Former Craig Smith galloper Taylor-made for success

By Jordan Gerrans

While champion Roma conditioner Craig Smith has called time on his own training career, he is still passing on his decades of experience and knowledge within the industry.

Jon Taylor was a long-time lieutenant at Smith’s stable in regional Queensland and has taken on galloper Lip Sip Suk following his mentor’s decision to step back from day-to-day training.

Lip Sip Suk won on five occasions for the respected Smith between September of 2023 and June of last year.

The seven-year-old galloper scored for the first time under the guidance of his new trainer Taylor on his home deck at Roma’s Bassett Park.

The victory was Taylor’s first since he took out his training ticket earlier this year following Smith’s retirement.

Taylor regularly partnered Smith and his team for their annual pilgrimage to Birdsville over the years as well as helping out around his barn.

“I have just had a lot to do with Craig over the years,” Taylor said.

“Craig is a legend. You can’t get a better human than him. The racing community has been in my life my entire life.

“Craig is only a phone call away and he is a big help to myself; I only spoke to him on the phone on Sunday for half an hour about what I was going to do with my horses in the coming period.”

While Smith has been one of the most successful trainers in Birdsville Cup history, he is also widely respected among city folk.

He rated former star galloper Harvey Lad as one of his best sprinters.

Harvey Lad won 18 times in his 84-start career including two Listed Doomben Stakes in Brisbane in 1995 and 1997.

In recent times, Smith claimed the Battle of the Bush Final at Eagle Farm with Art By Concorde.

Smith owns a big share in Lip Sip Suk despite handing over the training duties to his close mate.

Lip Sip Suk has had an interesting tenure in regional Queensland after being purchased online by Smith’s partner Sandy Watkins from the Ciaron Maher team in the middle of 2023.

He blitzed a Birdsville maiden by more than 10 lengths in his first appearance for Smith and the yard thought they had something special on their hands.

The gelding went off the boil when he returned from Birdsville and couldn’t win again in his next seven attempts.

The camp found the trick with Lip Sip Suk soon after and he won four of his next five.

He was then struck down by a tendon issue which put him on the sidelines for around eight months which was around the same time Smith retired and Taylor took over.

It took Taylor – who was keen to be a jockey earlier his life before weight got the best of him – six attempts before Lip Sip Suk won another race but he got there on Saturday.

Apprentice hoop Sarah Robbins swooped around the field in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1640 metres to score by almost two lengths.

Taylor had a big crop of supporters to share in the special milestone at the races on Saturday.

“It was a good result, we were all very happy and tickled pink,” Taylor said.

“He has been a bit unlucky the poor bugger, everywhere we go he seems to not get a run at them.

“We rode him a bit cold on Saturday and to come around the lot of them, that was the plan.

“It was unbelievable to get a win on your home track, it was surreal actually.

“Myself, Craig and a few other mates are in the ownership of the horse.”

The 36-year-old Taylor has been around racing his entire life with his father and uncle both riders while he has also spent plenty of time around the stables of Ken Waller and Mark Goodwin.

Like he does with Smith, Taylor will regularly bounce ideas off Waller and Goodwin, classing them both as mentors.

Taylor runs a mechanical business in Roma and has a handful or so of gallopers in work.

Lip Sip Suk’s part-owner Robert Pollock is also hands-on with the horse around Taylor’s barn.

Taylor has recently picked up galloper My Symbol from Victoria who he is keen to take to Birdsville for the upcoming carnival.

He also has a couple of smart babies coming through the ranks from the Capricornia Yearling Sale earlier this year.