If the old saying ‘Blood will out ’is true, then young Edward G.Lowry was always destined to be in the horse business. Grandson of Thomas Coleman Lowry, nephew of Tom Lowry Snr. and son of Pat.

Lowry, long-time racing enthusiast and Master of the Taupo Hunt – he’s a thoroughbred pedigree in every sense of the word.

The horses bred and raced by the Lowry family have long been famous for their beautifully refined one-word names; Game, Mop, Cool and Liltspring most readily to mind. Their human counterparts likewise carry names in a similar vein so it is no shock that E. G. Lowry quickly became Guy. “I think I was named Edward after the maternity wing at the hospital in Taupo, but I’ve never been called anything else but Guy. ”Like generations of Lowrys before him, Guy undertook his schooling as a boarder at the prestigious Christ’s College in Christchurch, New Zealand. However, his passion for thoroughbreds was never far from the surface and even led to a brief stint as the school bookie.

On finishing school he plunged headlong into a career with horses. After gaining experience at David Benjamin’s Fayette Park and the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud, Australia beckoned.

Lowry studied at Marcus Oldham College before securing work at Widden Stud. During his tenure there he was fortunate to work alongside outstanding sires Bletchingly, Vain, Lunchtime and Salieri. “During the off season I spent time at Vinery (Kentucky) when Red Ransom was there and then a season in Ireland at Sheik Mohammed’s Stud. When I went back to Australia I decided I wanted to learn about training horses so I got hold of Bart’s (Cummings) number and gave him a call,” said Lowry. “I asked him if I could have a job in Melbourne and I stayed there for three years. As foreman for the last two years, he worked with some of Australasia’s finest horseflesh. “We had a great stable of horses at that time - Tristalove, Danerani, Saintly and Never Undercharge. Bart was a great man to work for and he taught me to do the simple things well. After the three years with Bart in Melbourne I decided I wanted to come back to New Zealand. He told me the best place to set up is where grapes grow best, so I came back to the Hawke’s Bay. It took awhile to get established but I have great owners and I’m really enjoying life.”

Guy credits Sam Kelt of Keltern Stud as being instrumental in his training success. “Sam approached me six years ago to train horses for him and we got them up, raced them and sold some on.”

A pivotal moment for the Lowry/ Kelt combination came in 2006 when Lowry staged a hit and run raid on the Queensland carnival. Sam Kelt’s talented mare Lilakyn targeted the Group 2 Brisbane Cup. The least fancied of the seven New Zealand runners, she defied punter’s opinions to run the race of her life. Ridden by the controversial Lisa Cropp, she was beaten by Newport in the closest of photo finishes as Cropp stood up in the irons for a victory salute short of the post. Eagle Farm stewards viewed Cropp’s actions unfavourably and charged her with failing to ride out her mount. Lilakyn was certainly unlucky not to have a Brisbane Cup win to her name but she did win both the Feilding and Wanganui Cups (Listed) in the 2006 season. It capped off a successful year with Lowry winning both the Trainers strike rate and number of wins at the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay awards. “2006 was our best year with five Group performances that year and five wins on our home track in one day,” said Lowry.

The ten-acre property he leased from Sam Kelt and now owns is aptly named ‘Game Lodge’ after a “good horse of Granny’s” and is nestled in a prime spot, just minutes from the Hawkes Bay track and Hastings CBD.
Aside from the Kelt family, Game Lodge has a host of long time clients. “Little Avondale Stud, Waikato Stud and lots of other clients have been very supportive. I’ve been very lucky to have such great owners.”

A backdrop of burnt hills is stark contrast to the lush grazing afforded Lowry’s equine charges. “We have up to twenty five in the stable at any one time,” said Guy, “and we’ve got a couple more coming in including a few promising youngsters.” Amongst these is Addicted, a three-year old daughter of No Excuse Needed, who is earmarked for a Queensland winter campaign. Addicted was bred and is raced by Lowry’s parents, Pat and Jane, both of whom have been great supporters of their son’s endeavours.

The past twelve months have ushered in a rebuilding phase at Game Lodge. “We on-sold twelve horses out of our stable last year and I’m always proud when they go on and do well. It’s important to me that when they leave here they goon and do something. ”The stables are humming with a happy efficiency. Guy is multi-tasking right in the thick of the action: feeding out, checking horses and answering a constantly ringing cell phone. Life away from the stables is just as busy for the Lowry family of five: Guy’s wife Brigid and three children Sam 5, Charlie 4 and Libby 2. “Brigid loves horses and hunting and I’m into hunting, shooting and fishing when I’m not working or having time with the family.”

Talking about the future of New Zealand racing the affable Lowry is enthusiastic. “It’s great to see more people getting involved in ownership. Syndicates are really the way of the future and we’ll be syndicating more horses to race in the stable. I love what I do. I’d like to train lots more winners of course, and it would be a lot of fun to train a Melbourne Cup winner – it’s everybody’s dream.”