The trainer most famous for guiding the best sprinter Australia has ever seen to an unbeaten sequence of 25 wins, Black Caviar, had one main piece of advice for a young Daniel Stackhouse when it finally came to a decision on where he would call home. “He said you can either be a small fish in a big pond here, or be a big fish in a little pond there. I elected to stay, and it’s worked out well.” To say it has worked out well would be an understatement. Stackhouse has ridden 1,200 winners, accumulated $50 million in prize money for his owners, and in 2023 the highlight of his career came when he was able to nose out John Allen for the Victorian Jockey Premiership. That same year, he bought a 50-acre farm on the Mornington Peninsula, where he resides with partner and fellow jockey Tatum Bull. Stackhouse says the farm has been paramount to his recent success on track and has provided him a great life away from racing, while also being close to the major training centres for work itself. “It’s 45 minutes away from Pakenham and only 20 minutes away from Cranbourne and not far from Mornington, so it’s very central for us. “I sometimes get home at lunchtime and like to muck around on the farm and do a lot of jobs I start and try to finish. “It’s something I like to do. It’s my sort of happy place, being out here chipping away, building stuff or maintenance work. “It’s my getaway, I can shut right off from the outside world and this environment suits me.” While building a new gym and getting new water tanks installed on the farm is on the to do list for Stackhouse in 2025, riding his first Group 1 winner remains the primary goal on the racecourse. Impressive Lindsay Park two-year-old Shining Smile is one he is hoping could give him that elusive success at Group 1 level, while imported stayer Deakin for Phillip Stokes looks another who could make the grade. “be a small fish in a big pond here, or be a big fish in a little pond there”
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