“People say they don’t judge a book by the cover, but they do,” says Kevin Weidenbach, who opened up to Toby McKinnon on SEN’s TrotsLife about his journey in the harness racing industry and the impact a 70kg weight loss had on his career.
Weidenbach comes from a big harness racing family and it was inevitable he would find himself somewhere in the industry, however it was always driving horses in races that he fell in love with.
“We have 20 horses in work there – mum, dad and I all together,” Weidenbach said. “I haven’t had many in my name. Training isn’t really my interest. I love the horse, but the thrill of driving a winner is my main thing.
“You could drive a $3k winner at Globe Derby or Saturday night at Melton, that 30 seconds after winning a race, the buzz it gives me, that’s the reason why I do it.”
However, Weidenbach said, driving was once a difficult career path for him due to his weight.
“When I was a real young kid I wasn’t very big,” he said. “When I was 12 or 13 I got my tonsils out and learnt what it was like to eat. And I went from there and got bigger and bigger until it got out of control.
“Thinking back now, the worst thing was I could do everything that anyone else could do. So, I didn’t realise how big I was as life just went on as it was.”
Weidenbach tested his passion for harness racing through breeding, breaking-in, training and pre-training, but it was always driving and winning races that brought fulfillment.
“The turning point was I had a horse of my own. I owned it and trained it. I took it to the races and I thought it could win.
“My sister drove it and the horse won. When I was walking back to the stable, I was happy it won, but it never gave me a kick or a buzz (because I wasn’t driving it).”
“In order to find his love for the sport again, Weidenbach knew a change was needed
“(I decided) I have got to either do something drastic and try lose the weight to try and be a driver, or walk away, as (being a trainer) wasn’t giving me the kick that I wanted.”
He chose his passion and has since lost 70kg, which has him back in the sulky chasing wins.
And he did exactly that, on 17 occasions last year feeling the thrill of winning, a buzz he’s replicated already three times this year, including an impressive victory at Globe Derby on January 8, when Growlers Last spaced his rivals to win by 16.8 metres.
To listen to the full interview with Kevin Weidenbach and Toby McKinnon on SEN’S TrotsLife, click here.
