With links to two great travellers – Strawberry Road and Falvelon – Queensland trainer Danny Bougoure has plenty of memories to look back on and he is the latest topic for our QUICK QUESTIONS series…
What is your first racing memory?
Racehorses in our backyard. My father was a trainer and we had stables and yards behind out house in Hendra.
Who is your favourite horse and why?
Strawberry Road, he was trained by my father and I rode him track work. He wasn’t the easiest horse to ride but he went on to be an international star and a very good sire.
Who is the best horse you’ve been involved with?
Falvelon.
And the best horse you have seen?
Winx.
Who do you admire most in racing?
Gai Waterhouse as she did it tough in a male dominated sport but came out on top.
Who is your ‘what if’ horse?
Wandjina was an outstanding yearling and our first bid was $800K but we got blown out of the water!
What is one change/improvement you’d love to see in racing?
Get rid of the false rail as it creates too much track bias.
Which horse currently racing would you like to train?
Ka Ying Rising.
What’s the funniest moment you’ve experienced in racing?
Toss up between Shane Scriven losing his whip near the end of a race at Ipswich then stealing the apprentice (Ben Looker’s) whip or Blake Shinn losing his pants as he went past the finishing post.
What is your favourite racing moment/biggest thrill?
Winning the Hong Kong International Sprint with Falvelon for the second time. The Americans said we were lucky to win the first time so to beat them again which was very satisfying.
What is your favourite pastime outside of racing?
Watching Rugby League, especially classic State Of Origin matches.
What is your favourite T.V show?
Landman with Billy Bob Thornton, Andy Garcia, Sam Neill and Demi Moore. It is very clever, brilliantly written with outstanding actors.
Best concert you’ve seen?
Dire Straits in Sydney.
What slogan summarizes your outlook on life?
Nothing comes without hard work.
Favourite food?
Steak.
Favourite racecourse?
Doomben.
If you weren’t a racehorse trainer what would you be doing?
Never really thought about doing anything else but I do like to build things so maybe a builder.
