Great horses keep Margaret’s colours in the limelight

Women are becoming a real force in the horseracing industry. There are currently more than 700 women colour holders, 107 women in the training ranks (trainers, assistant trainers and stable employees), 65 women breeders and nine women jockeys listed with the National Horseracing Authority. We spoke to one of our woman members, Margaret O’Hara, who owns shares in two of the most promising horses in training – Dash For Gretna (above) and Ice Bouquet.

Margaret admits that her 12 years in horseracing have been amongst her most satisfying. That’s not surprising when one considers the horses she has been associated with – from the very first, Princess Faberge (won the 2001 Magnolia Handicap and finished fourth in the Fillies Guineas), to the latest stars to race in her colours, SA Fillies Nursery winner Dash For Gretna and Ice Bouquet, who has won two of three career starts.

She says: "I first got involved when my life partner, Frank Sharp, gave me a half share in Princess Faberge, a filly he had bred from his top-class mare Faberge Flowers.

"He suggested that our horses race in my colours, so I went along to the Jockey Club (now the National Horseracing Authority) to choose them. The pink-and-black silks I eventually picked had previously been registered to a woman owner back in the 1940s. They had history and appealed to me, so I went for them. They’ve been lucky.

"Frank is passionate about the breeding side of the industry. He has bred quite a few really nice horses from Faberge Flowers and her progeny. Apart from Princess Faberge, the mare has produced quite a few top-class performers, like Kournikova, who gave us many thrills and won both the Triple Tiara 1600 and the Drum Star Stakes.

"Kournikova’s Triple Tiara win was possibly the most exciting we’ve had. She was a reserve runner and only came into the field at the last moment.

"We try to go racing whenever our horses are running – if we can’t make it because we’re away we move heaven and earth to listen to the commentary on the phone – and that day we hadn’t booked a table. The RA kindly accommodated us and we duly went to watch Kournikova race. We honestly didn’t think we had a chance of winning, especially because Ipi Tombe was in the field. So when she won, Frank and I erupted. I think all the people around us thought we were mad. Our trainer, Patrick Kruyer, met us at the escalators and all I could say was: ‘We won! We won!’ "

Ice Bouquet is another of Faberge Flowers’ offspring and Margaret is looking forward to seeing her newest colt (by Jallad), Lord Faberge, perform in years to come. Faberge Flowers is currently in foal to Western Winter. Princess Faberge retired back to Klipdrift Stud in Robertson and has already produced a colt by Wolf Hound, Tsar Alexander, who will race in Margaret’s colours when the time comes. The mare is in foal to Fort Wood. Kournikova was sold to Ireland and is currently in foal to Kings Best, winner of the 2000 Guineas. Margaret is looking forward to seeing how her offspring perform on the racetrack.

Dash for Gretna, who is owned in partnership with Julie Chambers, and Ice Bouquet look set for many more visits to the No 1 box in the coming months, and Margaret and Frank have another filly in the sidelines, Sportsworld filly Sports Show.

So, what does Margaret do when she’s not following her horses on the racetrack?

"Racing is our main hobby, but I also enjoy cooking and work part-time in an Italian clothing store," she says.