THE MAIR STABLE KICKS ON. CLAIMS FIRST WINNER SINCE THE GROUP 1 WINNING TRAINER'S PASSING

By Graham Potter | Thursday, December 15, 2022

Belinda Mair is keeping her late husband Mick’s wish alive by keeping the Mair stable going in spite of the fact that she is still very much in the midst of coping with her grieving process following his passing in October.

Group 1 winning trainer Mick Mair battled illness for a long time but, nevertheless, when it came, his passing left Belinda Mair devastated ... and so it was really good to see the stable winner Set Ablaze, bring a smile to Belinda’s face when he saluted at the Sunshine Coast last Sunday.

Set Ablaze, in fact, was the last horse to race under the Mick Mair name and here he was giving Belinda Mair her first win as a trainer win in her own right ... which all amounted to a bitter-sweet occasion for her.

“The owner of Set Ablaze has been a big part of Mick’s life over recent years,” said Belinda Mair. “Mick would always have a laugh with him, so to win a race for him at this time is pretty amazing and it makes me just really happy.

“I’m the new trainer in name, but I’ve done it so long with Mick, particularly over the last twelve months when he was really ill. I think everybody is actually more excited for the win than me, although I must say it is good to get the monkey off my back.

“It felt like it was a gorilla over the past six weeks.

“It was amazing to have Tiff (Tiffani Brooker) win on that horse. She’s run second on him twice and seems to get on really well with him.

“I sort of still expect that call from Mick ... saying, ‘that was good, well done.’

“I know Mick wanted me to carry on and he wanted me to be happy ... but my heart is just shattered.

People seem to think you can get over it soon, but it’s very hard ... but apart from doing what I know Mick wanted me to do, running the stable does help me take my mind off things and that does help me.

“Maybe he knew it would work that way. He is still looking after me.”
______________________________________________________________________

Jockey Tiffani Brooker was happy to have played a small part in putting the smile back on Belinda Mair’s face, albeit for the moment.

“I’ve known Mick and Belinda since the beginning of my apprenticeship, which was nine ten years ago,” said Tiffani Brooker, “and probably over last twelve to eighteen months Mick and Belinda were a very big part of my career.

“When I came back after an extended layoff, they really supported me with a lot of rides.

“Obviously, Mick had been sick for quite a while and, knowing Belinda, I could see how hard that was on her, and now I can resonate with her losing a loved one which is very difficult ... and now carrying on the stable and taking on the training side of things.

“Taking over from Mick’s legacy, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how tough that is for her.

“I could see it was frustrating her sometimes. That’s why it was so great to see a bit of sparkle in her eyes when Set Ablaze won.

“I know it would still have been hard for her with the win coming at the Sunshine Coast.

“She had said something to me at Ipswich races not long ago ... she said, ‘I can handle being at a track like Ipswich because I have been coming here for years by herself, but everywhere I go at the Sunshine Coast ... every walkway I walk down,, every time I go to the track ... Mick is there.’

“I know Belinda has good, loyal staff around her giving her a hand ... and ever since I have known her Belinda has been pretty hands-on ... but the job she is doing now and how she is going about it is amazing.

“I will admit that I really did feel a lot of relief myself when I went across the line on Set Ablaze ... more so for Belinda because I thought she could take encouragement from the win knowing she can do it.

“That horse was the final runner in Mick’s name when it ran second on the Poly Track ... and I won’t lie. I did feel a bit of pressure on that occasion with Mick having passed only a few days before, but at least we got the win now ... the first for Belinda ... and hopefully the first of many!’

And so it is that the Mair Stable racing silks of red, yellow maltese cross, black striped sleeves and quartered cap lives on to fight another day ... colours that will forever be associated with Mick Mair, thus continuing to honour him by their on-going presence, which is a fitting addendum to the story of the Group 1 winning trainer.

More articles