Deborah Handford takes the road less traveled

By Jordan Gerrans

Whittaker road on the Darling Downs is where horsewoman Deborah Handford prepares her small team. 

While she has only been based at the 46-acre property for around three years, she felt the location was as good a reason as any to name a horse. 

The horse named after the road on Toowoomba’s outskirts broke through at Clifford Park on Monday to hand the 72-year-old conditioner her first winner since the 2011-12 campaign.      

Ridden by Kenji Yoshida, Whittaker landed the money in the Maiden Handicap over 1200 metres at Toowoomba’s rare Monday afternoon provincial TAB meeting. 

“It is a name I had heard of before and I quite like it,” she said with a laugh.

“We have named a lot of horses over the years and you just think – what are we going to call this one. We were a bit short with a name this one.

“You do hear about lots of people naming horses after places in the world that they have been to and loved.

“Whittaker will be fine and we do like the name now.”

Handford has been in-and-out of training over the decades and after a period of leasing the horses she owns to Lindsay Hatch, she has returned to training over the last 12 months. 

The bay gelding will always have a special place in the heart of Handford as she foaled him down on Melbourne Cup day four years ago. 

Handford trains alongside Col Parker on the Darling Downs and has done so for many years.

Whittaker is a son of Bold Option.

Handford trained and owned Bold Option before she retired in July of 2012.

Bold Option won once and placed on six other occasions from 17 career efforts.

Handford thought the mare might get over more ground as her career progressed, but she ran into trouble on one afternoon at Ipswich and never made it to the races again. 

The veteran conditioner has always been interested in preparing a stayer and she thinks Whittaker might get over more ground as his career moves forward. 

As Whittaker is by Irish stallion Amber Grey, the trainer is hopeful she has a stayer in the making. 

He went out to 1350 metres last preparation and following Monday’s win, Handford is eager to see him tried over a further trip. 

“He is definitely improving and he will improve from this run, as well,” she said.

“He had a prep last year and we envisioned him getting over 1400 metres but we have had a lot of problems with him.

“He is going so much better now and goes straight. He was erratic in his early days and the riders couldn’t steer him, which was absolutely terrible.

“That has all been sorted, thank goodness.

“We have had to start again with him and we have been trying to find the right distances for him.”

Alongside Parker, Handford has long run a spelling, pre-training and agistment property on the Darling Downs, as well as preparing a small team of their own.

For a horse such as Whittaker to win a race after they had been on the journey with him from the first moments of his life, it was a memorable occasion.

“He has been a baby here for a long time,” she said.

“It is lovely to win a race with him.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t take five starts with him to win a race, but we got there.

“He has pulled up really well, he ate up completely after the win, which is amazing, and he is a very happy horse. We will go on.”

As well as Whittaker, the stable also have Boho Belle and Goodfella Finch in work when they head to Clifford Park of a morning. 

Boho Belle is a daughter of My Bellydancer who was Handford’s best horse she ever prepared, as the mare won five times and was placed on nine other occasions.