Cup winner Trevor still keeping pace at Casey Grange

Former Caulfield Cup winning jockey Trevor, 87, might have said goodbye to his days on the track but he still fits his silks and stays active and competitive in retirement at Bolton Clarke Casey Grange.

Trevor says he could never do anything lightly, from his successful construction career to riding winners on the track, then ballroom dancing and lawn bowls. 

As the youngest of 12 growing up in rural Victoria, he says he knew he was “a little bit competitive and determined” from the moment he decided to start riding.  

“At school I put down that I wanted to be a jockey and a builder when we had to share what we wanted to do when we got older,” Trevor said.

“Time went on and I ended up riding in circuses and the person at the Rex Theatre said that I’d make a good jockey if I went to Melbourne.

“My brother-in-law and sister used to come up to Daylesford, where the family farm was, and they took me down to a racing stable at Mornington.

“That’s when I got my apprenticeship. We started at three in the morning and worked through to 7:30 at night seven days a week, and they put you on probation for six months to see whether you could handle the weather and all the early mornings.”

At the age of 14, Trevor was working seven days a week in the stables getting the horses ready for the track, saddling them up, walking them and cleaning the stables.

“After six months, the boss told me to bring my parents down and I thought that was to take me home, but he signed me up for the full apprenticeship for seven years – I’ve still got the papers!

“Our wages were one pound a week which is the equivalent of $2 now, and they gave you 5 shillings a week and the rest was for your boarding and your food – that’s about 50 cents.”

Trevor would eventually start racing and within only a few years would go on to ride in the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups taking home countless wins.

“I went on and got an A-grade licence to ride and I raced in Victoria. Just before I was 16, I started to ride winners. The first winner was at Seymour and then a couple of weeks later I rode my first winner down the straight 6 at Flemington on a little horse called Emma.”

Trevor was called up for National Service when he was 18 and had to put his apprenticeship on hold for three months while in Puckapunyal.

“After those three months I had to do the rest over two years but I was in and out of the Army all the time, so I rode when I could.

“I went on to win the Caulfield Cup in ’59 and I rode in Melbourne Cups – I rode in my first Melbourne Cup at 16.”

After hanging up his riding boots, Trevor pursued his career in the building industry and has continued to live an active lifestyle well into retirement. 

“As we got older we started to look for something where we could just enjoy life so we decided this was the place for us because it’s quite a nice village.

“We danced for over 20 years in ballroom dancing and I played a lot of golf and lawn bowls as well – I think my lawn bowls team is at the top of the competition at present.”

Now with Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival upon us and in the lead up to Melbourne Cup, Trevor says he will be keeping a close eye on the races.