FORMER star apprentice jockey Christie Burt (nee Walker) turned her hand to training after the arrival of her son William.
For the first two years after William was born she had to come to terms with the death of her husband Willie but eventually she crept back into the game and for almost the past seven years she has been training or pre-training horses at the Brighton Training Complex.
Burt has managed to pick up the odd winner here and there and she has earned a reputation as a bit of a horse nurse, using her ability to rejuvenate horses that have been discarded or given to her to fix as a last resort.
The Welshman is one such cast-off and Burt has turned him into a multiple winner.
Her good friend and fellow trainer Gary White was The Welshman’s original trainer and it was on his suggestion that Burt leased the horse.
The gelding scored an impressive win at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart last Sunday in a maiden/class one over 1550m.
It was the three-year-old’s second win in the space of four starts.
The Welshman led all the way and extended his lead over the concluding stages courtesy of being taken to the outside rail in the home straight which offered a fast lane throughout the meeting.
The gelding was superbly ridden by apprentice Georgie Catania who was an eight-year-old bridesmaid at Burt’s wedding.
Listen to what trainer Christie Burt told Tasracing’s Peter Staples after the win – CLICK HERE.