DAVID Dyson has had a close connection with Newcastle racing for three decades in a variety of roles. Now he says it’s time to take on a new challenge.
Dyson, the current Racing Operations Supervisor at Newcastle Jockey Club, will finish up on Friday week and take a short break before embarking on another job which is nothing new to him. Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle was looking for a Racing Manager – and Dyson fitted the bill. “I worked with Gosford trainer Grant Allard (now based in Queensland) as his racing manager, and subsequently filled the same role with former Newcastle trainer Darren Smith,” he said. “When Darren met an untimely disqualification in June 2014, I was contacted by then NJC racecourse manager Peter Birch offering me a job as trackwork supervisor at the gap (where horses enter the track for early morning gallops).
“I’ve been at Newcastle Jockey Club ever since, but not in the same position. “After five or six years, I moved inside the office as Racing Operations Supervisor and worked in daylight hours.”
Dyson recalls his first association with the industry at Newcastle was in 1994. “The Queensland stayer Oompala won the Cup that year when I was officiating as a judge,” he said. “I could never forget that day. Oompala won easily, but there was a triple dead-heat for third (Major Decision, Pleasant Conquest and Cautious Cluden).” Oompala was trained at the Gold Coast by John Wallace and ridden by now Brisbane trainer Chris Munce, and subsequently ran second in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2600m) at Royal Randwick and third in Jeune’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Neither can Dyson forget the 2007 equine influenza outbreak which hit the racing industry hard. “Ray Murrihy was the RacingNSW stewards’ chairman at the time and offered me a position on the metropolitan stewards’ panel,” he said. “EI was a tough time for everyone involved in the industry, but we got through it.”
After having spent 10 years with Newcastle Jockey Club, Dyson feels the time is right to make another move. “It’s definitely time for a new challenge,” he said. “Nathan (Doyle) is a good trainer, and as this is a role I’m accustomed to, I’m sure I can help him. “I’m really looking forward to working with Nathan and his team.”
Dyson will officially join the stable on August 13, and the NJC has advertised for a replacement, with applications closing on Monday, July 29.
Story John Curtis, July 23, 2024 – Pics Bradley Photos