Any race win is special. But for trainer Glen Sparkes, Disco Kicks’ victory at Bunbury on Thursday was something more-something deeply personal, something deeply satisfying.
As Disco Kicks surged to the line to win by a big margin, Sparkes stood silently and soaked up the moment, but amid a flurry of well-wishers, a wave of emotion swept over him.
Disco Kicks’ 3 ½ length win in a 1275m maiden marked his first win as a trainer, a milestone that carried the weight of years of sacrifice, setbacks and reinvention.
“It was a good day for everyone involved,” Sparkes said to Racing WA.
“It was a long time coming to be honest with you.
“It was great to get the first one over the line.
“It’s something I will never forget.
“I pretty much broke down with the emotion of it all.
“It gave me the self-belief that I probably never had.
“You do question yourself but maybe it shows you can train and do know what you’re doing.”
Sparkes’ journey to that special moment at Bunbury began far from the Western Australian turf.
A former top jockey in England, he rode more than 40 winners and was an apprentice to two of Great Britain’s most respected trainers, Luca Cumani and Clive Brittain.
One of his most memorable moments in the saddle came when he rode a winner at Lingfield Park, a personal highlight on his birthday.
Sparkes’ career was cruelly cut short and abruptly halted due to a serious spinal injury, which forced him into early retirement from race riding.
“I had an accident unfortunately and broke two vertebrae, but it never really got back to where I wanted,” Sparkes said.
“I was in a brace for six months and I ended up having to give it away.
“After about a year I sort of knew I wasn’t going to be able to continue.”
Forced into early retirement, Sparkes pivoted to teaching apprentices at the British Racing School, a position he held for multiple years, but the spark that once lit his passion for racing began to fade.
“I taught there for seven years, young people coming into the industry,” Sparkes said.
“We had people come through that never sat on a horse before.
“I enjoyed it and thought it was great, really loved it as a job.
“But as time went on, I was there for the wrong reasons, and I wasn’t getting the buzz as I was getting in the early days.”
In 2009, Sparkes was awarded the inaugural Tristram Ricketts Fellowship-a prestigious scholarship aimed at developing future leaders in racing.
It allowed international travel visiting the Racing Academy in Lexington, working with Olympic equestrian coach Yogi Breisner and study elite training systems in Australia.
The experience reignited his passion and planted the seed for a new chapter.
“That’s what opened the door to Australia,” Sparkes said.
“I went to Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney to watch other people train.
“That got me over to Australia.”
Inspired by what he saw and learned, Sparkes and his partner-now wife-made the life-changing decision to relocate to Australia.
It was a leap of faith, but one that paid off, gaining invaluable experience working with top stables in multiple states.
“I went to Paul Perry and was foreman and track rider for him,” Sparkes said.
“I was there for a year and was then offered a position to work with Lloyd Williams.
“I was foreman for him for about 3 ½ years.
“It was an amazing experience, working with terrific horses.
“We had runners in Melbourne Cups and all that.
“I had some good jobs and was learning all the time.
“You can’t buy experience like that.”
Eventually, completing his Australian odyssey, Sparkes moved to Perth four years ago, where he joined forces with another racing titan.
Surrounded by elite horses and a winning culture, Sparkes began to dream again-this time as a trainer.
“I came over to WA to look at a house and put feelers out to people,” Sparkes said.
“When I was back in Victoria, I got a phone call from Bob Peters, and he offered me an assistant manager role.
“I accepted that and moved over to WA and worked for Bob for about 2 ½ years.
“He was amazing, and I think he knew my passion was to train.
“He’s been very supportive; he definitely helped me.”
With his training dreams taking flight two years ago when he was granted a license, Sparkes says the move to WA has been both professionally and personally gratifying.
“Definitely,” Sparkes said.
“For me and the kids as well and the friends we’ve made.
“The life we’ve made here is great.
“We’ve got a nice property and we’re five minutes from the Pinjarra track.
“It’s a nice set up and we have everything we need.”
After tasting success for the first time, Sparkes is hungry for more wins.
“I never thought I would get the same buzz again than when I was winning races as a jockey,” Sparkes said.
“But I actually say you get it, but you get it more training, doing it from start to finish.
“It takes a lot of hard work to get them there.
“It’s actually far more special than actually race riding a winner.”
It’s taken a lot for Sparkes to realise his ambition. Helping him get to that point and a constant bedrock throughout has been the unwavering support of his wife.
“My wife, Sophie is a major part of this,” Sparkes said.
“She works to, juggles the kids to free me up to do my thing.
“She’s very supportive.”
Winning is the best advertisement for a new trainer that’s attempting to make his mark in a competitive industry.
Now that he’s locked away his first winner, Sparkes hopes it leads to more opportunities to grow his fledgling stable.
“A few more horses would be nice,” Sparkes said.
Julio Santarelli