Margaret Halter
Margaret Halter
Racing personality
- Place of Residence: 42 years in Darwin.
- Occupation: Retired.
- Family: Husband, Bevan – jockey and trainer;
- Daughters, Aureole – trainer; and
- Tayarn – jockey and trainer
Brief history of racing industry involvement:
- Began riding trackwork while still at school.
- Met husband Bevan Halter in 1967 when he joined my father as a rider
- Travelled to Darwin in 1969
- Rode in the ‘Ladies Races’ at Pine Creek and Larrimah
- Worked as a ledger clerk in the betting shops for brother-in-law, Colin Hardy
- After the Betting Shop closures in 1985, worked for several bookmakers at the Fannie Bay Racecourse
- Have owned or part-owned more than 100 horses in the NT
- was the inaugural President of the Northern Territory Owners and Trainers Association (now ROANT)
- Is a life member of the Kununurra Race Club.
- Margaret has also been very active with pony Clubs and is a life member of the Noonamah Horse and Pony Club
Q & As:
How were you first introduced to Thoroughbred racing?
My father was a trainer and I rode trackwork. I rode in the ‘ladies races’ on the country race tracks.
Your favourite of the race horses that you have owned?
Appian Way won 7 country cups and won 3 races in Adelaide including a race on the opening day of the new Cheltenham Racecourse. Appian Way also won the Darwin Guineas as a 3 year old.
What do you enjoy about the racing industry?
The close-knit family atmoshphere and the love of the challenge of handling magnificient animals.
How do you maintain your involvement?
I still own horses and work for a bookmaker.
How do you view the state of the Darwin racing industry at present?
On a steady upward trend.
How do you see the future of Darwin racing?
On the move – with Sky Channel and TVN and an eye on the Asian market.
