Symon Wilde

A seminal moment in the development of Wilde Racing occurred in 1980 when Symon’s father Bill purchased a 24-hectare undulating coastal property on the outskirts of Warrnambool, which had a natural, well drained sandy sub-soil.

Over the next 20yrs Bill balanced his professional life with his passion for racing and training. The stable started with 2 horses and by the late 1990’s had progressed to 15 horses in work.

Meanwhile Symon was gaining invaluable experience in the UK with the Queen’s trainer Lord Huntingdon and champion national hunt trainer Nicky Henderson. After 2yrs Symon returned home to Australia and worked at Lindsay Park Stables in the Barossa Valley under the tutelage of Peter Hayes and Tony McEvoy. After 2yrs in SA he gained further international experience in the USA working for Laura De Seroux.

Returning to Australia in 2003 he progressed from stable hand to foreman and then joint trainer in 2008. The number of horses increased concomitantly to about 30 during this time.

Symon became head trainer in 2014 and has enjoyed unprecedented success in winning many group races, including multiple winners of nearly all the South West country cups (including 2 Warrnambool cups, Hamilton and Colac Cups.) For the past 12yrs Wilde Racing has consistently been in the top 20 Victorian Trainers Premiership and has been in the top 10 for the past 4yrs. Our property has developed at the same rate over this period and now boasts an uphill 1000m heavy sand track, swimming pool, an equine treadmill and a walking machine.

Three horse trucks and three horse floats fulfil our transport needs for racing, trials and beach work and our 25-horse barn at the Ballarat stable is invaluable in conditioning horses using their uphill 1400m fibre gallop. The Ballarat stable is also a useful “halfway house” when a closer base is needed for night metropolitan racing and racing in distant Gippsland and Northern Victorian racetracks.

Over a 10yr period our number of winners have increased exponentially and with a good number of well-bred young horses this trend is likely to continue.

In 2018 Symon achieved a lifelong ambition of training the winner of the Brierly and Grand Annual double the same horse Gold Medals was runner up in both races the following year.

Our training rates are every competitive and our animal welfare strategies are modern and very effective.

You can rest assure that your equine athletes will always have the best management and care with Wilde Racing.