The goodbye lunches for long serving Sydney Turf Club/Australian Turf Club employee Lindsay Murphy came to a close yesterday when he officially retired from his position, one which commenced with the establishment in 1977.
His last role was recently transferred to racecourse manager Nevesh Ramdhani, who has been appointed as the Australian Turf Club general manager of racecourses.
According to Lindsay - a person who I would "run-into" when attending Sydney races, his parents used to have the races on (via radio) at home while he had an uncle who was a jockey for a time who then also worked in stables, which sparked his interest during his youth.
"I have always liked racing, and there was a job advertised for a junior clerk in the racing office," Lindsay said.
At the time the Sydney Turf Club offices were located in Park Street in the centre of Sydney.
"A bit after that I moved out to the tracks," he said.
Since, Lindsay has been responsible for track care and maintenance, as well as rebuilds of training and course proper surfaces at all of Sydney's racecourses.
He helped steer major projects which included the redesigning and new drainage system at Canterbury in 1998, and more recently to rebuild the racing surface of the Kensington track - the inner circuit, at Royal Randwick.
His diverse roles also included stints as assistant judge and judge, and assistant starter, clerk of the scales and timekeeper.
"It's been great and I love the horse racing side of it and that has made it easy to put up with the hard work at times."
Talking of his memories of good days and horses, Lindsay said that Golden Slipper day has always been a memorable day for him.
"It started with the STC (Sydney Turf Club) and it is now the pinnacle at Rosehill, it is a great day's racing and a highlight every year."
"My favourite racehorse was always Kingston Town, I thought he was the best I've seen, but now Winx is the best I've seen."
Lindsay now intends to take it "a bit easier, but to still go racing."
"We (and wife Bernadette) are moving down to the South Coast and will spend more time with the family and grand-kids."
Bon Hoffa builds sire record
Bon Hoffa - a reliable winner-getting sire, with 62 per cent of his runners being winners - kept building his sire record with talented gallopers emerging last season.
The Queanbeyan prepared Noble Boy has been a standout, winning seven of his nine starts and more than $550,000 in stakes. This being highlighted with wins in the celebrated Country Championship Final at Randwick in April, following by a win at Eagle Farm at the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Noble Boy is now among the favourites for the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko in October.
This is good news for John and Helen North of Bowness Stud as they stand Noble Boy's sire Bon Hoffa at their Young property.
Another stand out is the Bowness Stud bred filly Done By Me who won the Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic in Adelaide in March.
Interestingly an earlier Bon Hoffa product Deiheros also won the Magic Millions Adelaide Two-Year-Old Classic, and went on to win the Magic Millions Three-Year-Old Classic the following January at the Gold Coast's celebrated summer meet. Watch for Done By Me next January.
Already a dual stakes winner, Bons Away (and winner of almost $500,000) is another track star who performed well in Melbourne's major sprint races last spring. Victorian trained he has won six races and had eight placings for $457,000 in earnings.
Prepared at Newcastle by Jason Deamer, Bon Amis has won eight races, was second in Randwick's June Stakes-LR for $465,000.
Bon Hoffa's Group 1 winning son Bon Aurum begins his own stud career in Victoria this season.
Horses' birthday
Happy birthday to all horses around Australia today on August 1.
While a Thoroughbred mare can now have her foal in late July (not as in earlier times when its owner would hide it in the back paddock away from view), August signals foals.
Yarraman Park's Hellbent has reportedly been represented with one of these early foals which was born last week.