Caitlin Hoysted helping raise Lavin Park champion Uncommon James

The owner and breeder of superstar gelding Uncommon James says there’s more success to come in partnership with her husband Matt Hoysted and top trainer Steven O’Dea.

Noosa horse breeder Caitlin Hoysted, nee Lavin, hopes her farms top runner Uncommon James can continue to impress. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Sunshine Coast horse breeder Caitlin Hoysted says there is more to come after playing her part in arguably the greatest success story of the past 12 months in Queensland racing.

Hoysted, who runs the family business Lavin Racing and Breeding in Noosa, has helped produce several runners in the white and blue family colours as a trainer and now as a breeder and owner in conjunction with her husband Matt Hoysted and training partner Steven O’Dea.

“Mum and Dad have bred racehorses for over 40 years and I was a trainer for six years but then Dad got sick and had a short time left from the doctors so in that time we gave our horses to Matt who I then ended up marrying and raising our one-year-old daughter with,” she said.

Hoysted took over training the family horses from her father Peter Lavin and was able to prepare 23 winners from 138 starts, finishing in 2016 before shifting her focus to taking over from her father on the breeding side of their racehorse business.

Noosa horse breeder Caitlin Hoysted, nee Lavin Picture: Patrick Woods.

She now focuses on running the family farm and has helped nurture the stunning rise of Uncommon James who has won five of his last six, with a recent victory at Caulfield on August 13 in the Regal Roller Stakes.

Hoysted said the four-year-old gelding would head to another listed race next Saturday at Moonee Valley before he aims up at the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

Wow! Uncommon James made his mark in Melbourne with a listed win at Caufield! @odearacing@matt_hoysted@bnothdurft14@emilyyplang Great job team 😉 pic.twitter.com/i65fBSprhG

— Caitlin Lavin (@LavinPark) August 13, 2022

“The last time we took a horse to Melbourne was Uncommon James’s mother Pickabee, and so far it’s been good as he handled the transition really well and Baylee (Nothdurft) who rides him every day down there alongside Steven (O’Dea) say he just keeps ticking along nicely,” she said.

The family made the decision to reject several “monster” offers from a number of international stables for their leading runner.

“It’s Mum and Dad’s choice and they knocked back each offer purely for happiness because you can’t put a price on it in their eyes and they’re in their 70s, it’s taken them 40 years to breed a horse this good so it would be too sad to give it away,” she said.

Hoysted said she was looking forward to the challenges that come with her next crop of horses.

“We have five in work at the moment, there’s a few spelling and a few in foal that are ready to go down to the Hunter Valley to give birth in about six weeks,” she said.

“We’ve got the mare Pickabee so anything out of her is exciting to see so we’ve got a colt from Yes Yes Yes and a two-year-old filly from Capitalist which we’ll see in the next year or so,” she said.

Originally published as Caitlin Hoysted helping raise Lavin Park champion Uncommon James