Paul Perry rose at 2am on Wednesday and made the short trip from his home in Popran Lane to Newcastle Racecourse.
Like clockwork. He was one of the first trainers to arrive for trackwork.
It's a routine Perry has followed for more than 50 years. A routine that has been the foundation for the former jockey to become one of the most successful trainers in Australia.
On Saturday, Perry trained his 4000th winner when Princess Cruizer took out the Benchmark 64 Handicap at Broadmeadow.
Perry, 77, was on cruise ship off the coast of England when Princess Cruizer beat the field home.
His son and stable foreman, Nathan, saddled up the six-year-old mare and shot Perry a text to say it had won.
"I knew the milestone was coming up," said Perry, who arrived back in Newcastle on Monday night.
"It was good to hear it won."
That is Perry. No fuss. No fanfare.
The response belied the enormity of the milestone.
Only the very best, legends Bart Cummings, Tommy Smith, Collin Hayes, Jack and modern-day greats John Hawkes, Gai Waterhouse, Lee Freedman, David Hayes and Chris Waller have reached the 4000-winner mark.
"It is an extraordinary achievement," Newcastle Jockey Club CEO Duane Dowell said. "It highlights Paul's longevity and ability.
"He is entrenched in the top 10 trainers in Australian racing history."
Among the catalogue of winners have been 12 Group One races, headed by Stratum in the 2005 Golden Slipper.
"The thing about Paul is that he just goes about his work with no fuss," Dowell said. "He is very humble and hard to get much out of."
The win by Princess Cruizer on Saturday was almost 54 years to the day that Perry saddled up his first winner, Secret Jim, at the same course.
"My brother Jimmy rode him," Perry recalled. "It won by a couple of lengths. We thought it would win too. I think we celebrated with a beer at the end of the day."
Perry was 23 at the time.
The winners have flowed and flowed and flowed.
Along the way, Perry formed lethal partnerships with champion jockey Jim Cassidy, local legend Alan Robinson and list of long-time owners.
I
n 2003, Perry did what no other Australian trainer had done when he donned a top hat and tails and became the toast of Royal Ascot with Choisir.
The champion colt captured the King's Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes in the same week, earning Perry a reception with Queen Elizabeth II.
It remains a highlight.
"The trip to England with Choisir and getting to meet the Queen was pretty special," he said. "It was a good time. The Queen was so worldly. She made everyone feel welcome. It is amazing where life takes you."
Choisir - and Perry - blazed the trail, opened the doors for Australian connections and showed it could be done.
Seven Australian gallopers - Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Black Caviar, Haradasun, Merchant Navy, Nature Strip, Asfoora - have since won at Royal Ascot.
Choisir is the only one to win twice at the same carnival.
As well as the Choisir and Stratum, Perry has had Group success with Fastnet Rock, Dantelah, Navy Seal, Bezeal Bay and more recently, The Mission.
"Most of our better horses ended up racing in Melbourne," he said
Asked to select a favourite, Perry said: "I couldn't split Chosir, Stratum and Fastnet Rock. There is nothing between them."
Perry, after having more than 100 horses in work at the peak of his career, now has 20-odd at the Low Street stables on course at Broadmeadow.
"He's never really changed his training methods. He has stuck to the tried and true way," Dowell said.
"He always uses the sand track. You very rarely, if ever, see his horses on the grass. They go around on the sand every day and that probably gives them a certain different type of fitness to other horses."
Typically there are no trophies, famed photos or other memorabilia on show at Perry's home.
His satisfaction is derived from the horses.
"You have to be that way to have any success," he said.
As for the future?
"The 20 we have in work is enough now to keep us ticking over," Perry said. "I love it. It is a lifestyle. There is no need for an alarm at 2am. I'm always awake."
