Growing up in a family where early mornings and long days around horses was more a way of life than just a job, Josh Brown always seemed destined to follow his father and uncles’ footsteps into racing.
The Kalgoorlie-born local, who is now based at the Bay of Isles, has had a life-long passion for racing, which drives him each day as he prepares for this Saturday’s opening meeting at the Esperance Bay Turf Club (EBTC).
“Training is a job, but it’s also a passion,” Josh Brown explained.
“You’ve got to enjoy it, otherwise it’s not much fun getting out of bed at 4:30am every morning. We do it because we love it.”
Brown comes from a proud family of Goldfields horsemen, including his father Rod – widely known as “Freddo” – and uncles Rickie and the late Robert.
After more than a decade working in his father’s stable, Brown took the plunge into full-time training.
“I learnt my craft with Dad in Kalgoorlie,” Brown said.
“Then I moved to Esperance 10 years ago, where I started pre-training a few horses for him, and eventually, I transitioned into full-time training here.”
Leading into the upcoming EBTC season, which will be highlighted by the $100,000 Esperance Cup on March 2, Brown has a team of about 20 gallopers and is touting four-year-old mare Rebel Squaw as the one to watch.
“Rebel Squaw won her maiden as a three-year-old here last year and has matured up since then – she will be a nice one to follow,” he said.
“We’ve restricted our numbers down in terms of horses and we’re trying to aim more for quality and get a few more winners.
“We’re still looking for our Esperance Cup horse – to have a live chance in the race is our main goal for the season.”
Racing in the Goldfields-Esperance region accounts for $54.3 million out of the $1.3 billion the industry contributes to the State’s economy each year.
For Brown, training at the renowned holiday destination, “where the surf meets the turf”, provides the ideal work-life balance.
His stable is located at the racecourse, which he said allows him to better manage his full-time work commitments at the local TAFE while training his team of horses.
“In Esperance, the facilities and proximity are the biggest ace,” Brown said.
“You have the inside grass gallop track, you can ride or swim them at the beach – it’s a beautiful place to train from.
“We’ve always encouraged other trainers to come down to Esperance. Essentially, they’re opposition to us, but we always welcome visiting trainers on course.
“In this day and age in racing and in life as a whole, people can be too serious and competitive. You have to remember, it is an industry, but it is fun as well.”