The Tasmanian harness racing community lost one of its greats, Wayne Rattray, who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the age of 86.
Wayne was not just a trainer-driver, but was a man of many talents. He was a champion footballer, tennis player, and axeman, showcasing his versatility and determination. His journey in harness racing began in 1974 when he drove his first winner, First Credit, marking a significant turning point in his life.
His red and black racing colours were chosen from his days at the Ringarooma Football Club, one of several clubs he was involved with.
Most of his family had pacers, except for his father, Ted, before he married into the sport with his wife Gaye, the daughter of Bill McKerrow, who was one of Wayne’s biggest influences.
Wayne and Gaye lived in Ringarooma before 1971, when they moved to Longford for two years before returning to the northeast, where they purchased a farm at Cuckoo.
Getting sick of the four-hour trips to Hobart with their expanding racing stable, they moved back to Longford in 1985. The Karalta Racing Stables property produced many winners, not only from Wayne but also from his son Barrie and, more recently, Barrie’s son Todd, who currently trains at the property.
When he retired from training and driving at the end of the 1991/92 season, the last of six Tasmanian Trainers Premiership victories, Wayne was asked in an article in The Examiner Newspaper to rate his top ten horses he had trained, in his own words and order:
1 – KARALTA GIFT: Won three heats of the Inter-Dominion (two in Brisbane, one in Sydney) and Inter-Dominion record-holder with a time of 1:55.4, beating Bag Limit. Did it at the top and as a four-year-old. Went 1:56.9 at Mowbray under race conditions.
2 – KARALTA BAY: Best horse we raced in Tasmania and one of best ever on Hobart track. He went 1:56.3 twice and won the Tasmanian Championship off 10m (we thought he was the closest thing to a certainty we’d ever had in a big race). Won 2YO Sires Consolation and 3YO Sires Produce at Moonee Valley.
3 – NAPOLEON STONE: Great, little racemare. Loved to win. As a 3YO, she won almost every important race against the Colts, went 1:58.3 at Moonee Valley and won a FFA at Carrick. Later won the Tasmanian Championship (my first). Probably gave me the most pleasure of any of my top 10, as I drove her myself to win many feature races.
4 – SWISHINOVA: The toughest of them all; just kept putting in. He ran 1:58 in Hobart one night when he never saw the fence; and was three wide for 1000m. Won the Guineas and his only start in a heat of Tasmanian Championship. Wouldn’t go away from a standing start, the only fact which separated him from Napoleon Stone.
5 – VICAR NEPTUNE: Top Tasmanian horse equally at home in stand or mobiles. Won Metropolitan Cup and Governor’s Cup. Just beaten in Tasmanian Championship by Paleface Lyndy on a wet track (ran third the following year). Second horse to run under 2:00 in Hobart (Paleface Lyndy did it the same night, one race earlier). Probably the nicest horse I’ve handled, lovely to drive.
6 – KARALTA JET: Great mobile horse with high speed. Won 3YO Sires Stakes and NW Light Harness Cup. Has gone under 2:00 several times. He doesn’t quite race as well as the trials but is getting closer. Should improve his rating on this list before he retires.
7 – GENGHIS KARALTA: Could make a real top horse. Already won $90,000 from about 20 starts. Won 2YO and 3YO Sires Stake races in NSW and 3YO classics at Hobart and Penrith. Will be near the top of this list in the next two years if sound.
8 – RAEBURN LASS: Top-class filly who broke down at the end of her 3YO season. Won 2YO feature race at Harold Park after travelling for a week and hardly eating. Won 3YO classics against the colts.
9 – SWISHINON: Superb-looking black horse. Won several 2YO races then extended that to 11 straight wins in his 3YO season. Won Tasmanian Guineas and heat of Victorian Sires Stakes. Has gone under 2:00 and won $100,000 so far.
10- SKIPPER KARALTA: Big striding, high-speed horse, superb from the mobile. Won four at Moonee Valley, with a class record 1:58.5 for 1940m. Ran 4th in Italian Cup at first run against top-class horses and was then spelled with high hopes. Never came back.
The article is available in full on the Tasmanian Standardbred Racing and Breeding Archive Facebook page.
But Wayne’s retirement was short-lived. He retuned back to the northeast, where, along with Gaye, he owned, bred, and trained many nice horses, including Cody Maverick, whom they purchased as a young horse. Wayne told many close to him that Cody Maverick had the potential to be his best horse. Tragically, the pacer lost his life as the result of a race fall in a Group 1 race at Bendigo in 2008.
His induction into the Tasmanian Harness Racing Hall Of Fame in 2014 was a testament to his enduring legacy and the profound impact he had on the sport. His long list of achievements, not just in Tasmania but throughout Australia, earned him this prestigious honour.
In a feature article in The Examiner Newspaper in 1990, Wayne was asked about the secret to his success across his sporting achievements.
“I think I work harder than most and apply myself to the job,” he said.
“I put up a sign at the Ringarooma Football Club that said, ‘God gave us two ends, one to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which end you use the most.
Tasracing sends its condolences to his wife, Gaye, their four sons, Neville, Robert, Kent, and Barrie, and their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His funeral will he held at the Scottsdale RSL & Community Clubon Thursday, 10 October 2024 at 2:00 pm.
