The widely-travelled and experienced Blackiston made the move from Flemington to Ballarat earlier this year and, while the Group 1 winning trainer admits it came sooner than anticipated, he is relishing the new and sometimes chilly challenge.
“It’s been great and they did warn me about the winters, it’s been bloody cold I must admit,” Blackiston told TDNAusNZ.
He was keen on a change of scenery and could also see the writing was on the wall at his former base following the announcement that training is to cease at Caulfield in five years.
Trainer Nigel Blackiston
“I was at Flemington for 16 years and loved every minute of it, but I needed more diversity for the horses and more space,” Blackiston said.
“I was at Flemington for 16 years and loved every minute of it, but I needed more diversity for the horses and more space.” – Nigel Blackiston.
“I believe Flemington will follow suit to Caulfield, which is closing and I don’t think Flemington will be far behind as a training operation.
“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for 18 months, maybe closer to two years.”
In that time, Blackiston held a series of discussions with Ballarat Turf Club Chief Executive Officer Lachlan McKenzie.
“I’d been talking to Lachlan about options that may suit, but this did come up quicker than we had planned after the business with Darren Weir and what happened to him.”
Top facilities
Blackiston relocated to part of the Ballarat complex where the now disqualified Weir had horses pre-trained with facilities including 32 boxes, a horse walker, treadmill and day yards.
“We finished trackwork on the last morning at Flemington and moved the horses up and they settled in straight away,” he said.
The Ballarat hill track
“When we moved the weather was good for a month or so and now winter has crept in, but it’s great.
“The set-up suits us down to the ground. I can trot and hack around in one direction the whole way around the complex and hack up the hill track.
“They can cover three or four kilometres in one exercise. They’ve got sand tracks and the new polytrack, which we’re working and racing on as well.”
Home track double
Blackiston celebrated on that track on Sunday with a winning double, his first home course successes since the move, with Protection Money (Domesday) and Balarante Lad (Fiorente {Ire}) saluting.
“It’s a great training operation. We’re not just going round and round in circles and the same old every day,” Blackiston said.
“The horses enjoy it and it’s one of the main attractions of coming here. I’ve got a walking machine, treadmill and the yards and I never had any of that at Flemington. The horses are out walking around and not getting cold in their boxes.”
The catalyst for Blackiston’s love and passion for racing was his family’s move to Newmarket in England when he was 13.
Weight woes
He landed a part-time job and subsequent apprenticeship with prominent trainer Captain Bruce Hobbs, but increasing weight prematurely ended that career path.
Blackiston was well and truly bitten by the racing bug and gained a position as travelling head lad for trainer Anthony Hide.
He later gained further experience in as assistant trainer to William Mather for Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum before.
Blackiston then spread his wings even further and landed employment with the late Bart Cummings, working with such turf greats as Let’s Elope (NZ) (Nassipour {USA}), Kingston Rule (USA) (Secretariat {USA}) and Shaftesbury Avenue (Salieri {USA}).
Blackiston worked with one of the turf greats in Let's Elope during his time with Bart Cummings
Private trainer
He left Cummings’ operation to be private trainer at Emirates Park Stud and became a leading light in the North and North Western Districts of New South Wales before he was lured back by Cummings in 1996 for a second stint.
As foreman, he worked closely with the outstanding Saintly (Sky Chase {NZ}), Rogan Josh (Old Spice), Dane Ripper (Danehill {USA}), Catalan Opening (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) and Alfa (El Moxie {USA}).
Blackiston and wife Susanna were always keen to establish their own business and he gained his trainer's licence in 2000 and set up at Cranbourne before moving to Flemington three years later.
He is currently working a team of 25, but is confident the move will open up new a client market to boost numbers.
“We want to grow and get better horses, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “I still enjoy the game and I’m still enthusiastic.
“We want to grow and get better horses, that’s what it’s all about.” – Nigel Blackiston.
“We’ve come here to improve the business even more. “We need to get another Littorio or Suavito – that’s what we need.”
Nigel Blackiston with Suavito after winning the G1 Futurity S.
Littorio (Bellotto {USA}) was purchased by Blackiston at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and won the G1 BMW S. and the G1 Turnbull S. and more than $2.5 million.
Suavito (NZ) (Thorn Park) won the G1 Futurity S. and the G1 Orr S. under Blackiston’s guiding hand and earned over $1.3 million.
