MASTER JAMIE & BUBBA TILLEY - A FEELGOOD STORY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, August 4, 2024

Every racehorse deserves the best post-racing life it can have … but the plain truth is that some will be luckier than others in that regard which is why it is so good to report one of the many heartwarming stories of a horse leaving racing on its own terms and finding a home in which he will be cared for and loved unconditionally for the rest of his days.

Master Jamie and trainer Graeme Green claimed their own particular piece of fame when Master Jamie’s third place in the King Of The Mountain on New Year’s day saw him become the first Rockhampton based horse to pass the $1 million mark in prize-money earnings.

The son of Poet’s Voice, whose racing career had been masterfully managed by Green, retired at the end of last season as a nineteen-time winner with twenty-three minor placings behind his name from sixty-four starts.

On the track, he was a horse who almost always gave his all … and, while other riders also played their part in the Master Jamie success story, it was jockey Bubba Tilley whose name became synonymous with Master Jamie’s exploits from the day he first entered race action on November 9, 2018, and won by 6.75 lengths, to his final run back at Rockhampton on July 13, 2024, when he attempted to land his third straight Rockhampton win but came up 1.80 lengths short in gallant and ever competitive second place when giving the winner a 5kg advantage at the weights.

And now Tilley is bringing Master Jamie home.

“He was always coming to me,” said Tilley. “I asked for him after last year’s Rocky Cup, and they said, yes, I could have him at the end of his racing career.

“So, we (Tilley and his partner Alex Patis) then decided to buy five acres in Toowoomba. We’ve got a bit of a collection there now. We’ve got Baller there and now Master Jamie.

“He did what he had to do as a racehorse. He is sound. He’s only retired because he is up there in the weights as an older horse now.

“Master Jamie will definitely be sent to someone to be trained … to see if he takes to showjumping or dressage or whatever. He won’t just be a paddock horse. He is the type of horse that would enjoy having a career after racing.

“I just want to be able to see him when I want to, but I also want to see him do something that he loves.

“Hopefully you’ll see him at the Ekka.”

Credit is due to the entire Master Jamie team for facilitating this happy outcome.

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