They were teenagers who shared a school yard and years later reconnected through a horse racing bond forged in their childhoods.
And on Saturday at Rosehill, Gai Waterhouse and Julia Ritchie were side by side in the winner’s stall after Vancouver claimed the $3.5 million Golden Slipper.
Both women grew up in families with a strong patriarch.
Waterhouse, of course, is the daughter of legendary trainer TJ Smith whose record of six Golden Slipper victories she equalled on Saturday.
Ritchie is the daughter of renowned racing administrator Bill Ritchie as well as being a prominent horse owner in her own right and a director on the board of the Australian Turf Club.
“Gai and I met up at school but she was a little bit older,” Ritchie said.
“I think being the daughters of (prominent fathers), we always had a common ground and we were always mates. Having that shared experience on how it all operates gives you a good starting point.
“And we’ve been through a lot together outside of racing.”
The women’s fathers were also good friends and Ritchie was one of TJ Smith’s loyal clients.
When he stopped training and Waterhouse took over at Tulloch Lodge, the first horse transferred to her care was one owned by the Ritchie family.
Julia Ritchie has had horses with Waterhouse ever since but in Vancouver, the old friends look to have found something special.
For Ritchie, it was a first Slipper win.
She knows how hard it is to come by having raced Bold Promise which started an odds-on favourite in 1991 and finished fifth to Tierce.
That’s why she is in awe of Waterhouse’s ability to win six – and counting.
“She keeps smashing records whether it’s her father’s or anybody’s,” Ricthie said.
“She’s got a new energy about what she’s doing and she’s got a great range of horses in her stable right now.
“And success is the best calling card of all for her.”
That success could keep rolling if Vancouver presses on to the remaining two legs of Sydney’s two-year-old triple crown.
If not, Ritchie and Waterhouse have a back-up plan.
“We’re already talking about buying another one,” Ritchie said.
