessly addicted to horses from an early age, she quickly graduated from pony club to show jumping and eventing. The sporting events appealed greatly to the gifted young rider because they gave her the opportunity to travel at a speed she regarded as “respectable”.
Lauri was fifteen years old when her contact with racing animals began. She had lengthy stints with harness horse trainers Peter Morris and David Caffyn, followed by a brief association with polo ponies. The highlight of that involvement was an enjoyable few weeks working as a groom at a major polo tournament conducted at Kerry Packer’s famous Ellerston Pastoral Station in the Hunter Valley.
It was no surprise when the gifted young rider gravitated to the schooling of thoroughbreds at Crown Lodge’s beautifully appointed Belmont Park spelling and pre-training property at North Richmond. After a thoroughly rewarding year Lauri decided to offer her services as a full time trackwork rider at the busy Hawkesbury track where she was later offered an apprenticeship by expatriate Kiwi trainer Brian Smith.
Lauri Wray, the jockey! She went on to ride 100 winners after beginning her career with Brian Smith - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“I was left to manage about ten horses when Brian took Simigan north for the Brisbane Cup in 2002,” said Lauri. The horse missed a place in the Brisbane Cup and then broke down in the Tatt’s Cup. When Brian was told not to travel the horse for six weeks, he decided to remain in Brisbane and asked me to bring the rest of the team up from Hawkesbury. Brisbane racing gave Brian a whole new career and got me started as a jockey.”
Lauri Wray was having her tenth ride in a race when her magical first winner came along. She won a Cl 1 event at the Sunshine Coast on the Smith trained Mr. Baadot. She was destined to win another two races on the Anabaa gelding over the next couple of months. At age 24 and with ten winners under the belt, Wray decided on a complete change of direction.
Before long she was in England “riding out” for such training luminaries as Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket and Barry Hills at Lambourn. She later found her way to Ireland where she spent valuable time under the tutelage of the legendary horseman Dessie Hughes. “I didn’t have a race ride in the UK but treasured the opportunity to learn from those great horsemen,” said Lauri.
With only half of her apprenticeship completed in Australia, Lauri was grateful to be signed up by David Pfeiffer at Warwick Farm. She later spent some time with Michelle Russell at Wagga, and during this period rode a number of winners on southern tracks. She was chuffed to receive an invitation to ride in a couple of races in Bangkok where her luck turned sour. The first of her two rides on the day came to grief, and Lauri returned to Australia with nothing but a broken collar bone for her trouble.
Following a brief convalescence she was fortunate to gain a start with Goulburn trainer Ken Callaghan. After a year with a horseman she regards as one of the best she’s known, Lauri then had a short stint with Warwick Farm trainer Mario Caltabiano. “My race riding was open to improvement at that time, and it was Mario who provided the solution,’ said Lauri. “He told me of a position coming up with former top jockey Mark De Montfort and strongly recommended I apply for the job.
“It’s the best thing I ever did. Not only was Mark an outstanding jockey, he’s also an excellent tutor. I give him most of the credit for the fact that I finished up riding 100 winners. He supplied my first city winner Setgo at Canterbury in 2011, and gave me the wonderful opportunity to ride a horse called McClintock in three Melbourne races. We ran second in the listed Testa Rossa, third in the Gr 3 Moonga Stakes and finished unplaced in the other. I won a number of city races on Zakynthos Imprintz and Mr Tipsy, and one day at Warwick Farm they both won on the same programme. A city double was pretty special.”
Lauri's first city winner as a jockey at Canterbury 28/10/2011. Setgo (outside) gets home by a nose from Rampart - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In the months ahead Lauri would try to please too many people in too many places. Between trackwork, trials, widespread race meetings and the rigours of the sweat box she suddenly found herself with a bout of adrenal exhaustion. “It came at the wrong time because I was getting a lot of rides from some of the bigger Warwick Farm stables,” said Lauri. “I wasn’t coping and decided on a long rest before I did any damage. During that break my weight got out of hand and the writing was on the wall.”
Any jockey turned trainer will tell you that the thrill of preparing a winner is very different to the thrill of riding one, but a special moment nevertheless. Lauri first experienced the adrenaline rush at Kembla Grange on Nov 16th 2013 when Letitbewonderful won a Cl 2 with old friend Winona Costin in the saddle. “The fact that the trainer does the work and the worrying makes it quite different,” she said. “It’s a hell of a kick.”
The start of a new career! Lauri with Winona Costin after her first training win with Letitbewonderful at Kembla - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
A $5000 purchase brought a handy filly into Lauri’s world albeit after many moments of frustration. She acquired the Bon Hoffa filly as a yearling but had to wait almost two years to get her to the races. Named Allez Chival, the filly was chronically shin sore three times and later prone to soft palate displacement, but possessed a ton of talent. She eventually won five races including one at Canterbury and posted no less than seven metropolitan placings. “I needed a multiple winner at that stage of my career and she was heaven sent,” said the trainer.
Parker shares a twenty four horse barn at Warwick Farm with Annabel Neasham. The stables and residence were previously occupied by Kevin Berry and his twin sons Tommy and Nathan. Lauri actually lives in the house with Matt, her husband of two years and father of her thirteen months old baby girl Indie Rose. “The baby spends a lot of time with me at the stables and I’ll swear she already has a liking for horses,” said the proud Mum.
Another training win for Lauri! Tim Clark gets Lord Kingsley home at Rosehill 18/11/2017 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Since the days of Allez Chival Lauri has diligently chipped away making the most of limited opportunities. She continues to ride a great deal of trackwork and has proven on many occasions to be an excellent judge of a gallop. With twelve horses in work she needs reliable help. Cindy Bento, Daljit Sing, Sachin Sachin, Ataliaya Gould and Sarah Post provide that help.
Few realised that Saturday’s win with Torrens gave the thirty nine year old her first Randwick success as a trainer or jockey. “I’ve trained and ridden winners on the other three Sydney metropolitan tracks, but there’s something about Randwick that gives you goosebumps,” said Lauri. “There’s no doubt Torrens loves the longer trip. He’ll get another crack at 2400m in a BM78 at Rosehill Gardens on September 11th pending protocols. God knows where they’ll be racing by mid September.”
For horse trainers Sydney racing is a tough grind. The necessary prerequisites are an appetite for hard work and an undying passion for the animal. Lauri Parker qualifies on both counts.
Lauri Wray and San Zaim were airborne near the post in this Rosehill win 09/06/2012 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Back to scale at a deserted Randwick. Ellen Hennessy and Torrens - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)