The chestnut filly was Grand Shower, who turned out to be a sensational purchase for the McCall family-a metropolitan winner and one of the few horses they opted to retain as a broodmare.ĭespite being “mongrel-bred”, Grand Shower saved her best work for the breeding barn, producing nine foals to race for nine winners, including Group 2 winner Messiaen.
“I picked this little chestnut filly who we paid $1000 for.”
When I was about 10 I had two ponies die within a month of each other, so when we went to these sales where he said ‘pick one out and if it is cheap I will buy it for you’. I started out with him, obviously, and he was a good horseman with some good success,” McCall said. McCall takes pride in her hands-on approach to training that has been so effective with her boutique stable.ĭriven by her immense passion for the animal, McCall has enjoyed a profound tutelage from a young age. The Sunshine Coast trainer only has a small team in work, but that is just the way she likes it. The daughter of successful trainer Ray McCall, Natalie McCall, has always been surrounded by thoroughbreds-and she can’t picture that changing anytime soon.
For Natalie McCall, there was no possible career choice other than working with horses.