Marty Synan (Image: Racing Photos)
Colleagues, fellow track managers and trainers have come together to toast Martin Synan, as the Moonee Valley Racecourse Manager marks his 40th year working at the track.
Synan joined the operation as a teenager and rose through the ranks at the Moonee Valley Racing Club, going from a general groundsman to assistant track manager and then head honcho in the late 2000s.
"Marty is a great larrikin, he's a happy go lucky kind of person. He's just been such a great mentor and a friend," Flemington track manager Liam O'Keeffe said.
"To do 40 years in the job at Moonee Valley is a great credit to him and it's probably his resilience and his attitude which has got him through.
"In Melbourne us track managers are really close and see each other regularly … we're fortunate in our relationship that we're able to share knowledge and Marty's at the forefront of that."
Caulfield and Sandown track manager Tim Bailey, Melbourne Racing Club general manager Jason Kerr and Valley track foreman Tony Salisbury also spoke of their admiration for the 'inspirational' Synan.
And while they have learned to exercise caution when receiving his regular Saturday morning tip sheet, it is clear the respect they have for him runs deep.
Trainer Mick Price said Synan is one of the most accommodating groundsmen in the game, a great help when preparing horses for the tight Valley circuit.
"Marty Synan is a very popular person in this industry, he's just Moonee Valley through and through," he said.
"He helps you with your horses … he makes the outside of the course proper available for you, which is a huge benefit and not every track manager does that."