July 8 - Gai Waterhouse is one of the finest racehorse trainers Australia has ever produced, and it seems that each year she continues to outdo herself, this year being no exception, as a win today by her charge Tinjirarni at Kensington Racecourse put her even further ahead in the Sydney trainers' premiership.

Ridden by apprentice jockey Daniel Ganderton, Tinjirarni enjoyed a good trip in the 1150m Hillsdale Plate on a heavy track. From the start, Tinjirarni seemed comfortable to hug the rail until she was maneuvered into second place before grabbing the lead by the 600m mark, and staying there until the finish line.

Interestingly, Peter Snowden has five runners in the same race, but neither of them could shape against Tinjirarni or Ganderton, who won all three of his races on the day, including the 1150m Kingsford Hcp on Will To Win for trainer Anthony Cummings. But it was Waterhouse who was left smiling by the end of the day.

Born in Scotland in 1954, Gai Waterhouse grew up in Sydney where like her dad, top trainer TJ Smith, she also developed a love for horses and racing. After she finished school, she moved to England to pursue a modeling and acting career. But when she returned home, she began a 15-year apprentice under her father.

In January 1992 the Australian Jockey Club granted Waterhouse her own training license, and just two months later she chalked up her first winner with Gifted Poet. In October of that same year, she celebrated her first Gr 1 winner with Te Akau Nick in the Metropolitan Handicap, and she hasn't looked back since.

In 2007 Waterhouse was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, where her late father was also an inductee. The Sydney trainers' premiership measures the success of Sydney-based trainers. The trainer is currently leading the premiership, with fellow top-rated trainer Peter Snowden snapping at her heels.

This season, out of the 303 horses that Waterhouse has sent out, 78 have notched up victories while 162 have finished in the placings. Out of the 477 horses that Snowden has sent out in this campaign, 77 have triumphed while 226 have finished in the placings. Today's win by Tinjirarni helped keep Waterhouse ahead.

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2011/12/09 12:49:08 AM