Kennedy looking forward to training challenge

[Wandering Eyes]

Warren Kennedy has made waves in the New Zealand jockey ranks since moving from his native South Africa, and now his wife, Barbara, is hoping to do the same as a trainer.

The 32-year-old horsewoman has spent her life in racing and trained in South Africa for a few seasons before moving to New Zealand with her husband and children a couple of years ago.

“I have been in the industry my whole life,” Kennedy said. “My Dad was a jockey for 24 years. When he retired, he became the course manager at one of the tracks in South Africa for 21 years. My sister went to the jockey academy and was an apprentice for a couple of years, but it didn’t work out for her. Our whole family is into racing, so I was born into it, it is in my blood.”

Upon leaving school, Kennedy went to work in a racing stable and that is where she got hooked on the sport and decided she wanted a career in the industry.

“I worked in the yard straight out of school. I had a really great opportunity with a trainer in South Africa where I ran his satellite yard in Durban where we had about 50 horses, and I was with him for four years.

“That is where it hit me that that (training) is what I wanted to do, and I took out my own trainer’s license. I had my first daughter at that time, and I went into a training partnership with my brother, and I trained for three years. We were pretty successful, we had 59 winners in the three years, with one of those being hindered by COVID.

“Warren then decided that we needed to get out of the country to give our girls a better life. It was always a goal to get back into it in New Zealand, we just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

While Warren has been kicking goals in the saddle, Kennedy said she felt a bit lost in the early stages of their move to New Zealand, but found comfort in helping out Byerley Park trainers Peter and Dawn Williams.

“It was really tough coming over here because I went from that busy lifestyle of training. Coming over here, Warren kicked off as normal and I sat at home not doing anything and I did get a bit depressed during those times,” she said. “It has been good to see him come here and do so well from the get-go. It is really difficult coming to a new country, but the amount of support that he has been given has been great.

“Since we moved to New Zealand, they (Williams’s) had always been very good to Warren, and Warren has ridden a lot for them. They extended to come out to the yard with the girls and I did mornings there mucking out stables and we have become really close with Peter and Dawn, we have adopted them as our family here.”

With Peter and Dawn Williams deciding to retire from racing at the end of the month, they approached Kennedy to see if she was interested in taking over their stable, and she has jumped at the opportunity.

“We have become really close and we were chatting recently, and with this decision of them retiring, they thought I was young, willing to do it, so let’s give this a shot.

“It is exciting. It has happened quite quickly, but we are taking this opportunity with both hands. I am grateful that Peter and Dawn have trusted me enough to hand everything over to me, so we will be forever grateful for that.

“I officially start on the 1^st of June. For the month of June, they will be around and I can bounce as many questions off of them as possible.

“The majority of the clients have agreed to stay on with me, which is really positive. We will be getting in contact with all the clients during the next week or so and get to know everyone and get our career and relationship going.”

In her time in New Zealand, Kennedy has noticed a few differences from racing in South Africa and is looking forward to tackling those challenges.

“The tracks are the biggest one,” she said. “We are not used to racing over the winter season in such heavy going. That will be a big adjustment for me, getting used to running horses on these different tracks. We don’t travel as much as the horses here, our racecourses are fairly close to each other and there aren’t as many.

“I have got Warren behind me, and Peter and Dawn, and I can give them a call whenever I have any questions, they are here to help me.”

Kennedy said she is lucky to have family in New Zealand to help make the transition smoother.

“We have two girls – Jamie, 5, and Ryleigh, 3,” she said. “We have got Warren’s family over here, so his mum is going to join us for a couple of weeks and help out with the girls.”

While having a husband as the country’s leading jockey is a bonus, Kennedy said Warren will continue to have his priorities outside of the stable.  

“It is a bonus having Warren around, but he has got to keep his ties with Cambridge Stud,” she said. “As much as he will be a part of the yard, he won’t be tied down and he has to fulfil his own obligations to Cambridge. He will help me out as much as he can, but he will be keeping with his Cambridge connections.”

In terms of what Kennedy is looking forward to the most with her return to training, the answer is easy – winning.

“It is just getting back out there and getting the success with winners,” she said. “Everyone aims to win the big ones and they are definitely on my radar.”

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