Cameron Partington’s ride from V8 Supercars hopeful to the most influential jockey manager in Queensland

AS an adrenaline fuelled teenager, there was nothing Cameron Partington was going to do in life other than racing.

Jockeys Robbie Fradd (left) and Jeff Lloyd (right) have piggybacked on the success of Cameron Partington and Jim Byrne. Picture: Natasha Wood, Trackside Photography

AS an adrenaline fuelled teenager, there was nothing Cameron Partington was going to do in life other than racing.

A few decades on, those dreams have come to fruition, although it’s in a different form of racing to the one he originally envisaged.

Partington is now the most influential jockey manager in Queensland. He started with Jim Byrne three years ago and took him to last year’s Premiership. This year Jeff Lloyd joined the team and he and Byrne will finish 1-2 in the title race. Robbie Fradd was the most recent acquisition and his stocks have also risen considerably in the past six months.

“Your relationship with your jockey is like your wife. You need to know what’s in their mind all the time. It’s part psychologist,” Partington says.

“Jockeys are very short term, they only think about today. That’s where I come in. It’s about building a relationship.”

So Partington still gets to test his competitive instincts, but from much safer confines than the way he used to do it.

“Motorsport is my real passion. I drove through the 90s with guys like Mark Webber, Craig Lowndes and Marcos Ambrose,” he said.

“I was desperately trying to become a professional race driver.

“You tried your guts to make it, but back then, only one person each year would be accepted in. It was a bit of an old boys club and the young ones struggled to break through.

Jockeys Robbie Fradd (left) and Jeff Lloyd (right) have piggybacked on the success of Cameron Partington and Jim Byrne. Picture: Natasha Wood, Trackside Photography

“Lowndesy was the one who changed that. He got elevated and made a fist of it straight away. The doors just opened after that. They realised these young guys were faster.

“Long story short, you had to have all your ducks lined up to get through and I’d run out of money, focus, commitment and I retired when I was 27.”

Partington was allowed to pursue his racing dream by his employers the National Australia Bank, but after 20 years with the NAB he wanted a change.

“Pat Duff got me more involved in horse racing. We have been great mates for 25 years and he’s probably the one who taught me most about racing,” Partington said.

“I remember he sent me out to do Jim’s home loan. Jimmy doesn’t remember it. He still had a rat’s tail at the time. I remember thinking ‘who’s this punk?’

“Then I worked for Les Ross for two years and he taught me how to handle a horse to the best he could in a short time.”

At the same time, Partington was thrust into the role of State Executive for the Queensland branch of the Australian Trainers’ Association, a role that stood him in good stead when he took up Byrne’s offer to manage him.

“I knew after the first day I wasn’t in anywhere near the deep end I thought I would be. I realised I was well prepared for this because of the connection and relationship I had with trainers,” he said.

“There’s no point being the best form student in the world and knowing the horse you want to ride if the trainer won’t talk to you.

“When I took Jim on, he was in a horrible patch. His confidence was low.

“If he had been flying I might not have done it. I don’t know if I would have wanted the stress of keeping him at the top if that’s where he was.”

Having established he was up to the task, offers started to come in from others wanting to be managed by Partington.

“Jim got me into the game so I was never going to do anything without his blessing and support and there are genuine pros for having multiple riders,” he said.

“For a while they rode on Jim’s coat tails, no doubt about it. Now it’s to the point that they all benefit off each other.

“Trainers love the one stop shop. They like the fact they can ring me and they know they will get one of those three jockeys. They might not get the one they want, but they are going to get a good jockey and one that is reliable.

“I’ve had plenty of people ring up and want to join the team. We’ve said no. We don’t want anyone to hurt our reputation. My boys turn up to ride 99 per cent of the time, rather than call up with weight problems or car troubles or some other rubbish.

“We pride ourselves on being loyal and reliable.”

Originally published as Cameron Partington’s ride from V8 Supercars hopeful to the most influential jockey manager in Queensland