Australia’s top criminal barrister and former soldier Dave Garratt will be laid to rest on Friday and 24 hours later the racing enthusiast and owner will race a horse in his honor in the $250,000 wave on the Gold Coast.
Garratt, who died suddenly at home before Christmas, owned five horses with Eagle Farm trainers Peter and Will Hulbert and the best of them is Kipling’s Journey which is racing for the feature film grand prix on Saturday.
Will Hulbert says he plans to keep the Garratt name in Kipling’s Journey ownership and train his share of the gelding for free, with any prize money earned by that share going to Garratt’s young son.
Criminal lawyer and racehorse owner Dave Garratt died suddenly and will run Kipling’s Journey in his honor on Saturday.
Hulbert was shocked by the tragic loss of Garratt, a former Australian soldier who served in the Middle East.
“Dave and I had dinner Wednesday night after Kipling’s Journey’s final run, with two of Dave’s former SAS Army comrades,” an emotional Hulbert said.
“Everyone seemed as happy as Larry and we all went our separate ways.
“I received a phone call on Thursday from another of my landlords who is a magistrate, I did not answer because I was in the pub.
“Then he rang again and I answered and he told me the shocking news.
“We’re going to offer Dave’s family to keep this horse in Dave’s name for free and any prize he wins is money for his young son, if the family wishes.”
It will be an extremely emotional moment if Kipling’s Journey wins on Saturday. Photo: Grant Peters – Trackside photography.
Garratt was known in racing circles not only as an owner, but also for his work as a legal racing eagle.
He defended Hulbert when the trainer was charged by race stewards after calling jockey Andrew Mallyon a ‘f***ing brain dead c— who will never be able to sit on one of our horses again’ after Criminal Defense finished fifth on the Sunshine Coast. in January 2021.
More recently, Garratt has also acted for multiple Group 1 winning coach Rob Heathcote.
“Dave and I became friends through the Criminal Defense horse, the first horse he owned with us, and the horse was named because there were a few criminal defense attorneys there,” Hulbert said.
“Dave and I both loved drinking beer and our friendship kind of intensified from there.
“He would do anything for you any time of the day, I could call him any time of the day and he would help me.
“Dave’s funeral is Friday – then Saturday Kipling’s Journey has a good chance of winning.
“I really hope the horse can win in Dave’s memory.”
Dave Garratt served in the Australian Defense Force.
Larry Cassidy will ride Kipling’s Journey on Saturday and the jockey will be aiming for back-to-back wins in The Wave after scoring on Wheelhouse for Chris Waller last year.
It is possible for Cassidy to wear a black armband when riding Kipling’s Journey, but he cannot choose to because the horse’s colors include black and white sleeves, so the black armband may not be visible.
In his professional life, Garratt has represented high-profile clients including NRL stars including Payne Haas and Anthony Milford, as well as former Brisbane Broncos manager Anthony Seibold.
Dave Garratt in his apartments. Photo: Glenn Hampson.
Other high-profile clients include Susie Forte, widow of murdered Queensland police officer Brett Forte, and Lauren Grainger, who has been charged with the bizarre kidnapping of private school teacher Anthony Stott in Brisbane , hours before he was run over and killed by a tractor-trailer on the M1.
He also represented SAS soldiers accused of war crimes in Afghanistan.
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