WARTA Trainers Sustainability Report

thefalcon · June 2022

obviously i cannot mention names here.

savethegame · June 2022

thought have a look.horse numbers. at the moment doesn't include ones at pre-trainers. 21/22season.----stables with 40 or more horses on there books

1.Durrant -----------175 horses------- 148wins------------- stable earnings 5.1mil.

2.Simon Miller-------74 horses-------- 69wins-------------stable earnings 3.6mil.

3.Dan Morton--------57 horses-------- 60wins-------------stable earnings 3.2mil.

4.Nev Parnham 107 horses----------- 58wins------------stable earnings 2.6mil.

5 Steve Wolfe------ 64 horses------------46 wins 32p. stable earnings 1.7mil.

5.Peter Fernie 45 horses---------- 43wins-38 p. stable earnings 1.0 mil.

6.Grant& Alana 54 horses--- 43 wins-----------stable earnings 4.1mil.

7.Dan&Ben Pearce 73 horses---- 41 wins--- stable earnings 1.4mil.

8 Roy Rogers 65 horses----- 40 wins------- stable earnings 1.2mil.

9.Sean &Jake Casey 52 horses------ 31 wins------ stable earnings 965k.

10.David Harrison 59 horses 30 wins stable earnings 1.5mil.

11.Ash Maley 40 horses----- 29 wins-------- stable earnings 1.2mil.

12.

13.

14.

15

16

17.

18. Luke Fernie 47 horses-- 25 wins---------stable earnings 1.5mil

19.Chris &M. Gangemi 41 horses 23 wins ----- stable earning 1.4mil.

20 Fred Kersley 44 horses 21 wins stable earnings 550k.

at this point in 21/22 season.

thefalcon · June 2022

interesting.

how does durrant manage 175+ horses? must have very good staff.

i didn't think the gangemis would have had 41 horses.

shothru · July 2022

savethegame said:
thought have a look.horse numbers. at the moment doesn't include ones at pre-trainers. 21/22season.----stables with 40 or more horses on there books

1.Durrant -----------175 horses------- 148wins------------- stable earnings 5.1mil.
2.Simon Miller-------74 horses-------- 69wins-------------stable earnings 3.6mil.
3.Dan Morton--------57 horses-------- 60wins-------------stable earnings 3.2mil.
4.Nev Parnham 107 horses----------- 58wins------------stable earnings 2.6mil.
5 Steve Wolfe------ 64 horses------------46 wins 32p. stable earnings 1.7mil.
5.Peter Fernie 45 horses---------- 43wins-38 p. stable earnings 1.0 mil.
6.Grant& Alana 54 horses--- 43 wins-----------stable earnings 4.1mil.
7.Dan&Ben Pearce 73 horses---- 41 wins--- stable earnings 1.4mil.
8 Roy Rogers 65 horses----- 40 wins------- stable earnings 1.2mil.
9.Sean &Jake Casey 52 horses------ 31 wins------ stable earnings 965k.
10.David Harrison 59 horses 30 wins stable earnings 1.5mil.
11.Ash Maley 40 horses----- 29 wins-------- stable earnings 1.2mil.
12.
13.
14.
15
16
17.
18. Luke Fernie 47 horses-- 25 wins---------stable earnings 1.5mil
19.Chris &M. Gangemi 41 horses 23 wins ----- stable earning 1.4mil.
20 Fred Kersley 44 horses 21 wins stable earnings 550k.

at this point in 21/22 season.

Where did the horse numbers come fromplease ?

silky · August 2025

DamienWyer said:
It would appear that many WA Trainers face a financial crisis in coming months.

WA Trainers Economic Viability and Sustainability Report.

A recent independent study into the economic future of WA’s racehorse trainers has detailed the
significant vulnerability of the sector and the need for urgent reform to avoid a wholesale collapse of
the WA racing industry.
The WA Racing Trainers Association (Inc.) commissioned former WARRG Chairman Michael Grant,
and respected industry analyst Scott McDowell to undertake a study of WA training businesses and
the state’s thoroughbred racing industry to determine the strength and vulnerability of the code’s
lynch pin cohort, in the face of increasing economic pressures.
In examining industry performance and trends overlaid by the structure and successes of WA
training businesses.

The review was able to conclude that without significant intervention and
reform at an industry level and by individual training operations, there is a very real risk that a
number of WA’s established and emerging trainers are facing an uncertain future and their loss has
the potential to trigger a partial or complete collapse of WA racing.
“In examining the cost of production facing WA trainers, it is clear that it is costing more to train a
horse on behalf of our stable clients, than trainers are receiving in training fees” WARTA Executive
Officer Warwick Bradshaw said. “Costs have risen exponentially over the past 4 or 5 years and
training fees across the board have certainly not kept pace. And that was before the most recent
inflation indicators, which I can assure you pale alongside some of the rising costs WA trainers are
now experiencing, with no end in sight.”
The review shows that most trainers are making large net losses on horses they have in work and
that the flow down of stake money is insufficient for many to make up the shortfall.

