Former Trainer Wood Passes Away
- Friday, 30 July 2010 03:50
Former trainer Ron Wood past away earlier this week leaving memories of a little man who devoting much of his life to training racehorses.
Most of his time was spent in the Yarra Glen area where he trained and bred the horses he raced with much success.
He commenced training around 1973 with just a handful of horses that is how he liked it giving each horse his own personal attention.
A little known mare Dark Mica was the key to his success she was foaled three years before he gained a trainer’s licence.
By Thredbo from Mica Creek she had a few prominent sires within the first three generations yet nothing was really working well for her.
She won eight races with stake earnings of $6,030 which would illustrate that prize money in the early seventies wouldn’t get you far in a tram car.
The turning point for the mare arrived when she was mated to Don Newell’s sire Sovereign Slipper.
She produced Mickle Mica a winner of nine races which included the Listed Silver Jubilee Stakes at Moonee Valley.
Unbeknown to Ron his mare had founded a dynasty and a goldmine in the small paddock behind his house where Dark Mica grazed.
The mare produced six winners of 43 races while two daughters followed the pattern of mum producing winners of 23 races.
Ron enjoyed a comfortable life passing away at 82. He often commented “there was never any shortage of bread on the table thanks to Dark Mica.”
