11 hours ago
75-year-old Goondiwindi legend Barry Sheppard shooting for glory in Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm
There's not many 75-year-old trainers who still ride their own trackwork.
Meet Barry Sheppard, the veteran Goondiwindi horseman who is hoping to take out the $200,0000 Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm on Saturday with his galloper Elusive Eagle.
Four years ago Sheppard made international headlines when his horse Fitzroy Boy was a victim in a spate of atrocious attacks which saw several racehorses in the area left with unexplained gashes in their necks in separate incidents.
Police never arrested anyone over the sickening attacks and security was subsequently upgraded in the Goondiwindi racing precinct.
Fast forward to 2025 and Sheppard, who trains almost solely for family members, is hoping to make headlines for very different reasons as Elusive Eagle makes his way to the big smoke.
If Elusive Eagle doesn't fire on Saturday, the trainer certainly won't be able to blame his trackwork rider.
'I'm 75 and I still ride my own trackwork,' Sheppard said.
'I don't have any trouble getting the medical certificate off the doctor, I'm as good as gold.
'I really only train horses for my family, I've got three or four horses at the moment.
'Digger, my son, has got a share in this horse and some other family members have too.
'I think there's 21 (family members and friends) in total going to watch him on Saturday.
'I haven't had a runner in the Battle Of The Bush before, but this fella is a real honest horse.
'I've had a lot of troubles with him, but he is just starting to sort things out now.'
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Before moving to Goondiwindi, Sheppard lived in outback Cunnamulla where he operated a service station for 24 years and was also the local postie for six years.
He has always had a small team of horses.
Elusive Eagle has notched up almost $200,000 in prizemoney and the eight-year-old gelding has won 13 of his 56 starts.
He qualified for the Battle Of The Bush Final by scoring a qualifying race on his home Goondiwindi track in April.
Elusive Eagle is a $34 chance in the Battle Of The Bush which is raced over the 1200m sprint trip at Eagle Farm on Group 1 Tatt's Tiara day.
Meanwhile, Sheppard says Fitzroy Boy will soon return from a spell and has shown no lingering impacts from the horrifying slasher attack in 2021.
Fitzroy Boy is now eight.
'The police never got who did it, but there was a lot of work done securing the stables after what happened,' Sheppard said.
'Fitzroy Boy has been back in work for three weeks now after having a bone chip taken out of his knee.
'I am surprised he made a comeback but he did and he is still loving his racing.'
