Bendigo racing identity Briga Fliedner loves the stable life

Before moving to central Victoria, Briga held an owner-trainer licence and in 1996-97 - with Shane as jockey and her brothers strapping - became the first female to take out Mildura’s leading trainer trophy.

“The early years were very tough,” she recalls after a pre-dawn session at the Fliedner’s Racing stable, directly opposite the Bendigo Racecourse, where the couple live and work.

“We had little kids (Kelly, now 28, and Matthew, 24,) and they got dragged to race meetings all over the state in a horse truck, sitting up the back with their Lego and colour-in books.

“They would help carry all the bags into the track and they were well and truly sick of it by the time they were older. Now they don’t even look at horses!”

Briga, on the other hand, is just as passionate today as she ever has been about racing and can’t imagine a life away from the familiar sounds and smells of thoroughbreds.

She is part of an influential Melbourne-based club promoting  women within the industry and spent four years on the Bendigo Jockey Club committee. 

A Fliedner-trained horse has been first past the post at every Bendigo Cup meeting for the past four years, though not in the main event, and she hopes to soon make it five in a row.

In practical terms, Briga has handed the training reins to her husband, who quit riding in 1998 after contracting an infection and losing a kidney - prompting the family to seek a new home.

“Shane was keen to take up training and we wanted to move to a racing centre, so we looked at Ballarat and Geelong but we ended up choosing Bendigo,” Briga says. 

“When we drove here, Holy Rosary was on the corner and the kids were running around at lunch time and it had such a good feel. That nice little Catholic primary school was the turning point, so we shifted to Bendigo and settled into the community straight away.

“It was just what we needed at the time - a fresh start.”

The Fliedners enjoyed a kick-start to their new venture when they bought a cheap colt at the Melbourne Autumn Yearling Sales and turned him into champion galloper Little Dozer.

“We’ve had some good horses, but he was really good. He won the Sandown Guineas and the Hilton on the Park Stakes - about half a million dollars - within eight days of each other.

“He was owned by two Italian gentlemen from Robinvale and that was such a big thrill.”

Other city winners to emerge from their stables include Classiconi, Laura’s Charm, Tollesprit and Jakodae. 

Briga is quite content to let Shane head the operation these days, saying he is the “horseman” while she is “the talker and socialiser”, but she retains a strong hands-on role.

“I’ve gone back to picking up the poo in the mornings and making sure the stables run smoothly when Shane is away!” the 50-year-old part-timer laughs.

“But it is absolutely a team effort here - we have eight wonderful staff who I feel very close to and no one is any better or more important than anyone else.

“Shane does exactly the same tasks here as what myself and our other staff do.”

Her days often involve rising at 5am to lend a hand with the 30 horses in their care, finishing up around 9.30am for a cuppa and a couple of hours off before the afternoon session begins. 

Briga was born into a Birchip family with links to the racing industry dating back to the 1930s and, together with her eight brothers, spent her childhood surrounded by horses.

One of her earliest memories is of getting dressed up and heading to the Wycheproof race meeting on Derby Day when she was just a toddler of about two or three.

“My family still have a marquee to this day at the Wyche races and enjoy a huge day there. 

“I usually have go to the Derby in Melbourne, but I’d rather be up at Wyche! There’s no comparison - it’s so relaxed and so much fun. Bush racing is just wonderful and country race meetings are the best. The people are always so nice, though the horses are not quite as fast.”

Briga is the sister of successful Swan Hill trainer Austy Coffey and aunt of rising star apprentice jockey Harry Coffey, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.

“Growing up around racing just cements your life within the industry,” she says. “Because that’s what you do and what you love, it also determines who you meet. 

“Shane was a jockey in Swan Hill and I met him at 18 and was married at 19. He’d ridden for my brothers and I’d strapped horses that he rode.

“It is a wonderful industry. It is competitive with high stakes, but there is also a lot of loyalty, camaraderie and admiration for each other.”

Away from the track, Briga is a member of the Victorian Wakeful Club – a capped group of 44 prominent racing women.

“We sponsor races around the state and have a scholarship to the North Western TAFE in Wangaratta in the equine course for a young girl who wants to be part of the industry. 

“It’s a very worthy club that encourages and supports young women in racing - and not just directly with horses, but in the administration, marketing and stewards departments as well.

“You don’t have to be horsey to be involved in the industry.”

Briga says the evolution of women in racing means they are now looked on as equals. 

“If you are going to stay back in the dark ages of having only men run these industries, they will never prosper and never grow. The racing industry has been very forward in its thinking and it is so important that women be acknowledged and supported.

“It is great that young women are coming through now as jockeys and trainers and being as competitive as any men. The future is bright as bright for women in racing.”

Briga is one of only two women ever elected to the BJC committee and served until recently, when a difference of opinion led to a “difficult and emotional” decision to resign. She doesn’t want to elaborate, preferring to focus on the positives of her tenure.

“I loved my time on the BJC committee, still have some good friends there, and wish them all the best,” she says. “It was always an honour and privilege to represent Bendigo members.”

Her achievements included bringing female members to the club, and helping start the Legends of Bendigo Raceday with committee member Margot Falconer. 

The inaugural Legends day in May, honouring local identities and horses, was a big success.

“Bendigo Cup day is also a fantastic event,” Briga says. “The successful clubs in racing are the ones that give the town ownership of the cup, so it has to be Bendigo’s cup – not the club’s or the committee’s - and we always made it Central Victoria’s biggest event.” 

Another issue close to Briga’s heart is the way the industry has become pro-active in ensuring the health and welfare of participants, particularly young females. 

“Horses have a pull over people and some kids will do anything to be a part of it, so children - girls and boys - have to be protected when they go into the industry,” she says. “And there have been major steps taken in our industry to address this.”

While the Fliedners do not have a horse in the running for the 2014 Bendigo Cup on October 29, holding the trophy aloft remains one of their long-term goals.

“We always dream of a good horse and we will get another one of these days, so we’d love to win the Bendigo Cup,” Briga says. “It’s a very prestigious race and we’ve had two seconds.”

But there is still plenty riding on the Wednesday before the race that stops a nation.

“We have had other winners on Bendigo Cup day for the past four years, so we are really keen to get one this year as well,” says Briga in eager anticipation. 

“Five in a row is something to aim for and Shane is trying really hard. The pressure is on!”