ONE of horse-racing’s living legends Charlie Prow was honoured with the naming of a new pavilion at his home track at Blackall on the weekend.
Charlie has been a part of the industry for over six decades and ridden and trained so many winners that nobody at Saturday’s race meeting was really sure how many it amounted to.
He added another three winners to his training record on the day, cheered on by a crowd of 500 who know the Prow name is synonymous with quality.
They had all come to pay tribute to the unassuming man who has done so much for the sport of racing in his lifetime.
Charlie started in the late 1950s, when he was 17, riding as an amateur until he was taking so many rides it was suggested he turn professional.
He became one of the few dual licensed trainer/jockeys in the state and is one of the most successful owner/trainers in country Queensland.
In his career as a jockey he rode somewhere between 1500 and 2000 winners including two wins at the Cairns Amateur Cup and two at the Rockhampton Cup, some of the biggest race meetings outside Brisbane.
He was also on board Miss Petty for 19 of her 22 consecutive wins, a record broken only last year by Black Caviar.
Charlie has about 1000 wins to his credit as a trainer.
Barcoo Amateur Race Club president Paul Banks said his presence had strengthened the club, knowing that he would always have 10 or so starters.
He described working with Charlie as a privilege.
Fellow trainer Todd Austin said he was person he always looked up to.
Todd was apprenticed to Charlie and worked with him for six or seven years before branching out on his own, and said he had given him plenty of opportunities rather than hold him back.
“Still now, if I ever have a problem, I can talk it over with Charlie,” he said.
Now 72, Charlie isn’t showing many signs of slowing down, with 11 horses in training, as well as 800 head of cattle to care for in the Blackall and Quilpie regions in the current drought conditions.
Some years ago he had a defibrillator put in and now spends a half hour reading the papers on a Sunday while he’s plugged into a machine that monitors his ticker.
He says the secret to his success is dedication.
“You only get out of it what you put in,” he said. “You’ve got to know what a horse is saying to you.
“Of course, you could sleep with some and it would still do them no good.”
The Charlie Prow Pavilion was opened on Saturday by Member for Gregory Vaughan Johnson, who said the state government was committed to country racing, promising a new ablution block to enhance the $250,000 covered area and catering facility paid for by the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council and the race club.
