ROHAN HILLIER couldn’t even guess how many loaves of bread he’s baked over the years but test him on harness racing statistics and his answers rebound in a flash.
Hillier spent 16 years as a baker, owning and operating the Beaconsfield Bakery with his twin brother Troy.
But earlier this year he opted to sell his share of the business to his brother to concentrate more on training a small team of pacers at his Beauty Point training complex that he shares with his father Brian.
Hillier, 36, has enjoyed his share of success since he first acquired his driver’s licence at age 17.
His first winner, Buck Rabbit, came at only his fourth race drive.
“Buck Rabbit was trained by my Dad, so it was a real thrill and just like everyone else who drives, you never forget your first winner,” Hillier said.
The joy of winning on a regular basis came in 1993 courtesy of a two-year-old filly named Flo Jo Torado that Hillier purchased as a yearling.
“Flo Jo Torado was definitely the mare that gave us the kick along and I think every trainer needs a horse like her if they are to get a decent start in the game,” he said.
Flo Jo Torado won the 1993 Evicus Stakes and ended her racing career prematurely through in injury with 10 wins from 29 starts but she also produced the goods at stud.
Of her six foals the first two were sensational.
“Her first foal was Ticket Flo (by Ticket To Heaven) and she won a Tasmanian oaks and then she produced Flo Jo Fernandez and she won a Bandbox Stakes (3YO sires stakes),” he said.
But Hillier’s world was turned upside down with the arrival of Shez Ryleymak that dominated in her two-year-old season winning multiple features in Tasmania but capped the season by winning the Group 1 $100,000 Vicbred Super Sires final at MooneeValley.
She was named Tasmanian 2YO of the year but joined an elite group when also named Tasmanian harness horse of the year
Shez Ryleymak again dominated in her age group and sex this past season, winning the Tasmanian Oaks and she more than held her own on the national stage.
She was placed in the NSW Oaks and she finished second to Broadways best in the Group 1 3YO Vicbred Super Series final in May.
“You really know you’re alive when you have a horse like Shez Ryleymak and her efforts on the track have changed our lives,” he said.
While Hillier and his wife Katrina celebrated into the early hours after the Group 1 win but they were back to basics soon after with Rohan firing up the ovens at the Beaconsfield Bakery and Katrina tending to the children, Dylan and Makenna, after whom they named Shez Ryleymak.
While Shez Ryleymak has the runs on the board, the latest star to emerge from Hiller’s stable is Thirsty Mach that proved his worth with a sensational win in the Golden Slipper in Launceston in March.
Thirsty Mach smash the class record over the 1680 metres clocking a mile rate of 1.58.6 to easily set the new benchmark for juveniles on the TOTE Racing Centre circuit.
However, after that win the two-year-old was found to be lame and subsequent scans revealed a hairline fracture of his peal bone but the prognosis is good.
“We caught it early and if we give him enough time for the injury to heal then he should be back as good as new,” Hillier said.
With Shez Ryleymak likely to embark on a stud career this season and with Thirsty Mach still in the paddock, Hillier is concentrating on a just turned two-year-old by Modern Art that he believes shows as much early potential as his established stable stars.
“The Modern Art colt we bought at the Melbourne sale is out of a full sister to It Is I and we are definitely hoping for big things from him because he appears to be a real natural goer,” he said.