Max Morgan’s friends and relatives have watched replays of the retired South East trainer’s best horse, Charleston Boy, many times – but they will indulge him again this week, given it’s his 90th birthday.
Max celebrated plenty of big wins during his long career, but reaches a brand new milestone on Friday and will mark the occasion with a gathering of friends and family.
Max’s niece Nola Andrews and her husband Sam have helped plan Friday’s event and fully expect the day to include some reminiscing.
“He loves the races still – he watches them every single day,” Sam said.
“I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen some of Charleston Boy’s wins, but Max loves it when people watch those old videos with him.”
Max and his younger brother Jim travelled widely throughout South Australia and the western districts of Victoria for race meetings, running their horses at Morphettville, Oakbank, Cheltenham, Geelong and Flemington, plus local tracks like Naracoorte, Penola and Mount Gambier.
Many young aspiring apprentice jockeys were given rides on their horses, including champion hoop Clare Lindop, who also had her first winner as a senior jockey aboard one of Max’s horses: Jakemo at Penola in May 2000.
Max was born at Mt Barker and had six sisters and five brothers in his large family. He is the sole surviving member of his family.
Max and Jim started their involvement with the South East racing scene while in their 20s, moving to the Naracoorte area and taking charge of training their first horse.
In the late 1960s they started to take an interest in horse breeding with Apsley property owners Peter and Pauline Fitzgerald, and took training pointers from Tommy Neale.
They purchased their 250-acre property at Struan around 1966 and also owned and sheared 300 sheep, plus kept ducks, chickens and their beloved sheep dogs. In 1999 the farm was sold and they purchased a retirement home in Naracoorte.
Max and Jim worked in the Koppamurra area for Colin Freckleton, who bought their first horse.
The first horses were called Conpar and Hadji Ki. The latter won the Millicent, Coleraine and Mt Gambier Cups.
At the age of 10 the horse was taken to Melbourne to race in l968 against a field of 20. Ridden by Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jim Johnson, Hadji Ki started at 33/1 and won the race.
Max has trained and bred many horses, including the well-performed Charleston Boy, plus others such as Quadra Gambi, Romantic Step, Jakemo, Rose of Brooklyn and Magestic Hope.
Max’s racing colours have now been handed on to Tim Flint in Kingston SE.
Caption: Former long-time Naracoorte thoroughbred racehorse trainer Max Morgan is celebrating his 90th birthday this Friday. PHOTO: Janet Haebich