Tommy Smith (1916-1998), racehorse trainer, was born at Jembaicumbene near Braidwood, NSW. He worked in the bush until he was 15, when he moved to Melbourne to become a jockey. After a bad fall, he gained a trainer's licence, winning his first race with Bragger, a 'mad brumby' he had found at Cootamundra, at Rosehill in 1942. His first major win came when George Moore won the AJC Derby on Playboy at 100-1in 1949. He went on to win an unsurpassed string of 33 training premierships - he won the Sydney Trainer's Premiership every year from 1953 to 1985 - and collected six Golden Slippers, seven Cox Plates and two Melbourne Cups along the way. Variously known as 'The Little General' and 'The Dominator', Smith maintained one of Australia's biggest stables at his property, Tulloch Lodge. His daughter, Gai Waterhouse, has successfully continued his profession and his business.
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