By Jordan Gerrans
For Brenton, he does not know where the stable of horses would be without Billie-Rose.
And, for Billie-Rose, riding a winner for Brenton is as special as it gets – she just wants to make him proud.
The Andrews are a husband (training) and wife (riding) partnership that do everything together – prepare a growing team of gallopers while also raising a young family at Gatton.
The team come to town this weekend for the 2021 edition of the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben – searching to win the show-piece race for country horses for the second time in its short existence.
As a trainer, Brenton won the first edition of the Country Cups Challenge Final in 2018 with Baker Boy.
While Billie-Rose rode the now retired gelding in the lead-up to the Final, she had to forfeit the ride due to expecting the first of their two children.
With two children running around the stables these days enjoying their early years around equine athletes, Billie-Rose is looking forward to the opportunity to ride on a feature day in the 2021-22 TAB Queensland Summer Racing Carnival.
For a small stable trying to make their way in the racing industry, having a trusted work rider is valuable, according to Brenton.
“Riders come and go in track work for some stables and for us to have someone who wants the horses to win just as much as you do, it is a crucial part of it,” Brenton said of Billie-Rose.
“You have to have good staff and staff that do not miss the one percenters – it has become so difficult to win races as it is so competitive in the industry these days.
“We have to make sure we do all those things right and I am not sure what I would do without her at the stables, to get the results on the training track, as well as race day itself.
“She is a vital part of the stable and I love doing it with her every day.”
Registering his first winner as a trainer back in 2015, Billie-Rose has delivered Brenton the vast majority of his victories in his career – 38 of 107.
They have found another smart one in Sugar Buzz, who will represent the barn in the Final, claiming two of his last five efforts, both being at Wondai.
“When I win for him, it is just the best feeling because I want to make him proud really,” Billie-Rose said.
“To win on our horses, I love it, because we put so much effort into it.
“It is special.
“But, if I make a mistake, it is not always a nice drive home (laughs).”
A consistent hoop on the provincial and country circuit for the last decade, including a triumph at Kilcoy last Saturday, the 28-year-old Billie-Rose has managed the pregnancy of her two children around her riding commitments.
There were times where she thought she may need to hang up the saddle on race day to focus on the young ones, but she is still riding as well as she ever has.
The Andrews joke they have two “cheap” helpers around their Gatton stable, helping mix the feed for the horses, while the team’s connections will often help look after the children on race day while Billie-Rose is in the riders’ room.
“I went into it all with a play it by ear attitude as I wanted to do what is best for the kids while also really loving my riding,” Billie-Rose said.
“I really missed riding when I was out.
“It really makes me happy riding – I love riding the ones for our stable and team.
“It presents challenges because we need to organise people to look after them while I ride and we have lovely owners that do that at times.
“I was not sure after the second child if I could get back into it but it is has not been as hard as I thought it might be.”
If Billie-Rose worked for a bigger operation, she says she may need to re-consider her race riding but with the Andrews barn being a smaller family run business, they all come together to make it work.