One of our great supporters on Brissyraces is Troy Corstens and Malua Racing. Troy is extremely well respected throughout the industry and is a genuinely nice bloke with racing intelligence running through his blood. I felt leading into the Spring Carnival it would be a great time to catch up with Troy and find out a few facts people may not know and what makes him tick.
Gibbo: Thanks for joining us mate, I know how busy you would be. Let’s kick off by letting everyone know where you grew up?
Troy:
Thanks for the interview Gibbo. I was born in Adelaide and moved to Melbourne when I was 4 years old. My father got the Melbourne Foreman’s job for Bart and we packed up and never looked back.
Gibbo: Your father is none other than legendary trainer Leon, I take it your early years were spent around the boxes, and has it been a love from day one?
Troy:
I actually wasn’t a big fan of the game growing up. I saw the hard work long hours and average wages and decided early that I didn’t want to do it. I did however love the animal and was lucky enough to have the likes of Let’s Elope, Shaftesbury Avenue, Shiva’s Revenge and the like in my back yard. I would take my school friends out into the stables and take it for granted the absolute super stars that we were patting.
Gibbo: What were a couple of your first jobs out of school?
Troy:
I studied for 2 years. First accounting for a year, which I was disgraceful at. The I did marketing for a year which also didn’t quite float my boat. I had a number of holiday jobs growing up and I basically tried everything from Managing a clothing shop to working in an abattoir. The horses beckoned though and I landed back in them pretty quickly.
Gibbo: Outside of your old man who has had the biggest impact on your career?
Troy:
I worked for David Hayes as a young fella and have always admired the way he has run such a successful operation with such big numbers. Other than racing one of the best influences in my life was a man by the name of Bruce Noske. I spent near every holiday with him and his family in the Adelaide Hills. He was Dad’s best mate. He was a butcher, had his own abattoirs and owned a hell of a lot of property. He taught me to drive, shoot, work and many other things that you need in life to grow into a good person. He was possibly one of the best blokes you could ever meet. Unfortunately he passed away 3 years ago.
Gibbo: You joined forces with John Sadler and created Malua Racing which is leading the way for horse owners, you must be very proud of how it has all gone so far with horses like Vain Queen, Steroesonic, Henwood and Group 1 winner Linton?
Troy:
We have been operational for less than 3 years now and the success we have had has been quite good. We have had our share of hiccups along the way but I don’t think there are too many businesses that don’t encounter some problems. We are keen to keep our numbers “Boutique” and really concentrate on our level of care for the horse and more importantly the owner.
Gibbo: What’s the best one or two horses or performances you have been involved with?
Troy:
With Malua the highlight has to be the Stradbroke with Linton! It was very rewarding to win one of the biggest races on the Australian calendar. Other than Malua my involvement in purchasing, racing and then selling Starspangledbanner was a huge buzz. It’s what dreams are made of. To purchase him for $120k, win a Guineas and Oakleigh Plate and then sell him for $10m was enormous……I’m now desperately looking for the next one.
Gibbo: What’s the craziest thing you have seen on or around a race track?
Troy:
It’s not really crazy but there was one hell of a storm that came over Flemington on Super Saturday back in 2010. They headed out of the mounting yard for the Newmarket and the sky looked as though it was going to swallow the racecourse. Horses got loose with the cracking of the thunder and the place flooded with a downpour in 25 minutes. We ended up getting stuck in the Darley marquee as you couldn’t leave the course until the water subsided. Looking back I suppose it was actually pretty crazy!
Gibbo: The best advice you have ever been given?
Troy:
I was told very early on that the harder I worked the luckier I would get. It’s very true and although I believe in a little bit of luck I don’t live by it.
Gibbo: You guys have a great strike rate and head to all the major sales, you would have owners all around Australia and there are always new opportunities and horses available for new owners to come on board?
Troy:
Yeah of course. I don’t think that there would be too many trainers in AUs now that don’t have really good shares in horses for sale. We always have something coming through.
Gibbo: If you were not in racing what do you think you’d be doing?
Troy:
I have a real passion for food…..not necessarily cooking but definitely eating ! Just kidding. I wouldn’t mind having a crack at Real Estate. I reckon I would try a different tact at selling houses and not do the hard sell all of the time. It’s the way I go with horses!
Gibbo: I like to finish by asking if you were down to your last $100, what would be your play?
Troy:
I have a beautiful wife and 3 children so I would gather them up spend $50 of it on fish and chips and the other $50 I would have to let fly on a 10-1 pop somewhere and build a bank!
Thanks for joining us today and giving people a bit of an insight as to what makes you tick. I know the brissyraces followers love getting behind the scenes and hopefully they decide to check out some of Malua horses and get involved in the good money that is available in Victoria racing at present!
Check out what they have available! www.maluaracing.com.au
