Spotlight on our Stars - Lynley Autridge

Te Akau Racing shines the light on a very special, talented and dedicated member of the Te Akau team ... although born in Auckland, with no idea where her horse fixation originated, Lynley Autridge had a hankering for the country and knew city life was not for her.

“I don't know where my obsession came from, and it was an obsession,” said Lynley, who was eight-years-old when she got her first pony. “When I was at school, I wasn't interested in boys, I was horse mad and all I wanted to do was ride”.

She and three of her cousins became the beneficiaries of a wealthy aunty who provided them each with a pony.

“She bought five acres with a house on it in Glen Eden, so I had my pony there and went to Glen Eden Pony Club,” Lynley said.

“Some of my cousins lived rural and I was so jealous of them. They had the lifestyle I would have dreamed of and it was probably the reason I left home at such a young age. Not because I didn't get on with my parents but all I wanted to do was be with the horses and get into the country.

“We used to go to all the A & P Shows and gymkhanas and the only reason I got into racehorses was that in the school holidays I went to stay with my cousins and they were riding track work for Roy and Leo Robinson who lived down the road and they trained (Melbourne Cup winner) Van Der Hum.

“I left school at fifteen, which wasn't a great idea, but you could do that sort of thing back in the day, and I went to work full-time for Jack Winder and that's when I first actually met Steve (Autridge) and he was my first boyfriend,” she said with a smile.

“Steve was the leading apprentice at the time and not that we dated for very long - not sure what happened there - but our paths crossed again in 2001 and we got married in 2003”.

Lynley started an apprenticeship and had a few rides but she gave it up after Winder became very ill and passed away.

Married to a polo player, Lynley then took up a job working in the office at the Cambridge Jockey Club, and also hunted for six years with the Waikato Hunt Club.

“I worked there for sixteen years, helping run the trials and administration and even after having two boys (Jason & Matthew) I still worked there”.

Jason Smith, the Equine Manager at Te Akau Stud, and his fiancée Katie Flowers are getting married in June in Derby, near Manchester.

“I've never been to England before, so it will be a big trip,” Lynley said.

In 2009 Steve and Lynley set up their training operation in a barn on the racecourse at Matamata, until both coming on board and helping effect a training premiership win for Autridge & Richards last season.

“I'm ground staff these days, don't ride anymore, and there is about six of us in the main barn of thirty horses.

“We've got the pick of the crop, because we have all the colts in the barn, which is exciting and always good to be involved with the best of the best.”

Lynley has also shown her eye for a horse when purchasing Chartreuse (St. Petersburg) as a yearling, who won three stakes races and in turn became the dam of 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Platinum Witness (California Dane), and she continues to breed from a three-quarter sister to Chartreuse, Colheita, who has left Miss Streisand (Tavistock) a winner in Singapore.

“It is a really good filly family and stems from one of Sir Peter Vela's mares, Imzadi, by Sir Tristram. The family went off the boil a little bit but then along came Chartreuse and then they all started winning again,” she said.

Multiple Group Two & Three placed, winner of seven races, Silverdale (Castledale) is a favourite, which Lynley always takes to the races, while Zambezi Warrior (Pentire) is another.

“There are so many nice horses but I do have a soft spot for Zambezi Warrior and I think he's a lovely horse but I tend to let the young ones take the horses to the races these days,” she said.

Lynley loves being around horses, gets excited when they win, and said that her and Steve watch very little television apart from Trackside.

“We watch Trackside the whole time, so we can keep up with all the races and it's our life,” she said.

“If you didn't love it, you certainly couldn't do it, especially getting up at these hours, and when it's in your blood you can go away from it but always seem to be drawn back to it.

“Dave (Ellis) realises what goes on behind the scenes, and it's a huge amount. This is not just about the one or two people training the horses, it's about the people that are actually doing the physical stuff to make it all happen.

“You're working with the horses constantly, day in and day out, you know if they're off their feed, or look a little bit sore, know if they're not quite right, you're around them so much that you get to know them all, what their habits are and know if something is not right and I think David appreciates that and realises those are the kind of people that you need to have around because so much can go wrong. They only have to get a temperature, or something minor, and it can turn into a drama unless you get on to it straightaway,” she said.

“Lynley is an outstanding horsewoman and another one of our senior staff that has so much experience with horses and an extremely valuable person to have as part of the team, not only with her own input but also the knowledge she can pass on to others,” Ellis said.

“She has looked after some terrific horses and we are so lucky to have some unbelievable team members like Lynley.  She has a fantastic work ethic and her son, Jason, works for me at Te Akau Stud and he also has a really good work ethic too, and these are the types of people that we are so fortunate to have looking after our horses.”