TWO YEARS DOWN AND THE TONY AND MADDYSEN SEARS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP IS TICKING ALONG NICELY

By Graham Potter | Monday, November 1, 2021

Just over two years into their training partnership and Tony and Maddysen Sears have hardly had time to reflect on where the last two years have gone.

So, how have the two coped with these formative years of their training partnership?

“Some days it feels like it has been a really long time,” joked Maddysen, with some stifled laughter from Tony in the background. “It is always a very interesting day with us. It’s a pretty entertaining workplace, but, taken overall, no … it certainly doesn’t seem like it has been that long. Obviously with the Covid distraction this year had just whizzed by.”

Everywhere in life, any personal and professional relationships have their ‘moments’.

With both of those aspects entwined in the Sears father, daughter training partnership, how well do Tony and Maddysen’s individual personalities gel together and are there standoffs?

‘I think the way dad and I manage to work so well together is that if there is a blow-up … like, if we do have an argument about something … its straight away and that’s the end of it really. It’s all very open.

“We don’t have arguments anyway,” chimed in Tony (with unidentified laughter in the background).

“You can’t say we don’t have arguments because that is not true,” was Maddysen’s comeback, “but, it’s out in the open. We are two honest people and we just tell it as it is. Then it’s done and then we move on with things and that’s the end of it.”

“I win and then it’s finished,” chimed in Tony again, stirring the pot. There was no comeback from Maddysen this time. Maybe just a quiet shake of the head.

Seemingly emboldened by that, Tony pressed on. “You’ve got to remember, I’ve got two women to deal with, not one. It’s two against one here.”

So, would it be fair to say Tony stands his ground?

“I wouldn’t say that really,” answered Tony, playing safe.

Who likes to whinge more … Tony or Maddysen?

“Me,” answered Maddysen without hesitation. “I do like to whinge!”

And who is more stubborn?

“Probably dad,” that was Maddysen again first to reply. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Who is the more emotional?

‘That will be Maddysen,” said Tony, getting in quickly this time.

‘Yes, I am,” agreed Maddysen, “but, dad hides his emotions.”

Physical demands and injuries are all part of the game for racing participants. Recently Tony struggled with a bad back and Maddysen had a foot injury. Do they just see that as something that comes with the territory?

“Yeah, that’s it. With dad’s back he just has to take it a bit easy,”

“It’s from all of the hard work I put in …” said Tony.
“He just has to slow down a bit,” interrupted Maddysen, with both happy to laugh about it.

“Accidents happen,” continued Maddysen. “It’s part and parcel of it really.”

After sharing these insights into the interaction between them one last question remained.

To Tony … what have you got to say about Maddysen … as a training partner, as a daughter … and to Maddysen, the same question … what do you have to say about Tony … as a training partner, as a dad?

“It’s very good,” answered Tony. “I’m very proud of what we are doing.

“I probably couldn’t do it with anybody else. I couldn’t do it with somebody I don’t know well. When you have got your own flesh and blood doing it with you, you know they know it is in their best interests to keep everything in our stable running smoothly and to see that it is run it properly … the way it should be.

“Maddysen is very, very professional. She does a great job. She could probably do it with no problems without me.”

And from Maddysen’s side?

“We do work very professionally with each other,” said Maddysen.

“I am pretty lucky that he is not only my mentor, but that I get to work with dad who has got more experience than I would probably ever be able to learn. As you can imagine, having your own dad as your mentor is really great.”

So, there you have it.

For any relationship to survive and thrive it needs to manage of bit … or, maybe a lot …of give and take between partners and clearly that dynamic exists in a most positive sense in the Sears Training Partnership.

Beneath all of that give and take … beneath all of their good-natured banter … and even beneath those times when Tony and Maddysen have their ‘moments’ … is a strong underlying current of mutual respect which keeps them firmly on the path they have set themselves.

You can say so far, so good … or you can say there’s plenty more to come.

Chances are you will be right on both counts!

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