Episode 449: Jason Deamer

Many experienced owners speak highly of Newcastle’s Jason Deamer who resists the temptation to increase the size of his stable. In twenty years of training, the third generation horseman has rarely exceeded twelve horses. His winners and strike rate have remained constant for all of that time. We caught up with the former jockey recently to look back on his racing life. Jason begins by reviewing four consecutive recent wins by the very talented Hard To Say. He talks of his association with Dynamic Syndications who put together an all female syndicate to race Hard To Say. The third generation horseman talks of a recent hit and run trip to Doomben with another Dynamic horse Awesome Lad. Jason says his Newcastle stables have been in the family for many years. He talks of his father John Deamer who enjoyed success as a jockey and trainer before going into the horse transport business. Jason reflects on the riding achievements of his grandfather Carl Deamer who passed away in 2006. Despite his strong pedigree Jason says he had little interest in becoming a jockey in his early years.  He recalls weighing only 42 kgs when he made his riding debut in 1990. Jason vividly recalls his first winning ride at Newcastle on a horse with a strong family connection. He looks back on a brief stint with Tiger Holland and Betty Lane at Randwick. The forty seven year old recalls opportunities he declined from some high profile stables. He looks back on the decision to join the Denham stable at Rosehill. He was actually apprenticed to Allan Denham, but inevitably came under the influence of the legendary Jack. Jason remembers a Rosehill win on Fitting in the Geoff and Beryl White colours. He wore the same colours on Jetball, the horse he says was the best he rode during his time with the Denham stable. He has fond memories of a Hawkesbury win on Sword for syndicator Shelley Hancox. After quitting the saddle he got to take the same horse to Adelaide for two important races. Sword won both. Jason was chuffed a few months ago when the recently retired Allan Denham sent him a horse to train. On leaving the Denham family Jason returned to Newcastle where he became a full time trackwork rider for the late Max Lees. He looks back on a fleeting comeback to race riding. Jason tells the story of his association with owner/trainer David Throsby who was struggling to get work riders at Cessnock. He looks back on an exciting trip to the Gold Coast with Lovely Jubly. The filly won the Magic Millions. Jason remembers a second trip to Queensland with the grey filly. This time she won two Gr 1’s. He was later given the opportunity to train Lovely Jubly in his own right. He recalls the excitement of a near miss in a Gr 1 at Rosehill. The Newcastle horseman acknowledges some of the handy horses who’ve helped him along the way. Jason pays tribute to a few of his favourite jockeys. He talks of Decroux, the very first horse he got to train for Dynamic Syndications. Jason talks of three adult children from his first marriage- Jordan, Montana and Jenson. He and wife Tanya are the proud parents of eight year old Jackson who gets special mention in our podcast. Great to catch up with a highly regarded trainer.