As thoroughbred racing in New Zealand gets ready to return from its Covid-19 enforced hiatus those unheralded members of the industry who put in countless hours behind the scenes preparing the equine athletes for battle are champing at the bit to get back to work.
Amongst them is popular horsewoman Lynsey Satherley, who is not a headline name amongst the raceday riding ranks, but is one of the most respected trial and trackwork riders in the business and makes the most of her raceday opportunities.
The mother of two is a regular, six-days-a week fixture at the Cambridge training track where she rides work for the powerful Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable along with assisting any number of smaller training operations.
While Satherley has enjoyed the increased time she has had to spend with husband Derek and daughters Krystle and Sophie over the past five weeks she admits she is more than ready to return to her normal weekday routine.
“To be fair it has been great over the past few weeks with the family as normally you don’t get to see them as much as you would like,” she said.
“On the other hand, it has been tough on the pocket and mentally very draining with the lack of income as there has been no racing.
“We have managed to keep busy during the lockdown and find ways to keep entertained. As a family we used to like to go out for dinner once a fortnight so instead of going out we’ve got dressed up and had a special dinner at home.
“We also have gone out on plenty of family bike rides so I think I’m pretty familiar now with the neighbourhood around here.”
Satherley is taking a wait and see attitude to how the industry will actually operate under the provisions put in place by the government but believes there is plenty that has to happen before racing can recommence in early July.
“There is a lot to do before the racing starts again so I think I will be pretty busy,” she said.
“The first thing will be to get all the horses shod after their break so the farriers will be busy and then track work will start back up.
“I’ve been in touch with Murray (Baker) and Fred Cornege and they are going to be doing a bit next week so I will be there when they need me.
“My husband, who normally works as a barrier attendant, also does a bit of trackwork so he will be there to help out as well to get some money coming in as it has been tough with no work for well over a month.”
While she struggles to attract a large number of rides on raceday Satherley derives the bulk of her income riding between 12-15 horses a morning at trackwork and twenty or more on trial day so she is keen to see how any new protocols put in place by racing’s governing body is going to affect how she operates in the workplace.
“I’m not one hundred percent on how raceday is going to work but I just can’t wait for it to get up and going,” she said.
“There will be new measures everywhere but if we take a leaf out of Australia’s book and follow the protocols they have at the race and training tracks we should be right.
“It’s going to be tough but us Kiwis are pretty resolute.
“I’ve got a young family to provide for so I’ve got to keep my head down and bum up to get us going again.”
