Episode 568: Jane Clement

This week we catch up with another member of the “bush trainer brigade” - those remarkable people who continue to bring  the very best out of horses of limited ability while paying just as much for chaff, oats and associated supplements as their city counterparts. This week’s podcast guest recently relocated from one country location to another. After many successful years at Bendemeer near Tamworth, Jane Clement and husband Rob recently moved to a 50 acre farm at Mendooran. The new location will afford Jane and Rob easy access to many western and northern meetings. The Jane Clement story makes for a very interesting podcast and we’re delighted to have her join us this week. Jane explains the reasons she chose to move out west after a lifetime at Bendemeer. She says her previous training property embraced most of the long defunct Bendemeer racecourse. Undulating terrain gave her horses a beneficial change from flat track training. Jane looks  back on childhood days on the family farm at Bendemeer where horses were a major part of her life. She began riding trackwork at an early age for her maternal grandfather, the legendary Tamworth trainer Merv Corless.  She talks of the lessons learned from her late grandfather. Jane remembers the “iron gelding” Akwazoff who was trained throughout his long career by Merv Corless. She looks back on a short stint as an amateur rider which yielded 25 wins. Her first day as a picnic jockey brought an unexpected surprise. Jane hasn’t forgotten her first win as a professional trainer. She had to go through a fair bit of anguish before the numbers went up. She looks back on her first and only win on a Sydney track. She’s rarely seen in town. Jane talks affectionately of her all time favourite Chrysolaus who posted 6 wins and 7 placings. The trainer looks back on his most important wins.  Jane pays tribute to the late John Clift, owner of Chrysolaus and the breeder of champion Gunsynd. The trainer explains her unrelenting loyalty to female jockeys. She acknowledges some of the girls who’ve helped her along the way. Like many bush trainers Jane is a regular user of the bi-monthly Inglis Digital auction. She talks of several bargain buys sourced in recent years. Jane is justifiably proud of her son Braith Nock, last season’s champion Sydney apprentice jockey. She looks back on his early experience as a bull rider. She brings us up to date on the progress of Braith’s sister Dana who’s apprenticed to Brett and Georgie Cavanough Cavanough at Scone. Jane talks of the wide range of tracks within reach of her new training property at Mendooran.  She talks of the mode of transport used to get her horses to the races. Jane says a recent win at Tamworth tugged her heartstrings. A nice chat with a trainer who’s been in the company of horses most days of her life.