Four years ago, Gwenda Markwell sent Nigil Mohanan on what he thought was a three-day trek to Queensland, with four-time Listed level runner Pomelo.
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Little did he know, Markwell had always intended on that trip lasting much longer.
Also, little did he know at the time, it would be the making of Mohanan as a rising training talent and assistant to Markwell before she died of cancer on Friday.
Mohanan will make a much shorter journey, to Royal Randwick, hoping Nautical Miss will provide another winner for her, as the training licence will now be officially taken over by racing manager Ross McConville.
It will be a strange experience no longer seeing her name in the race book, but the team still has seven runners on their home turf and the stables will remain Markwell Racing in her honour.
Markwell, a winner of 19 Illawarra Turf Club trainers premierships, including 13 in a row, trained 1037 winners, of those an amazing 517 at Kembla Grange.
Her biggest wins came in the 2004 BMW Stakes (now the Tancred) with Grand Zulu, beating Mummify and three-time Melbourne Cup champion Makybe Diva and the 2019 ATC Derby with Angel Of Truth.
At age 61, she will be laid to rest with a funeral service at Kembla Grange next Tuesday, November 8.
Mohanan had never touched a horse when he walked into Markwell's stables at the recommendation of a friend.
From stablehand, he learned how to ride, how to get a feel of a horse - and how to train a winner.
But Markwell ensured he did the hard yards, if Mohanan wanted to make it in the industry.
"She sent me to Queensland by myself, just me the horse and the truck," Mohanan said.
"It was supposed to be a three-day trip, I only had two bags packed, but when I got there, she let me know I'd be there for a month.
"She didn't want to tell me at first so I wouldn't panic, but when I got there she just said, 'you'll know what to do'.
"(Pomelo) was a hard horse to deal with, she would sweat up really bad.
"She kicks and jumps, when she won her first race in Sydney, I had to hand walk her for two hours, because she won't relax in the stalls."
At one stage, Markwell, in her no-nonsense way, once walked over the Mohanan and asked what he wanted to do in the future.
"I was a bit lost, not sure whether to keep going in engineering," he said.
"I said to her 'no, I want to be a trainer just like you'. So she gave me a helmet and vest and told me I needed to start riding now, because you can't just depend on everyone else."
Markwell's work ethic and wisdom, as much as her success, will be fondly remembered at Kembla Grange on Cup day. At 31, Mohanan has a bright future in racing, thanks to Markwell, hoping Amigos No More, Mentalism or Never Sorry can deliver one more winner.
Nautical Miss at Randwick would also prove a sentimental success story.
"(Markwell) used to ride her mother (Miss Pageantry) as well, she was a really nice horse," Mohanan said.
"I'd love to win another race for Gwenda, when she left us, she was still winning the (Kembla) premiership.
"And it's not like we're buying million dollar horses, Gwenda just knew how to do her best with what she had."
Illawarra Sports Awards
The Mercury, in partnership with the Illawarra Academy Of Sport and presenting sponsor Illawarra Credit Union, is hosting the Illawarra Sports Awards, to be held on Thursday, November 10 at the Fraternity Club.
TICKETS: Purchase individual tickets or tables at https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-sports-awards
Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
