Training duo expand their horizons
Warrnambool dentist Bill, who with Symon won the coveted Warrnambool Cup and Wangoom Handicap double this year, has invested in an agistment property within minutes of his training base.
The Wildes are also in discussions with the Terang Racing Club to take over on-track stables previously occupied by Terry Beaton.
Wilde senior said he had purchased the 34-hectare property virtually at his back door.
"We had been looking at different properties for a while," he said.
"The one we have purchased came on the market and it is ideal for what we want to do. We have been agisting horses all over the place for a few years.
"We mainly use Tony Laidlaw's property up at Tarrington. We'll still use it but to have our own agistment property at our back door is a bonus," Wilde said, revealing that works had already started to bring it up to scratch.
"We've ploughed part of it and re-sown it and we will be putting in another windmill," he said.
"The property has a good balance. It's got a good flat area which should stay green all year round. There's also a dry area which is a bonus during the winter months."
Wilde said much more work needed to be done before the property was ready.
"We're well into the first stage of our plan. The second stage will be to build sheds, stabling facilities and hay sheds - we don't have any power on the property yet but that will come," he said.
"Having our own agistment property at our back door will save us from driving floats all around the district with horses.
"Carting horses from different places is a time-consuming part of this business," he said.
"We are trying to free up some of our time so we can devote more time into being hands-on with our horses in our stable."
Wilde, who has 20 horses in work and more than 50 on his books, said having stable facilities on course at Terang would be a positive move for his stable.
"The facilities at Terang are great. They have a grass track, a sand track and a swimming pool. The infrastructure is in place at Terang. I've had discussions with the Terang Racing Club about taking over the stables and we hope to have things finalised in the near future," he said.
"We would have a lot of our pre-trainers down at Terang. We would possibly have between six to 10 horses there.
"We've got to get some track work riders at Terang. We will use the grass track a lot," he said.
"Our horses which are racing would be based at our home stables."
Wilde, who works in his Warrnambool dentistry three days a week, trained his first winner at Penshurst in 1982. Symon started work full-time in the stable in 2003 before getting his training in-partnership licence last year.
The Wildes won this year's Warrnambool Cup with Hissing Sid and the Wangoom Handicap with Arch Symbol.
