Geraldton auction: Colin Dymond and Willie Parker donate quarter stake in racehorse for breast cancer charity

Make no mistake, there’s no horsing around when it comes to this opportunity — the owners of a young filly have decided to auction off a quarter share all in the name of charity.

If you’ve ever had a dream of one day seeing a horse you own thunder down the racetrack first past the post, then this offer might interest you.

Geraldton businessman Colin Dymond and horse trainer Willie Parker are donating a 25 per cent stake in a one-year-old thoroughbred to Breast Cancer Care WA. The stake will be auctioned off and is worth about $8000, which includes 12 months’ worth of training, feed and vet bills and the chance to name the horse along with Mr Dymond and Mr Parker. At the end of that year, the horse should be ready to start racing.

Mr Dymond said the idea came to him when organisers of this month’s Women Inspiring Better Business’ long-table lunch fundraiser for Breast Cancer Care WA approached him asking for help.

“I was at golf one day and I said to Willie, ‘you know that horse we’ve got, should we donate some of it?’,” Mr Dymond said.

“Women (suffering breast cancer) go through a lot during that period, so if we can do anything to help we will ... Willie’s got a wife and a daughter, I’ve got two daughters ... it’s all about the money going to a great cause.”

The horse is a product of mare In Da Hood and stallion Hvasstan. Mr Parker said it was too early to gauge the racing potential of the filly, which will be transported from Perth to Geraldton soon.

“When you go into racing, there are no guarantees,” he said.

Breast Cancer Care WA founder Ros Worthington said she thought she had seen everything in fundraising circles. “But I can tell you, in 21 years Breast Cancer Care WA has never been given a share of a horse,” she said.

“It’s fantastic to see Mid West blokes supporting women. But breast cancer can affect men as well.

“And there’s a ripple effect when women are diagnosed, it affects the whole family — the husbands, the sons.”

In 2019, 164 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia. The WIBB fundraising lunch is on Saturday, September 18 at Baston Grove in Chapman Valley. For tickets, go to wibbs.com.au/events.

For more information or to place a bid on the racehorse, email luffy1@bigpond.com or call Tara Luff on 0419 918 806.