ABOUT US
Billy Healey
Trainer
Billy Healey grew up in QLD with horses in his life. Starting off as a successful showjumping rider.
He would also work at the track riding trackwork for the likes of Jason McLachlan and Natalie
McCall before heading to school in the mornings. He was very dedicated to the horses. Not as much to school.
At the age of 17 he wanted to start training but was too young so his father Dale took out a license and they started to play around with some tried horses. In 2016 as soon as Billy turned 18 he joined his father in the partnership and they had many successful days on the track with horses such as Our Story, I Am Venus and Instrumentalist a $9000 purchase who went on to place in numerous Cups.
He also did a stint with Darren Weir & Jarrod Maclean where he learnt invaluable lessons about conditioning horses and setting them for a big Grand Final race.
Billy took over training when Dale sadly passed away in 2018.
Billy’s horsemanship is undisputed. He has broken in many horses and still rides Trackwork which gives him a great edge over a lot of trainers as he has a great feel for what level they are at and can convey exactly what he wants to the riders.
He has an undeniable passion and work ethic to the industry and is always trying to better his business model.
Training Philosophy and Methods
Billy Healey believes in keeping the horses happy. “If they’re happy and they enjoy doing what they do, they will give you all they’ve got.”
He has a training regime that uses flexibility to cater for each horses needs. He believes in treating each horse as an individual, not a number.
“It is easy to follow a set routine with them. But it doesn’t suit every horse. Sometimes, especially with the older tried horses, you need to think outside the box and find where they’re happy. Whether it be more or less work, or just a different environment.”
That’s where Billy’s farm “Cloverdale” comes in very handy. It is better suited for some horses who prefer the non pressure environment and prefer to live in a yard at the farm and away from the track.
One of Billy’s passions is educating the babies of the team. He believes they need a good educational grounding. Therefore they are all educated at the track and through the barriers but are also exposed to lots of different environments so if they need to travel away they will adapt quickly.
Kelly
Assistant Trainer
Kelly Slater-Healey is Billy’s wife and she works closely with him in the business.
Kelly is originally from Perth and hails from a very accredited horse family.
Her mother was an exceptional Showjumping Rider and her father was also a Racehorse Trainer
and a prominent Bloodstock Agent. He started Belmont Bloodstock and traded many good
horses over the years before selling it to Damon Gabbedy.
Kelly and her family moved to Sydney when she was young. It was a no brainer that Kelly would
also develop a love for horses and in no time she was also a successful showjumping rider and
still competes regularly now. While living in Sydney she helped her dad with the racehorses whilst
also working for bloodstockauction.com when it started for 3 years.
Whilst she loved the bloodstock side of it she couldn’t stand to be in an office and later was
foreman for trainer Garry White at Hawkesbury.
Kelly met Billy through the showjumping scene and in 2018 she moved up to the Sunshine Coast
to join the team.
Kelly is very passionate about the racing. She loves seeking the yearlings at the sales and
watching them develop. Her bloodstock business goes under the name of Furlong Bloodstock
and together they have purchased many nice horses including stable stars Cosmic Fire and
Benzou.
Kelly is also passionate about the post racing life for horses. She currently has 2 of her own OTT
horses she completes showjumping and loves the versatility of the breed.
Kelly
Billy Healey
