The tragic loss of Cranbourne-based stablehand Peta Tait has hit the racing industry hard, the pain and sorrow felt as hard as anywhere in East Gippsland where the much-loved and talented Tait began her career.
The 43-year-old was killed after being
kicked by a horse she was saddling at her employers, Busuttin Young Racing last Tuesday, with on-course paramedics unable to revive her after the incident at the Cranbourne Training Centre.
Victoria Police attended the site and will prepare a report for the coroner, while WorkSafe also attended and is investigating the circumstances of the accident.
Tait was a prominent and active member of the Victorian racing community for nearly three decades, getting her licence to ride as an amateur jockey on the picnic circuit as a 16-year-old and continued to work full time in the industry as a trackwork rider while assisting several trainers from Cranbourne and the Gippsland area.
Tributes have poured in from thousands of people in the racing industry, including highly respected jockey, Daniel Moor who has a close affinity with the Busuttin Young stable.
“It’s difficult to find the words to describe a one in a million person, but that’s exactly who Peta was, so dedicated to her job and always so helpful, constantly putting others before herself. She will be very sadly missed.”
Moor said.
Cranbourne trainer Kasey Keys was also full of praise for Tait.
“She was an exemplary individual who embodied exceptional caring, hard work, and dedication. Every stable would have been fortunate to have someone of her caliber on their team and I feel privileged to have called her a friend, and I am grateful for the numerous times she assisted our team,”
Keys said.
Tait grew up in Stratford and after her parents Graeme and Glenys bought her and her two younger sisters ponies, she spent her life around horses.
She started strapping for Sale trainer Ian Hutchins then started riding track work for Hutchins and fellow Sale trainer Reg Manning then progressing to riding on the picnic circuit.
She rode her first winner Californian Dream for close family friend Manning on November 7, 1998 and her second winner Top Music for Hutchins three months later at Buchan.
She lived with both families throughout her late teenage years and early 20s while working with horses at the Sale racecourse.
Manning recalled last week that she would ride trackwork and then go to school.
“I couldn’t have kids, but Peta called me Dad, we were very close, Ian and Jan Hutchins were like family to her as well. She learnt a lot from them and they will be just as sad as I am,” Manning said.
Tait was licensed as a picnic jockey from 1998 to 2019 riding 48 winners, including the 2013 Hinnomunjie Cup aboard Guadalcanal.
She also won the annual picnic feature, the Cranbourne Corinthian on Unruly Student at her final race ride on October 11, 2019.
Manning fondly remembers her first winner.
“It was raining the day of the meeting, and we actually walked the track before the race and when we got to the 600 metre mark, there was a fire truck parked on the outside the rail, and I instructed Peta to start riding hard when she got to the fire truck,” Manning said.
Someone moved the fire truck but Tait still rode her first winner.
Manning was heartbroken when the news came through last week.
“She handled the horses very well. It was just
a freak accident, it was not as if she did anything wrong, or it was a bad horse, it just kicked out for whatever reason,” a devastated Manning said.
Tait moved to Cranbourne to follow her racing dream, working for high-profile trainers Michael Kent and Robbie Griffiths, before becoming an integral part of the Busuttin-Young stable.
“She usually spent a bit of time, six to eight years with each stable, she never left on bad terms, just other opportunities came up,” Manning said.
Busuttin Young Racing issued the following statement late last week:
“It is with tremendous sadness that Busuttin Racing confirm the passing of much loved team member Peta Tait following a tragic accident at our Cranbourne stable. At this time our thoughts are with those nearest and dearest to Peta, her immediate family and many friends, both inside and outside of the racing industry, as well as her team of colleagues of whom she had maintained strong personal and professional relationships. She was an incredible person who was dedicated to her role and will leave a long-standing legacy. We are heartbroken by her loss.”
Counselling and support is being provided to Tait’s family, the local racing community and industry employees.
