Webster’s heart still in the Weetwood

By Jordan Gerrans

When popular Toowoomba horseman Pat Webster was facing serious heart surgery late last year, he gave his big crop of owners an opportunity to move their horses on to a different stable while he was set for a stint on the sidelines.

The hard-working trainer was forced to undergo open-heart surgery to fix a few troublesome heart valves.

Once eventually released from hospital, he was on light duties for a long period of time, which he thought may force some of his owners to send their horses elsewhere.

In a testament to how well Webster is regarded by his owners - and the wider industry - he still has a barn full of horses almost a year on from his painstaking surgery.

“I enjoy it a lot, I love winning races and I love seeing the owners very happy,” Webster said.

“We've been lucky enough to have some very good owners in the stable that have supported us all the way through.

“Even when I was sick, I gave everyone the chance to find another stable for them to go to or stick by us.

“Everyone stuck by us, so I'm pretty happy with that.”

If all goes to plan this Saturday, the Webster stable will have a very happy group of owners at Clifford Park on the Darling Downs.

The 50-year-old presents with two live chances in the feature Listed Weetwood, which will be run over 1200 metres at Toowoomba.

Esjay and Restonica provide the former St George-based conditioner with arguably his best chance yet to nab the maiden black-type triumph of his lengthy training tenure.

When Webster was on the sidelines with his heart concern over the last year, his stable continued ticking along nicely, led by his wife Kelly, son Jett, apprentice Chloe Lowe, as well as their big team of staff.

“I don't think I could run the stable on my own, that's for sure,” he said.

“Kelly does a hell of a lot of work behind the scenes and with rosters and staff. My job's really easy. I train the horses and talk to the owners and whatnot, but Kelly looks after the staff.

“We've got a really good routine that seems to work for us. Good work riders are a big factor and we're lucky there.

“We've got really good riders, jockeys and apprentices and trackwork riders, so we're really blessed that way.

“It was a bit of a battle for a little while, but I had really good support around me and the family really stuck by me and helped me through it.

“As well as all my staff, they all stepped up and I was down for a good couple of months.

“They've done a great job and kept the ball rolling while I was out of action and I've since been given a clean bill of health.”

Despite the trainer by name being floored with his health, the Webster team kept powering on.

They registered 62 winners in the 2025-26 campaign, which equalled their career-high mark that was set in the previous season.

The barn has started the new season with a bang, tallying 11 winners at a 27% strike-rate so far this season.

After the serious health scare, Webster admits he has a different outlook on life and training than what he did a couple of years ago.

“Obviously in this game you don't get a lot of time to reflect or change what's going on,” he said.

“It's a big snowball and you've just got to keep rolling with it.

“It probably has changed my outlook a little bit, but we've had a great season and everything's rolled on.

“Even when I was sick, the guys were doing really good. I'm very happy with how things have gone.”

The Webster camp shifted from St George to Toowoomba a few years ago to test themselves at a higher level.

The smiling trainer initially thought he would have a team of horses who would compete at Clifford Park on a Saturday night.

But, he has become regularly competitive in town, headlined by the deeds of gallopers such as Esjay, Restonica, Howdoyouzou and Mean Approach, among others.

“Definitely the move to Toowoomba has been good,” he said.

“I probably thought we might end up with a team of about 20 horses in work and try and win some races around the provincial area.

“But, we've got a few more numbers now and winning a few in the city has been great.”

Esjay and Restonica will both be first-up in Saturday’s Weetwood after racing through feature events in the winter in Brisbane.

“At this stage, we'll be happy if we can win a Listed race,” he said.

“We've just been lucky with Esjay this season.

“We've been able to start him in a couple of good races over the carnival and we're not setting our goals too high, but I am happy to have a horse good enough to start in races like this.

“Obviously, being based in Toowoomba, it is probably the race everyone wants to win - the Weetwood and we're no different.

“We've only been here for four-and-a-half years, but even when I was in St George looking at the Weetwood, it's always a race we wanted to win.

“We're just happy with both runners and we are very lucky to have two runners that are capable of getting in the race.”

Talented apprentice jockey Jace McMurray won on Esjay at Doomben in the middle of July and thinks the horse is a sprinter to watch.

“I think he is a nice horse going places,” McMurray said.

“He certainly has a good race somewhere, within him.”

The Magic Millions Toowoomba Guineas QTIS 3YO Plate is another feature race on Saturday’s program with Webster to send stablemates O'reillys Flight and Apostle towards the event. 

Apostle claimed the time-honoured Pat O’Shea Plate at Clifford Park earlier this year.