While increases
in stakemoney, riding fees and starter incentives recently announced will be welcome, much of this
increased funding will not find its way to the very businesses that have the largest financial stake
and commitment in the industry.
“The concern here has to be the viability of WA trainers” Bradshaw said, “These people are
responsible for the care of the animals in their charge, and they will put the horses in front of
everything else but eventually following the current trends, they will collapse. Once that occurs a
trickle becomes a stream, and there will be wholesale loss of experience and skill from the industry
that won’t be easily replaced.
The report calls for significant reform in the manner by which trainers generate revenue to meet the
costs of production, and calls for changes to the way professional standards and qualifications of WA
racehorse trainers are administered. It also highlights the significant impact spiralling workers
compensation premiums are having on the sustainability of businesses, in what is traditionally a
labour intensive industry.
In providing the analysis to Racing and Wagering WA senior management, and presenting same to
industry participants the WA Racing Trainers Association are calling for urgent action by the
industry to make the necessary corrections before risk turns to reality.

Hall of Fame member and veteran trainer Fred Kersley. “What this review does is place the facts
squarely in the frame, it examines the situation faced by all WA trainers thoroughly. All participants
but particularly, all trainers owe it to themselves to read the report and attend the seminars, become
part of the solution by understanding how your business is being impacted.”
The Western Australian Racing Trainers’ Association’s Economic Viability &
Sustainability of the Thoroughbred Training Sector Review is the most comprehensive
study of thoroughbred training ever undertaken in WA, if not Australia. It clearly shows the
evolution of the business of training without structure has led to significant deficiencies which have
been further exposed in recent times.

The risks to the long term future of thoroughbred racing in
WA posed by a failure to begin addressing the issues and trends identified in the report are dire and
cannot be ignored. It is incumbent of RWWA management and industry leaders to develop and
undertake the necessary reforms before the industry reaches a critical tipping point from which it
may not recover.
WARTA calls for RWWA as the lead industry body to address recommendations made in the review
as a matter of urgency and instigate a restructuring of the sector to reflect a professional standard
that becomes a template for sustainability.
**End Release*

Does anyone have a link to this report which alluded to the imminent demise of the wa racing industry?

DamienWyer · August 2025

Well it was three years ago and I can't remember if there were follow up meetings to discuss but I get the impression it never got off the ground in terms of support

Arapaho · August 2025

Was recently going through stats regarding WA trainers in the just completed 24/25 season.

there is 26 trainers in the top 200 prizemoney earners in Australia.

At 10% of stakemoney here is a list what they received rounded up.

.

G &A Williams $860.000 St, Miller $181,000

Simon Miller $476,000 M Lane $170,000

D &B Pearce $423,000 J Taylor $146,000

Nev. Parnham $392,000 D Harrison $138,000

Dan Morton $388,000 M Pateman $137,000

M Grantham $374,000 Jas. Miller $134,000

Luke Fernie $369,000 Ryan Hill $122,000

Adam Durrant $342,000 J Erkerlens $120,000

S & J Casey $256,000 D Mcauliffe $104,000

Steve Wolfe $251,000 T Andrews $ 96,000

Bernie Miller $235,000 D Riordan $ 93,000

Peter Fernie $203,000 B Pope $ 91,000

Ross Price $200,000 A Maley $ 87,000

Some nice Bonus money there,

How would you like to be the top two

Ciaron Maher over $6 mil and Chris Waller $5.6 Mil

Thank your mother for the Rabbits

Arapaho · August 2025

Sorry, made a mistake only 25 It wasnt Ross Price on $200,000

it was a R Price from Kembla Grange

Apologies.

silky · August 2025

Does that include Westspeed Arapaho?

Arapaho · August 2025

Not sure Silky just states prizemoney earnt for season,

Did make another blue left out the Gangemi's on $90,000.

Getting Old

DamienWyer · August 2025

Yes those stake money lists include all bonuses.

So can you make the presumption that Trainers charge clients fees that cover all outgoings staff wages etc and possibly a little bit for them ?

So the bonus 10% fee may be closer to what they have as a declared salary ?

What mucks up these numbers is the Trainers who have large numbers of horses in part or whole ownership. Yes they get bigger chunks when they win but they would carry a lot of slow ones for too long.

Ngawyni · August 2025

Those returns don't look very much to me considering the size of some of those operations, the overheads and risks they carry.

Vincent_vega · August 2025

So trainer takes 10% of the prizemoney. And recently it was articulated that they barely cover costs with training fees (see recent study).

Tell ya what, i wouldn't be a trainer. Earn more working at Kmart on an hr to hr basis

silky · August 2025

Vincent_vega said:
So trainer takes 10% of the prizemoney. And recently it was articulated that they barely cover costs with training fees (see recent study).

Tell ya what, i wouldn't be a trainer. Earn more working at Kmart on an hr to hr basis

Barely cover costs yes but I wonder if paying off million dollar training set ups are included in said fees?

Arapaho · August 2025

And some very nice properties too.

G'day Punter!

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