TOBY’S JOURNEY
THE BEGINNING
Toby grew up watching replays of his great uncle, Des Lake, riding countless Group 1 winners, from there he was hooked on racing and there was no turning back.
A childhood which consisted of riding horses and competing in pony club, Toby’s height halted his aspirations to be an apprentice jockey but rather than give up on his dream, determined, Toby turned to Picnic Racing where he was a successful and sought-after rider. Toby rode over 60 winners including the Picnic Grand Final at his final race ride while he was still in his teenage years.
Toby always had ambitions to train and after learning from his father Steven and graduating from a stable hand to leading track rider under Shane Fliedner in Bendigo, Toby packed his bags for the city in order to gain experience from the best teachers he could.
Having spent an invaluable period of time under leading trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace during their expansion phase at Caulfield, this allowed Toby to not only deal with some of the leading bloodstock in the country but understand the systems of a big stable.
Toby was then approached by up-and-coming and boutique conditioner Nick Ryan to be his assistant trainer, a position he held for five years. With a smaller number of horses, Toby learned the invaluable one-on-one attention a smaller stable can provide and enjoyed considerable success at their Caulfield and Flemington stables.
Equipped with knowledge, drive and passion, Toby is now ready to make his mark on the racing scene.
THE FUTURE
Toby chose to return home to establish Lake Racing and commenced training in May 2023 from the highly acclaimed Bendigo Jockey Club.
Toby’s vision is to create a racing stable which offers affordability but without cutting corners, all while delivering an up close and personal ownership experience through multimedia platforms to make you feel engaged in every step of your horse's progress.
An accomplished jockey and track work rider, Toby will be involved and oversee all the one-percenters which count towards racetrack success, from jumping on the horse's back to on the ground making the horse's feeds.
The first-class facilities at Bendigo, which is centrally located to not only all Victorian racing but interstate as well, caters for the requirements of all types of horses. Toby will use his expertise in selecting tried horses as well as yearlings to appeal to a wide range of owners.
“I am excited to return home to Bendigo, a training centre which has all the tools at our disposal.
“Me and my team will be meticulous in our preparation and bring a new age of training and an abundance of passion to place your horse to its full advantage.
“We will work hard to source the best bloodstock we can to offer you an enjoyable and successful ownership experience.”
Toby trained his first winner on his hometrack at Bendigo in September 2023 with Volpe Risorsa ridden by champion jockey Damien Oliver.
