He's been working with horses since he was a kid, and now Brock Walker has the opportunity to be nationally recognised for his hard work as the 25-year-old has been nominated for Sydney's Strapper of the Year award.
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When he was a kid, Walker would help his dad get some of the trotters ready to compete at Spring Hill but now, he's got a more hands-on role with the gallopers and has recently moved to the big smoke where he handles an array of horses before metropolitan events, mostly at Randwick and Rosehill.
He now works for renowned Sydney-based trainer Mark Newnham who looks after Splintex as the accomplished stallion is set to push for a spot alongside Nature Strip and Gytrash in The Everest this year.
But for Walker, it's much more than watching his horses pass the post first or enter the big race, it's what goes on behind the scenes that makes him love the job.
"We do it for the love of the horses, they're very unique animals and all have human traits," Walker said.
"They're all special in their own kind of way."
It's been a quiet couple of months over the winter for Newnham-trained horses but Walker will be back in action at Randwick on Saturday as Invictus Salute is set to compete against Adelong in the $160,000 Bowermans Toy Show City (1100m).
If you're not all that familiar with horses racing, the strapper isn't just a person who tapes up the horses ankles.
It's someone who does everything with the horse on race day - from the moment it wakes up, to the moment the jockey jumps on its back.
"We groom the horse, we take it out and parade it," he said.
"We do everything we can to get the horse prepared for the race.
"We get up at 3am every day because we love it. If the race is at Royal Randwick, we just walk them over from the stables."
Rachel King will be in the saddle when Invictus Salute ($9) embarks on the journey through the soft seven track as the mare's drawn favourable in the inside barrier.
Walker has been at Sydney for nearly 12 months now and while the former Canobolas Rural Technology High School student doesn't know when the Strapper of the Year winner will be announced, his focus for now is to focus on the busy spring ahead, starting with race six at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
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