Hoskin fulfilling childhood dream

Reflecting on winning her first stakes race on Saturday, South Auckland trainer Kylie Hoskin couldn’t help but think of how proud her younger self would be.

While horse-mad as a child, she didn’t grow up around horses and kept her dream alive by getting lost in books about them.

While unable to have a pony herself, the pull became too strong and Hoskin took matters into her own hands, approaching a few local trainers and she began to assist Neville Atkins in her spare time.

“I am not from a horsey background at all, none of my family are horsey, but I was always pony-mad and had all of the books when I was a kid,” Hoskin said.

“I used to go and muck out Neville Atkin’s stables when I was a kid on the weekend.”

Hoskin naturally progressed to riding track work, and while she enjoyed her time on the track, international experience beckoned, and she moved to America for a stint to work in the sport horse industry.

“When I was in my late teens I went over to America and groomed for show jumping and show hunting barns,” she said.

“Over here, show jumping is not really a professional sport but over there it very much is. It was really eye-opening to see.”

Hoskin continued her equestrian pursuits when she returned to New Zealand, and she has particularly enjoyed working with off the track thoroughbreds.

“I really liked getting thoroughbreds off the track and getting them skilled up and going to ribbon days and little shows,” she said. “I have had a few good show hacks. Some of the thoroughbreds were too hot and spicy for most but being a track rider it didn’t bother me and I have had a bit of success with them.”

After getting married and growing her family, Hoskin returned to racing where she worked for Pukekohe horseman Nigel Tiley, and it was Tiley who coaxed Hoskin into pursuing a career as a trainer.

“I got married and had kids and then I started pre-training for Nigel Tiley,” Hoskin said.

“He convinced me to get my licence, and he gave me my first runner. She was called Barbara (NZ) (He’s Remarkable) and Nigel owned her, so that was a bit nerve-racking racing a horse that Nigel Tiley owns.

“She won for us in her third or fourth start and won four or five, and I went from there.”

While Hoskin started out small, her business quickly began to grow, and she subsequently moved her operation out to her current base at Byerley Park.

“I initially rented six boxes not far from home and I was happy doing that,” she said. “I started getting quite busy and I moved to Byerley and a 26-horse barn. I thought I would never fill that up, but it has pretty much been full since I came here.

“I am getting good support from Go Racing and Haunui, it is good to have some of those bigger industry players supporting me and trusting me.”

Now in her fifth season of training in a professional capacity, Hoskin has recorded 37 wins, with Geneva’s (NZ) (Time Test) victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m) her first at stakes level.

Bred and raced by Jomara Bloodstock, Geneva is the first horse Hoskin has trained for the Carter sibling partnership, and it couldn’t have got off to a better start.

“Geneva is the first horse I have trained for them (Jomara Bloodstock),” Hoskin said.

“I had some horses for a friend of theirs, Graeme Andrews, and Jomara had some two-year-olds that they wanted to get up to trialling and Graeme suggested me and they sent a few over.

“I got them up to trialling and won a few trials and couldn’t quite seem to sell them, so they have stayed. They are only new clients of mine but so far it is going well.”

Saturday’s victory capped a memorable preparation for Geneva, who had impressed when placing in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) earlier this month, and Hoskin was delighted to secure her first stakes win with the son of Time Test.

“It was so exciting,” Hoskin said. “I have always had such faith in him. He has had a lot of bad luck.

“I thought the further he goes the better he would get, and you just hoped that the Derby run wasn’t a fluke. He showed he could replicate that running on Saturday and he ran a pretty nice time considering he wasn’t really tested to the line.”

Hoskin has been rapt with the way Geneva has come through Saturday’s run, and while a trip across the Tasman to tackle the Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on May 2 is on the cards, his connections have fielded plenty of phone calls from interested buyers.

“We got home yesterday (Sunday) and I put him in his paddock and he went for a trot and a buck around, and he ate up last night,” Hoskin said.

“I know there were a couple of phone calls from people wanting to buy him, so that might come to fruition. It is still early days, we will give him a quiet week this week and talk to the owners a bit more and see what we decide our plan is.”

While still coming down from the high of scoring her first stakes success, Hoskin’s attention has quickly shifted to racing at Pukekohe on Wednesday where she will line-up three runners, including With Grace (NZ) (Ocean Park) and Zolzaya (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) in the Show By SkyCity 1400.

“They trialled last week at Avondale,” Hoskin said. “It’s only a week between the trial and the race, but it is close to home, they both have gone well at Pukekohe in the past, and even though it is the first start of this prep, they have both trialled really nicely, so I expect them both to go bold races.”

Looking further ahead, Hoskin is excited by the prospects of a couple of youngsters in her barn, including Go Racing juvenile Vodka And Caviar (Russian Revolution).

“I have got a really nice filly for Go Racing, a Russian Revolution filly called Vodka And Caviar,” Hoskin said. “She has just had her first jump out, but she is coming to hand very nicely and I am excited to hopefully get her up to a trial this prep.”