John Hubbard fighting to the finish line

By Jordan Gerrans

Across two codes and with several stops across the globe, Ipswich’s John Hubbard has appreciated his life dedicated to racing. 

Now in the twilight of his time in the industry, the respected horseman is regarded as a mentor to others within the caper around the Ipswich area. 

The 68-year-old has battled with his health in recent years, but he is back fighting fit now and is still training winners, headlined by Bee Exact landing the prize at Nanango on Saturday afternoon. 

Ipswich Turf Club Chief Executive Officer Nathan Exelby has viewed first-hand Hubbard’s influence on local participants since he took on the job at the Bundamba-based track. 

“He's like a bit of an elder, wiser statesman I suppose you'd say,” Exelby said.

“It's great at the moment to see John back so fit and healthy because he's had some health battles in the last 12 or 18 months or so.

“But, to see him back in such good health, that's just fantastic for us to see. John's got his own set of stables, but he always takes in visiting trainers as well there and he serves as a mentor to them.

“He also provides a great training base for them in the way he looks after the facilities and passes down that knowledge that he's got over so many decades.”

The well-travelled Hubbard has made his name in recent years in the gallops but much of his knowledge base was picked up in the harness game.

He initially started in the gallops, riding trackwork for the Bowditch family at Wagga Wagga in his teens.

Hubbard laughs that his fate was sealed in regard to eventually becoming a jockey as he was much too solid to make it in the saddle.

So, with his grandfather entrenched in the harness caper, that’s the way he went.

In his youth, he drove, trained and looked after the feet of his own standardbreds before going into ownership, as well.

“I think you learn a lot more in harness, the game is a lot more hands-on than what it is in the thoroughbred industry, especially being a trainer,” Hubbard reflects.

“I was a driver and I learnt to shoe and everything else, all that sort of stuff that you've got to do in the harness industry.

“It's just a natural instinct. My grandfather taught me how to shoe early on, so I sort of was born up in it. 

"It is mainly about the horsemanship and how to treat a horse for injuries or anything like that.

“There's not a lot of difference between thoroughbreds and standardbreds.

“I find thoroughbreds just don't take the work that the harness horses take. 

"But, the skills are basically much the same, it's just mainly horsemanship.”

He spent five years in the USA and Canada working with harness horses, which he counts as a career highlight.

As well as his own team of gallopers in recent years, the Wagga-raised horseman has worked as a pre-trainer for the leading stable of Chris and Corey Munce as well as Grandview Thoroughbreds.

Since the Munces have opened their new Gold Coast operation, Hubbard has scaled back on his involvement with the stable but reflects on his time with the team positively as he worked closely with a number of elite gallopers.

Co-trainer Chris Munce offered Hubbard a position at his GC-based yard, but Hubbard was keen to remain at Ipswich.

These days, he is comfortable pottering around with a few of his own.

“I liked the lifestyle here rather than living at the Gold Coast, so we decided to stay here and just scale back,” he said.

“I'm more or less semi-retired. I just keep a few now just for an interest. I'm pretty good, just poking along, taking it easy.

“I've always been a hands-on person; I do like to do most things myself when I can.”

In recent years, Hubbard has battled with prostate and bladder cancer as well as a heart concern, which was quickly fixed by installing a pacemaker.

After going through several tough battles on the health front, the veteran trainer notes that he now has a new perspective on life and his career in racing.

During his troubles, Hubbard admits his wife was the backbone of his family and stable as she kept everything ticking in the right direction.

“I'm good as gold now at the moment,” he said.

“I think it just taught me to scale back a bit and take things a bit easier and appreciate things a bit better. I used to take things for granted and just get on and do it, no matter how I felt.

“But, I think now, you get a couple of health scares and you slow down a little bit.

“I am not getting any younger, but I am not ready to hang up the boots just yet. Everything I've done, I've mainly done with horses so it's good to be able to do that.

“I can just sit back and take it a bit easy. I couldn't give them away and do nothing. You've got to have a reason to get out of bed.

“I've been lucky over the years. I've survived out of the game for 40 years, 50 years, so I can't complain.”

Hubbard prepares a handful of horses now as he has scaled back his operation in recent times.

Ipswich hobby trainers Hannah Willis and Rebecca Mollica have over the years credited Hubbard as one of their close mentors.

Club boss Exelby says the entire Ipswich racing community takes great pride in winning results from their local trainers. 

“It was only a couple of years ago that the training tracks here at Ipswich received a significant upgrade thanks to Racing Queensland,” Exelby said.

“Our training tracks are now as good as anywhere.

“Naturally you take a great interest in those results. We don't have a huge number of trainers here, but when we see those results both here at Ipswich and then getting results at other venues, it's particularly pleasing for the club.

“We'd like to see that grow as we get more trainers here. Ipswich as a city has a strong community base and the club takes a lot of pride in being a strong part of that community.”

When the Ipswich Turf Club celebrated the conclusion of the 2024-25 racing season, Hubbard was crowned the club’s leading conditioner.