to retire

100% correct gallopers 

Sad day indeed.

Can someone enlighten me on the financials year - how can a trainer with 17 be losing $6K a week while others with boutique stables of less than 10 that would be lucky to get 1 metro winner a year be OK (I have Sydney in mind in terms of the trainers)?

Was BMS geared up for a bigger operation and simply couldn't scale down to make it work?

Not disputing, just trying to understand?

He has had a pretty small team for a while now but he used to have one of the top strike rates going around and I'd imagine this has fallen heavily. So he probably relied on prizemoney much more than other stables and this just hasn't been coming in.

Brian Mayfield-Smith intends to take a holiday in Africa in December to decide his long-term future after announcing he will retire from training at the end of the month.

Mayfield-Smith, 62, said it was not economically viable to continue to train out of his Flemington stables as he needed 25 horses in work to break even but currently has 17.

Orange County, Stickpin, Samburu Warrior and Goldfield Ashes have been retired over the spring carnival while Famous Roman has returned to Western Australia.

Mayfield-Smith and his wife Maree have a passion for Africa and wildlife conservation and that is what drew them to the Kenyan bush for two years in the mid-1990s.

"We went back there last year which was great but we haven't been back there a hell of a lot. I think we have been back to Africa three times since we left there in 1997," he said.

Mayfield-Smith is best known as the trainer who ended the legendary Tommy Smith's 33-year reign in the Sydney premiership in the 1985-1986 season.

The former outback Queensland stockman won three successive premierships in Sydney from his then Rosehill base.

Upon his return to Australia after his stint in Africa, he resurrected his career from a new base at Flemington where he started with two tried horses, Wry Hero and Great Condor, who both won stakes races for him.

In the dozen years since he has landed 600 winners and 74 stakeswinners including 10 Group One victories.

Among the 30 individual Group One winners he prepared throughout his career were Marauding, Handy Proverb, Marooned, Diamond Shower, Rubitano, Oliver Twist, Special Dane and Sudurka.

His latest at the highest level was Orange County in the 2008 Rupert Clarke Stakes.

He always wanted to win a Melbourne Cup but the closest he got was third with Maybe Better behind the Japanese pair Delta Blues and Pop Rock in 2006.

Mayfield-Smith has two runners at Seymour Wednesday and has Encroacher and Greatwall Of China nominated for the Baryshnikov Handicap (1300m) at Sandown on Saturday.

Terrific interview with Steve Moran this morning on Sport927. I assume that it will be available on Podcast soon ... worthwhile listening. Brian has always been a gentleman and a fine trainer.

Interesting interview. He's not broke or anything like that, in fact he admitted life has been very good to him especailly since being in Melbourne. He's just being smart about the financial situation going forward, but gives impression he still wants to train. After he comes back from Africa I wonder if he'd consider moving back north and work with brother Lawrie 

I was hoping he would win the Cup last year with his very good horse.

I cant remember it now.

A long and Happy retirement to him.

That is the one.

Thanks to Gintara.

GS

What a Shame, i reckon he is in my top 5 all time great trainers,the bloke
is afreak, and as already stated, what a great interview this morn,
Good luck to you brian and watch those bloody lions mate  

Amazing to say he is losing 6000 a week with 17 horses in work    Fantastic trainer bad businessman.

Matt Stewart writes some very good racing stories and he has done this article about BMS in today's Herald Sun:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-reports/horse-trainer-brian-mayfield-smith-makes-right-decision-to-retire/story-e6frf8wx-1225796692922

To return to the training ranks !!