Ninety-three years young, Shirley Batten trained a winner at Casino this week with the four-year-old gelding Eagle’s Fire taking the honours in a BM58 Handicap under the steadying burden of 59kg which he carried with steely determination to claim victory in a pressurised finish.
Adding to the pleasure of the win for the stable was the fact that Eagle’s Fire saluted in the brown with gold stars silks of the Batten family with the son of Dracarys being owned by Shirley and her son David, who was on strapping duties on that day.
The win at Casino was a due reward for Batten’s dedication, her always responsible work ethic and her polite, personable demeanour … all life traits to be valued.
Eagle’s Fire is one of three horses Batten has in training. All are home-breds out of broodmare, Eagle’s Nest … and Batten, who rode her own track-work until she was sixty, is there for them every single day.
“Most mornings I’m up about half-past two,” said Batten in an earlier interview with Racing Queensland.
“That’s seven days a week, although on Sundays we might get a sleep-in till about half-past three of four.
“What are you going to do if you don’t get out of bed … and you won’t get out of bed if you have got nothing to do.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m a morning person. I like something to be happening. I enjoy it.
“Nobody has to fight me to get me to come to the stable.”
That’s at ninety-three years of age, remember.
How good is that!
