Retired cult hero Master Jamie teaching new lessons

By Andrew Smith

As far as Queensland cult heroes go, they don’t come much bigger than Master Jamie.

The former galloper claimed 19 victories from a 64-start career, with notable wins coming in back-to-back Rockhampton Cups in 2022 and 2023, and in the 2020 The Gateway at Eagle Farm to book a spot into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.

The gelding was also the first horse from the Beef City to go past the magical $1 million prizemoney mark.

Trained by Graeme Green, he formed a formidable partnership with jockey Les “Bubba” Tilley who took the thoroughbred into his care in Toowoomba when he was retired in 2024.

An excitement machine on the track, these days Master Jamie is a calming influence in retirement at the Glastonbury property of Queensland Off-The-Track Acknowledged Retrainer Sandi Sevior.

The retrainer explained how a connection with Graeme’s daughter Sileas – known affectionately as Mully - led to the former champion racehorse landing with her in the Gympie Region.

“I've had some really good outcomes for Mully Green, and she put me in touch with Bubba who had Master Jamie with him,” Sevior said.

“He was obviously very special and instrumental in his career, and Bubba was just finding himself time poor, and wanted to ensure that Jamie wasn't sitting in the paddock and wasting his prime years, so he reached out to me to see if I could give him a job.

“And he certainly found a job - he's got a really good job babysitting and educating the young horses coming through the QOTT retraining program.

“We call him ‘Uncle Jamie,’ and we take him down the road with us when other horses have their first outings or showing them the arena for the first time - he’s just got the calming presence of an experienced horse.

“I call him the VIP of the farm - whenever someone hears his name that's involved with racing, especially up in North Queensland, they're always really keen to see what he's doing and how he is.”

The now nine-year-old has impressed Sevior since coming under her care in November last year.

The horsewoman said Master Jamie’s calm demeanour had him primed for a new life after racing in the showjumping and dressage arenas.

“He's a bit of an old legend…a lot of people get really hung up on and love these off-the-trackers that have had one or two starts, and they're great, but I love the older horses that are coming off the track and been everywhere,” Sevior said.

“He's just a professional, and anything you do, if you ask him a question, he answers with, ‘let me figure it out.’

“He's just a bit of a calming force, and he's got a bit of a talent there for jumping and a little bit of dressage as well.

“So, we'll make sure he has his opportunity to go out in the competition truck and show him off a little bit as well.

“It's been really lovely being able to ensure that he's got a good job to do and has been given a solid education.”

Running the thoroughbred spelling business Flynn Equine Solutions, Sevior usually has around 20 to 30 horses across almost 30 paddocks at the Glastonbury property.

The 39-year-old was always destined to go into retraining, with grandfather Ray McCall a former trainer and her aunt Nat McCall currently in the training ranks, based on the Sunshine Coast.

“I grew up in racing and always had a strong affiliation, especially with the horses that we'd bred, I was really interested in giving them quality homes off the track,” Sevior said.

“I used to take a lot of off-the-track horses for Pop and retrain them, compete on them, and then find them homes.

“I took the detour and went up to the Northern Territory and was in the Mounted Police for quite some time.

“And when I came home to run the spelling farm, I'd seen the advances in the Queensland Off-The-Track Program, and I was really keen to find my place in that program and continue on in a larger scale than what I'd previously done.”

While Master Jamie is not being retrained and rehomed through the QOTT Program, two other retired gallopers in Sevior’s care are thriving as part of the program.

Each recording only a handful of starts on the track, the former Kevin Kemp galloper Mrs Kajudo and Zoublime, formerly trained by Taylah Mackinnon, are adjusting well to their post-racing lives.

“After dealing with Mrs Kajudo, she's probably one of the most laid-back characters that you'll ever come across - I think Kevin needs a medal for even getting her to the races in the first place,” Sevior said with a laugh.

“But I really rate her, she's a really nice animal, she's got a beautiful disposition, and she's going really well.

“She's had about 12 rides under saddle, and we are really working on balancing her and getting a good, solid flat base.

“Zoublime came to me as a weanling for spelling and is now in the QOTT Program.

“I've had her in the paddock for a few years now…she’s a really big, tall, leggy mare, and needed just a little bit more time to mature, so she's commenced groundwork, and she'll have her first ride under saddle off the track soon.

“I’m in a really privileged position to be able to know these horses really well and continue to support their careers after their racing careers finish.”

Sevior has rehomed 12 horses since joining the QOTT Program in 2023.

She is excited to welcome more retired gallopers in the future, thanks to the support offered to her as a QOTT Acknowledged Retrainer.

“Without the support from Queensland Off-The-Track, I would not be able to have the horse numbers in retraining that I do… I think it's been instrumental with improving the quality and quantity of homes available,” Sevior said.

“It's something that a lot of us have always done out of the love and passion for the horse but on a really small scale, but it's enabled us to upscale and the quality of outcomes for the horses that graduate from the program is invaluable.

“The program has allowed such a great base for these thoroughbreds, where they tick off all those first outings, and have their dentals, their shoes, and their vaccinations up to date.

“We do thorough assessments on these horses, so we know their strengths, we know their weaknesses, and we're able to place them in suitable homes that are hopefully long term and set them up for a life after racing.

“So, if you're thinking about it, definitely get in touch with QOTT. It's a really great program to be a part of.”

Click here for more information on the QOTT Acknowledged Retrainers Program.