Daniel Stackhouse is a man in form
Daniel Stackhouse has long been thought of as one of the top riders in the Victorian jockey ranks, but in recent seasons he has really taken that reputation to the next level. The hardworking 34-year-old from Ashburton New Zealand currently sits third in the Victorian Jockey Premiership, and fourth in the Victorian Metro Premiership, which is where he has really elevated in 2024/25.
Stackhouse arrived in Australia from New Zealand as a teenager, but his path to becoming the go-to man for many top stables in Victoria might not be the one you thought.
“I have a background in showjumping. When I was 12 years old my parents bought me my first pony. I went to pony club and then graduated and got into the showjumping circuit,” Stackhouse said.
“I had some pretty decent ponies, got up to Grand Prix level and even got Pony of the Year Award a few times.
“I then needed a job, so I started riding trackwork before school for Ricky Donnelly and Sharen.”
Stackhouse regularly rides at 54kg, but managing his weight was something he struggled with in New Zealand when he first got his apprenticeship.
“I moved up to Te Akau and was an apprentice at Te Akau in Matamata for a year. I had troubles with my weight, so I actually gave up riding and went back to Ashburton to work on dad’s farm for a year.
“Dad sacked me, and said get back into riding horses. I was an apprentice to Pam Gerard and Tommy Haslett and started riding over the jumps. The more I rode over the jumps and worked hard, the weight got a lot better, so I started riding on the flat.
“I did quite well. I won the South Island Scholarship and got to spend two weeks in Australia, and luckily enough had a friend working for Peter Moody, so I did two weeks with him and was able to ride a winner.
“I went back to New Zealand, and then Tony Hayden got in touch with me and asked me to come back, so I jumped at the occasion, signed up to Pete and haven’t looked back since.”
The trainer most famous for guiding the best sprinter Australia has ever seen to an unbeaten sequence of 25 wins, Black Caviar, had one main piece of advice for a young Daniel Stackhouse when it finally came to a decision on where he would call home.
“He said you can either be a small fish in a big pond here, or be a big fish in a little pond there. I elected to stay, and it’s worked out well.”
To say it has worked out well would be an understatement. Stackhouse has ridden 1,200 winners, accumulated $50 million in prize money for his owners, and in 2023 the highlight of his career came when he was able to nose out John Allen for the Victorian Jockey Premiership.
That same year, he bought a 20-acre farm on the Mornington Peninsula, where he resides with partner and fellow jockey Tatum Bull. Stackhouse says the farm has been paramount to his recent success on track and has provided him a great life away from racing, while also being close to the major training centres for work itself.
“It’s 45 minutes away from Pakenham and only 20 minutes away from Cranbourne and not far from Mornington, so it’s very central for us.
“I sometimes get home at lunchtime and like to muck around on the farm and do a lot of jobs I start and try to finish.
“It’s something I like to do. It’s my sort of happy place, being out here chipping away, building stuff or maintenance work.
“It’s my getaway, I can shut right off from the outside world and this environment suits me.”
While building a new gym and getting new water tanks installed on the farm is on the to do list for Stackhouse in 2025, riding his first Group 1 winner remains the primary goal on the racecourse.
Impressive Lindsay Park two-year-old Shining Smile is one he is hoping could give him that elusive success at Group 1 level, while imported stayer Deakin for Phillip Stokes looks another who could make the grade.