Gai Waterhouse: Simply Unstoppable

Gai Waterhouse is a force of nature, an irreplaceable celebrity with a voice and opinion that demands attention. Born and raised in racing but made to fight for her place in the sport, Waterhouse has never been afraid to speak up, and when she speaks people listen.

This has been ‘Gai’s way’ for over thirty years and slowing down is simply not on the agenda for Gai.
“I like that I’m still a part of the sport, I like that people value my opinion and want to interview me or talk to me about racing. I’m having too much fun to retire,” said Waterhouse.

Waterhouse’s energy is infectious. She approaches life with an inimitable zest that along with her remarkable success as a trainer, has seen her become an icon of Australian sport.

She broke the mould of what a horse trainer could be thanks to her confidence, availability and willingness to promote the sport, let alone her exuberant post-race celebrations, and broke through racing’s glass ceiling in doing so. Waterhouse has transcended the sport to become an adored household name.

The daughter of one of Australian racing’s most celebrated trainers, T.J Smith, Waterhouse is 32 years into her own fabled training career from the family’s Tulloch Lodge stables at Randwick with 134 Group 1 wins in her own name and another 26 added since joining forces with training partner Adrian Bott.

In an interview in 2017, Waterhouse noted that her father had “died with his boots on, and so will I”. Training horses is what she was born to do.

“When I talk to people about retirement, I tell them the moment that you take that shingle down from outside the door you shut yourself off from so many opportunities. Work is such a big part of our lives, so many relationships come through work. If you enjoy it and you are able, why not keep going?” she said.

Balance is the key for Waterhouse these days as she manages the demands of her brand and business as well as her growing family. She may be the most recognisable face in Australian racing, but Waterhouse is also a mum and a grandmother, and it is a responsibility that she takes just as seriously.

With husband Robbie, Waterhouse has watched on with pride as son Tom and daughter Kate have written their own success stories, Tom as a respected figure in the investment and wagering industry and Kate as a journalist, model and author.

The arrival of grandchildren, five in total, three to Tom and wife Hoda and two to Kate and husband Luke, has given Waterhouse cause to pause more often from the business of racing and focus on the joys of family.

Family holidays, school events, pony club visits and family dinners are all on the calendar on regular rotation. There is always time for family.

“Robbie and I are very, very lucky that our son and daughter both have beautiful partners, a loving wife and husband, and they’ve given us the most fabulous grandchildren,” said Waterhouse.

“I’m grateful that I’m in a position to mix training and family life, to be able to share time together is so lovely. It’s so important for the children to have that relationship but I can tell you it’s just as important for Robbie and I.”

In a way, Bott has been the catalyst to facilitate that freedom.

Bott was just 29 years old when he became Waterhouse’s training partner. He grew up on renowned thoroughbred nursery Segenhoe Stud before attending university, a brief flirtation as a cadet steward, and then the Darley Flying Start program.

After graduating from Darley Flying Start, Bott found himself working at Tulloch Lodge as an assistant racing manager with Waterhouse quickly recognising his potential.

“I’m very proud of him, not just with what he has done with racing but of him as a person. He has a lovely wife and they’ve expecting a child. It’s exciting to see what he is doing with his life,” Waterhouse said.

“He’s a very good trainer, very professional and very methodical. Adrian and I work extremely well together, and we complement each other. He has taken a leading role day to day which allows me to concentrate on certain things with the horses and with the business. It’s really worked out so well.”

Also working out well are the winners, and lots of them. At the time of writing Waterhouse and Bott had landed 1224 winners across their eight-year partnership, 186 of those at Group or Listed level, and 26 of those at the elite level. More impressive perhaps is their strike rate of 18%, a phenomenal return considering the sheer size of their stable and the weight of competition on the Australian circuit.

The hallmark of Waterhouse’s success is her ability to coach precocious young horses to incredible feats, and perhaps there is no better trainer of two-year-olds in Australian racing history. Eight Golden Slipper trophies speak to that fact, the latest coming in March when Lady Of Camelot was triumphant at Rosehill.

Waterhouse says her approach to training young thoroughbreds is the same when it comes to mentoring young people, if they have the will, she has the way.

“You can teach a young person anything, and the younger you get them the better because their minds are open,” she explained.

“Whether it’s owners that I train for, young people that work for me or young horses, if they’re interested and willing to listen then I am willing to tell them what they want to know and share my knowledge.

“Some will pick it up faster than others, but you give them all a chance.” It is not just knowledge that Waterhouse is willing to share, across her social media platforms she has become something of an influencer.

On X (formerly Twitter), Waterhouse has a healthy 41,600 followers, another 6000 on Facebook, while on Instagram the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing account boast over 7000 followers, and Waterhouse’s personal account has north of 35,000.

Then there is Gai & Adrian TV, Gai Mic’d Up, Gai’s Tip Sheet and a weekly newsletter. However her fans want to follow her story, there is a platform that covers it. Waterhouse has done more than accept modern media, she’s embraced it.

“We thought nothing of sitting down and reading the newspaper front to back as little as ten or fifteen years ago, now it’s Instagram or Twitter or TikTok,” she said.

“People have changed where they get their information from, especially young people, so you may as well be a part of it. That is the world we live in today and I really enjoy connecting with people in that space – it’s fun, it really is!”

From fashion “fit checks” to race previews and watch-along race videos or holiday snaps, Waterhouse is only too happy to let people into her world with a smile and a sense of fun. She understands that if people are to get excited about racing, then racing needs to open its doors.

And there is no better place to do that than Flemington during the Spring Carnival.

“I love the spring carnival. You think of Melbourne in the spring, and you think of the big three iconic races, the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and of course the Melbourne Cup. You want to run in them, and you want to win them, everybody does, it’s what we are trying to do every year,” Waterhouse said.

Eleven years ago, Waterhouse fulfilled a lifelong dream when she trained imported galloper Fiorente to Melbourne Cup success. It was a day she will never forget and a hallmark of her career, but she is by no means done with ‘the race that stops a nation’™. If Gai has her way, she will be back at Flemington on Lexus Melbourne Cup day this spring, eyes narrowed and ready for battle.

“Come June and July each year, everyone wants to know the same thing – what is your Melbourne Cup horse? What have you got for the Cup? It is our most famous race.

“They’re not that easy to come by, but I’m always trying to find the right horse for the race and I’d dearly love to win another one.”