Katrina McAdam describes herself as a hobby trainer who felt the ”need for speed” from a very young age when riding at the Riddells Creek Pony Club.
For the past 12 years she has dabbled with racehorses, mainly at picnic events.
She said at Riddell she found participating in pony club novelty events and showing horses was too slow, and in her teens she eventually graduated to mountain racing where horses had to be tough and fit.
“I just loved horses,” McAdam said.
The lure of working with thoroughbreds enticed her to find work at thoroughbred racing and breeding establishments in the Macedon Ranges.
Riding trackwork, and doing all the things required of a stablehand, only reinforced her ambition to gain a restricted trainer’s licence.
Initially she worked with Pat Carey at Huntly Lodge, and later spent time at Eliza Park and Macedon Lodge.
McAdam’s father Bob Brown wasn’t a keen horseman, but his 12-acre Riddell property was ideal for McAdam’s gallopers.
“Dad was more interested in motorbikes, and he’s bred donkeys.”
WIN AT BALLARAT
The Kyneton-listed owner-trainer was thrilled to win a Ballarat Synthetic Maiden over 1400m with her latest purchase, Drain The Swamp, earlier this month.
McAdam paid $8000 for the four-year-old early this year, liking some of the galloper’s early form on synthetic tracks.
Having not raced for five months, Drain The Swamp has had four runs for McAdam, all on the synthetic track at Ballarat.
Two starts back, he led over 1400m and fought on well to run second, giving McAdam confidence for his next start – and this was vindicated.
From barrier 1, jockey Jason Maskiell went to the front and the $5.50 chance was always in control, striding clear to win impressively by four lengths.
McAdam had the temporary distraction of being called before the stewards to explain a clinical blood sample taken from the galloper the day before, in breach of strict time rules.
The explanation was accepted, and a $750 penalty imposed.
This was all forgotten after the win and $11,388 in prize money, and McAdam is now mapping out when Drain The Swamp will have his next start.
McAdam, whose husband Andrew is a Riddell bricklayer, fondly recalls her first winner – Bismuth – at the RACV Healesville Country Cup in 2009.
The Drouin Cup win with Paterangi in late 2018 was another of her 13 career wins.
Drain The Swamp and stablemate Marsoon are the only two horses McAdam has in work.
