Gai Waterhouse
Gabriel Marie "Gai" Waterhouse AO (née Smith; born 2 September 1954) is an Australian horse trainer and businesswoman. The daughter of Tommy J. Smith, a leading trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses, Waterhouse was born and raised in Sydney. After graduating from the University of New South Wales, she worked as an actor for a time, appearing in both Australian and English television series. Having worked under her father for a period of 15 years, Waterhouse was granted an Australian Jockey Club (AJC) licence in 1992, and trained her first Group One (G1) winner later that year.
| Gai Waterhouse. AO | |
|---|---|
Waterhouse with her husband Robbie at the David Jones Autumn/Winter Fashion Launch in Sydney, February 2013 | |
| Full name | Gabriel Marie Smith |
| Occupation | Horse trainer |
| Born | 2 September 1954 Sydney, Australia |
| Spouse | Robbie Waterhouse |
| Children | Tom Waterhouse Kate Waterhouse |
| Honours | |
| Australian Racing Hall of Fame | |
| Website | |
| GaiWaterhouse.com.au | |
In 1994, after her father became ill, she took over his Tulloch Lodge stable, and she has since trained 145 G1 winners and won seven Sydney trainers' premierships. She was also the trainer of Fiorente, the winner of the 2013 Melbourne Cup, becoming the third woman (and first Australian woman) to train a winner of that race. Waterhouse was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2007, and has been described as the "first lady of Australian racing".