By Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
Rockley (NSW) trainer John Boserio admits he probably wouldn’t be on a seven-month harness racing campaign in Queensland right now had it not been for his late mate, Craig Lusby.
Boserio, who arrived at Tweeds Head in January, and will leave for home in August, said he has been coming to Redcliffe Paceway to campaign his horses for more than 40 years – having only missed five or six years in all that time.
“I actually gave the sport away from 2011 to 2018. I was 62 at the time and I thought I’d given most of my life to harness racing and I reckoned it was time for a change.
“Then my old mate, Craig, convinced me to train six of his horses, so I did. We started with Mistery Road at the time, and then sadly Craig recently passed away. I’ve since inherited his horses and here I am,” Boserio said.
“Then I lost my wife, Chris, three years ago. That was gut wrenching because we had sold all the pubs we had worked in and were ready to retire together.
“So, in some ways it’s good to be back training because it keeps me busy, and I love Queensland. I wanted to move here 40 years ago, but Chris said no,” he added.
Boserio trained four winners in seven days – two of them at the mighty Redcliffe Paceway.
The John Boserio trained and Shane Graham driven The Grogmother scores as the $2.60 favourite in race four at Redcliffe Paceway last Wednesday (March 22). DAN COSTELLO PHOTO
He triumphed with The Grogmother (Shane Graham) in race four at ‘The Triangle’ on Wednesday night and then the following day repeated the dose on the same track with Rocknroll Times (Angus Garrard) in race nine. He also won with Rocknroll Times and The Grogfather at Albion Park on Friday March 17 and 24.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming to Redcliffe. You have to get used to the track, but once you’ve had a drive or two on it, you get used to it.
“They have a great staff spearheaded by Bernie (Ring) at Redcliffe. I wouldn’t have been coming here for 40-plus years if I did not like the place,” Boserio said.
Boserio hasn’t driven for more than a decade, but according to Harness Racing Australia he has 173 winners from 1,455 starters since the 1982-83 season. He’s also placed 326 times and amassed $630,863.
“I think I’ve had a few more winners than that because I’m 73 now and been working with horses virtually all of my life,” said Boserio, who registered his best season in 2007-2008 with 11 wins. All four victories this season came in Queensland last week.
“I’m working six horses and they are all up here with me. There are the three winners plus Team Sport, Mistery Road, and He’s Sweet.”
The latter is probably the best pacer that Boserio has put a bridle on. The 5-year-old He’s Watching gelding nailed his first and only Group One event so far when Dean Cernovskis drove him to win the $100,000 Brisbane APG 2yo Sales Graduate Final at Albion Park on August 15, 2020.
Boserio also claimed a Group Two event on March 15, 2019, when the Anthony Frisby driven Mistery Road nailed the $50,000 Tatlow Stakes at Tabcorp Park Menangle.
“I’ve had better pacers but they were either sold or got injured, but He’s Sweet would probably be my best,” Boserio said.
Good mates – Cernovskis and Frisby’s father Chris -also combined with Boserio several years ago to make the Tweed Heads Pony Club into the training complex it is now. It was Chris’s idea to construct a track at the Pony Club, and we jumped on board.
“I’m a bricklayer by trade and together with Dean, Anthony’s father, and a few others we managed to get renovate the Pony Club track to a suitable harness track for horsemen, especially visiting from New South Wales, who both wanted to train and stay at Twee Heads,” Boserio said.
“I’m expecting those two trainers up a\here again in a few weeks,” he added.
Boserio was born and educated in Sydney. After attending Birrong Boys High School and his father’s friend had horses.
“I was more into golf at the time and actually got offered a professional contract but opted for bricklaying and the horses,” said Boserio, who once played off a one handicap.
“My father and his friend were drovers and hooked me into the sport. I have no regrets because I’ve made a lot of friends in the game and had many happy times as a result.”
He said he always remembered his first training and driving wins.
“It was behind a pacer called Country Lout at Cowra in the early 1980s. Then again it might have been at Young. It was so long ago, I almost forgot,” Boserio said.
Boserio has three children and five grandchildren. His next starters will be The Grogmother in race two at Albion Park on Monday (March 27) afternoon.
Boserio has three adult children who all live in New South Wales. They are (with children in brackets) – Leanne (Maddi) and Amanda (Ava and Kai), and Wayne (Isla and Marley).
