Having spent most of his adult life combining a teaching career with training the odd racehorse, John Steinmetz figured life would get easier once he retired from the education department a decade ago.
Then along came a horse to turn that theory on its head.
Steinmetz purchased a Casino Prince yearling for $4,500 at the 2018 Scone Inglis Sale and when he sent him to the breakers, he received what proved to be some sage feedback.
“Robert Quinn, who is now a trainer at Warwick Farm, broke him in and after about the third day he said, ‘John, we’ve got to geld this horse. It’s vicious’,” Steinmetz recalled.
“He said it was the worst horse he had broken in in terms of trying to do things with him. He didn’t buck or anything, he was just really ‘anti’ on the world.”
That introduction proved unnervingly accurate.
The horse went on to be named Dr Evil, for obvious reasons, and while he has fortunately proven handy on the racetrack with eight wins and over $520,000 in prizemoney, he has continued to be a handful away from it.
“He has bitten me twenty times,” Steinmetz said.
“He took a piece off the end of my finger, I’ve got a scar on my back where he got me one day when I wasn’t quick enough. He bailed up my wife and one of the other girls who worked in the stable at the time, he got them both and was prepared to have a go at them.
“He has moderated to some extent, but he’s not like a normal horse.”
Steinmetz has gradually put practices into place to mitigate the dangers, including ensuring Dr Evil is tied up while being saddled
“I am the only one that goes near him most of the time, myself and my work rider, and we’ve got routines now that seem to handle it,” he said.
“We’ve got used to him. If you didn’t know him, it wouldn’t be very pleasant, but after a few years it’s OK.”
Steinmetz is anything if not persistent and Dr Evil will line up for his 64th start in the Midway Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The eight-year-old hasn’t been far away in three starts since scoring at Warwick Farm in December and while he needs a genuine tempo, Steinmetz says Dr Evil is capable of putting himself in the finish if he gets the right conditions.
“It just depends on how the race works out. He’s a benchmark 72 horse every day of the week,” he said.
Dr Evil will carry 57kg after the three kilo claim of apprentice Benjamin Osmond and has a win and six placings from 10 starts over the course and distance.
