Carl Nafzger - an old-school trainer with traditional values

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AMONG these close friends, the mood is light, easy. There’s a lot of teasing, but there’s also a solid groundwork of mutual respect and admiration that enables them to thrive in the climate they’ve created. And Nafzger is more relaxed than ever thes…

By Frances J Karon

First Published (14 April 2010 - Issue Number: 16)

Carl and Wanda Nafzger stand trackside with Ian Wilkes, monitoring the horses training under the white saddlecloths with a red border. That some of these are marked with a plain “N” and others a “W” comprised of two boomerangs is irrelevant. It may be four years since Australian Wilkes officially took over as trainer for the bulk of Nafzger’s stable, but little has changed around their barn, where Wilkes has, for a while, been the more hands-on of the two.