La Montagna has just won the 2006 Group 1 million dollar Stradbroke Handicap as the camera captures she and her strapper Claire Heptinstall savouring a quiet moment together.

The strappers of the thoroughbred racing industry rarely get a mention.

Their photos pop up with monotonous regularity in various media outlets, yet only occasionally do they even get their name mentioned on the article in which they appear. They are regarded by most as an insignificant part of the racing industry, the accolades and media attention centring around the trainer, owners and jockey. Yet oddly enough, it is the strapper who would have the most personal contact with the horse.

There have really only been two Australian strappers who were instantly recognizable in photographs and whose names are etched into racing folklore. One was the 18-year-old son of a Cobb and Co coach driver, who grew up to indeed become a legend of Australian racing. Named Aaron Treve (call me Tommy) Woodcock, he became strapper to a horse that was offered as the last lot to go through the ring at a Trentham yearling sale in New Zealand. People openly laughed at the horse when he entered the ring and he was sold for 160 guineas ($336). That “half starved bag of bones” grew up to become Australian icon Phar Lap and he and that Tommy Woodcock kid grew up together, Woodcock even accompanying the great horse on his tragic unscheduled one-way trip to America in 1932. The other renowned strapper was New Zealand lass Claire Bird. Claire gained her notoriety through being the constant companion of champion Kiwi mare Sunline - when that great mare campaigned on both sides of the Tasman during her illustrious career. Sunline had some nasty traits around humans and injured Claire seriously on occasions but, at the end of the day, all was forgiven and they were inseparable.

And so it came to pass that last Saturday afternoon at Eagle Farm, another young lady starred – and oddly enough she even had the same Christian name as Sunline’s strapper, even down to the name being spelt the same.

The Brisbane Claire is employed in Barry Baldwin’s racing stable and her excitement over the win of the horse she strapped last Saturday - La Montagna - was something that only one person – myself – had the pleasure of witnessing.

Whilst I had a long-range photo of Claire on the website last Friday night, I really had no idea what she looked like close up, as our eyes had never met. She watched the Stradbroke on a monitor in the enclosure from where Larry Olsen does his late mail segment for Sky Channel. I happened, by chance, to also choose the same television monitor to view the race and stood behind a young lady. She had a lead in her hand and I took no notice of that at the time, not giving it a second thought. As Wayne Wilson’s exciting call exited the public address system at the track – and as the horses came down the aerodrome side - when he got to La Montagna in his call he said, “La Montagna she’s wide”. With those four words, the lass in front of me in a sad voice said “oh no”. Now I’m a bit thick, but I figured she had to be connected to the La Montagna camp. As the horses turned for home and jockey Craig Newitt brought La Montagna to the extreme outside, it was clear which horse this young lady was yelling for. As the crowd roared to a deafening crescendo at Wayne Wilson saying “and here’s La Montagna”, I put my arm around her and said “she’s right love, she’s home”, to give her some reassurance that all was well and not to get too stressed by events taking place in front of our eyes. As Craig Newitt stood high in the irons in his victory salute to the crowd as he hit the line, I said, “is your first name Claire” and she said “yes” and I introduced myself and congratulated her and gave her a peck on the cheek. I even got to take her photo long before the horse had even remotely looked like pulling up, then Claire excitedly went to wait at the gate to lead her horse to the winner's stall.

In the united euphoria of the Stradbroke win, we came together but for a moment in time, so I thought we should catch up – far from the madding crowd, well away from the roar of the racetrack - and tell her story.

Everyone has heard trainer Barry Baldwin’s story – and that of the owners’ of La Montagna - and the jockey, but not the strapper, so let’s set the record straight.

Claire Heptinstall is 19 years old and single and lives in the Brisbane suburb of The Gap. She spent the first 17 years of her life with her parents and younger brother, growing up on the Sunshine Coast.

Her day starts at 3am – 6 days a week – as she heads off for her stablehand duties to Barry Baldwin’s Hendra stables for a 3.30 start. Claire explains, “there are nine staff, seven stablehands and two box people. When the stablehands do their jobs - which involves taking the horses from the stables to work at Eagle Farm - the two box people attend to cleaning the boxes out, so that they are spotless when the horses return from the track”.

Claire makes no secret of the fact that La Montagna is her horse. “I’ve been looking after her for her last two preparations. The original person that was looking after her had to resign and go back to Grafton for personal reasons. So when she is in work I get La Montagna ready in her box to go to the track and look after her at the track, until it is her turn to work. She’s always the first or second horse from the stable to go to trackwork,” says Claire.

Asked if La Montagna has any little quirks Claire said, “Yes she has; she doesn’t like the cold weather in winter. She doesn’t actually tie up, but Barry likes her to be kept on the move before trackwork to keep her warmed up.  She is also very impatient and refuses to let me leave her alone, both during trackwork and at the races - she paws at the ground and whinnies – she’s always been that way. She’s got to be there first and hates waiting around”.

Claire started her employment with the Barry Baldwin stable in early November, 2004, following his return to Brisbane from Macau. She had previously had a six-month stint at trainer Desleigh Forster’s stables.

Claire says that the odd working hours of 3.30am to “never any later than 9.30am six days a week suits me perfectly” and she continued by giving the reasons why. “I am a full-time University student, so the 32 to 35 hours a week stable work is about the only work that can give me a full-time job, to pay for my education costs. My parents would pay for my University costs, but I prefer to do it this way and I really enjoy working with the horses".

“My first job around horses was as a supervisor for a riding camp at Kiah Park up near Gympie, when kids on school holidays go there for one or two weeks at a time,” she advised.

Claire’s Group 1 strapping duties with La Montagna on Stradbroke day were done as part of the normal course of her full-time job. She is in the third year of a five-year University course doing a Bachelor of Education degree. Upon successful completion of her University course, Claire will hopefully realise her dream to become a High School geography and English teacher.

But even if she graduates from University with honours - and later on in life marries and has her own children - rest assured she will always hold a special place in her heart, recalling a wet and rainy day in Brisbane on June 10, 2006, when her horse La Montagna won a Stradbroke Handicap.