Shae Dinunzio: A piece of Stokes Racing’s winning formula

“In Adelaide, 20 or 30 horses was considered a big stable,” Dinunzio reflects. “Here we’ve got around 50 in work, plus the farm. It’s a different pace, bigger scale, but once you get into a good routine, it flows.

With a mission to make his boss’s job “as easy as possible”, Dinunzio follows Stokes’s philosophy for running a stable: “It’s clean, it’s tidy, they work well, they’re fed well, and the results speak for themselves,” he says. “For me, it’s about getting all the one-percenters right to achieve good success.”

Stokes Racing prides itself on quality over quantity. “We’re not trying to be the biggest stable,” Dinunzio says. “It’s about placing our horses well, managing them properly, and aiming for the best results.”

But Dinunzio’s dedication goes beyond the early starts and long hours.

It’s about playing a vital role in the success of the entire operation, with perhaps the ultimate reward being a place in the Lexus Melbourne Cup.