Tennis has Serena and Venus Williams. Swimming has Bronte and Cate Campbell. Netball has Laura and Natalie von Bertouch. Cycling has Anna and Kerrie Meares. Trotting has Kylie, Natalie and Vicki Rasmussen.
The Rasmussen sisters have forged their way into the history books through a mixture of hard work, patience, skill and a pinch of good luck along the way – in doing so, creating record that may never be beaten, or even matched.
2013/14 saw eldest sister Kylie Rasmussen take out the Queensland Metropolitan drivers title, Nat Rasmussen the New Zealand Trainers title (as co-trainer with partner Mark Purdon) and youngest of the trio Vicki Rasmussen awarded Queensland’s leading Metropolitan trainer.
Three sisters, three titles, three fiercely determined females who have each conquered their own battle fields.
Vicki Rasmussen started the 2013/14 season in blistering form having recorded seasons of 149 and 150 winners in the previous two terms. Not setting any targets at the start of the season, Vicki was content to just keep turning the horses out the best she could come race day.
With the completion of the 2013/14 season Vicki had set a new benchmark for a female trainer in Australia – putting the polish on 204 winners for the term and eclipsing the previous mark of 174.
Ironically, the old mark was set by another Queenslander and also a trailblazing member of a ‘Sister Act’, Julie Weidemann.
“We didn’t have any goals at the start of the season. With Shane (Vicki’s fiancé Shane Graham) out injured and then Kylie getting hurt, it really looked like being a brutal season”.
As the season progressed however, the winners continued to tally up for the Logan Village based mentor.
Suddenly, the end of season was approaching and 200 wins was in sight.
“It was getting close but I didn’t think we could get there”.
In such a stellar season, when asked about a highlight for the term apart from the obvious of reaching the double century, Vicki was matter of fact in her appraisal.
“I don’t think you could say there was a real highlight. We didn’t win any feature races and were really lucky to have a heap of horses that are really consistent, a solid effort all round”
“You can’t achieve these results without good staff and I am lucky to have a team that are excellent and do an absolutely awesome job. We are very, very lucky to have the people working with us that we do”.
One of those who helped out immensely on race day, by taking on the leading driver’s role, was older sister Kylie.
With injured fiancé Graham on the sidelines due to a race fall and a broken wrist, Kylie was drafted in to fulfill the role as lead driver for the stable.
Consequently, Kylie Rasmussen managed to set some personal milestones of her own.
The season saw Kylie achieve 100 wins in a season for the first time and also pass 500 lifetime wins to add to her maiden Metropolitan driver’s title.
The true magnitude of this achievement is placed in perspective when you consider that Kylie spent just over four months on the sideline herself courtesy of fall that left the eldest Rasmussen daughter with a fractured vertebrae in her back and an uncertain future.
While many would contemplate retirement after such an injury, such a thought was never entertained by Kylie. When Asked if she considered retiring Kylie quipped
“Not really, I was always going to return to race driving, I have to do something”.
Kylie was also quick to point out the reason for her successes last season.
“If it wasn’t for Shane getting injured there is no way I would have driven as much as I did. I would really like to thank Vicki and Shane for the opportunities they provided, it’s only because of these opportunities I managed to achieve those milestones”.
Like little sister Vicki, Kylie didn’t set out to achieve any major goals for the season.
“To set goals to achieve big numbers you need to have a big team and be going to every race meeting, I don’t really want to be doing that”.
Growing up in an environment characterised by a friendly competition between the three sisters, as adults the trio have mutual admiration for what each has achieved.
“We are all happy to see each other do well, I am really happy for Kylie to do well and to see her win the title I was very excited for that to happen for her” Vicki said.
With this sister act taking out the trainer and driver titles, who decides on how the horses are driven?
“That’s not my department” Vicki quipped recently.
Kylie concurred, “Vick might just tell me if she thinks it’s tough, or needs to be driven sit and sprint, or if it has worked well during the week, but I tend to work it out once I get out there”.
Having combined for numerous wins at ‘headquarters’ both sisters share the same opinion of one horse, Goulburn Guy.
“Other than Forever Gold of course, I love driving Goulburn Guy. He is a little gem, such a great little guy – horses like Goulburn, Drunken Desire I really love to have around”.
“If they are in the right spot in a race you know they will always do something”.
After a season that produced such great numbers for both the youngest and eldest Rasmussen sisters, what does this season hold in store?
Again for Vicki, there are no goals and she appears more than happy to let things roll along, although keeping her stable numbers at 30 would be desirable.
“We were up to 45 there for a while, I don’t miss that, it was too much”
Kylie also indicated a similar desire for a subdue workload.
“I will be happy to be a little bit quieter this season”.
Subdued or not though and coming into 2015, when the Rasmussen sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, it’s a hard act to follow.
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