Bryan ''Ginger'' Woodhouse has seen a lot of tarmac in his 74 years.
The Roxburgh-born and bred horseman's horse transporter, which he bought in the late 1980s, has a million miles on the odometer. And that's no exaggeration.
But it's a paddock or two, just a few hundred metres down the road from his Omakau home, that has brought most joy to Woodhouse (74) and his wife, Pat, in the past 25 years, as Young Pat - a granddaughter of his foundation mare, Dorocin - has kept on producing winners.
Woodhouse grew up near the trotting track in Roxburgh, although his father wasn't deep in the racing game.
''He was only keen on racing but Dad always went to the races, and I was always mad about horses - I wanted to be a jockey at one stage.''
Woodhouse joined the Roxburgh committee at a young age and was on it for 16 years.
''As far as I'm concerned, Roxburgh is still my home.''
Woodhouse's foray into breeding came when he took Medoro mare Dorocin off the hands of Arthur Skinner.
''I paid 23 quid for her and two quid for the cover - she was the foundation mare I started off with.''
His choice proved to be an inspired one, and not only for Woodhouse's breed. Dorocin's half-sister Thearle later foaled Petite Evander, who won 35 races in New Zealand, Australia and the United States before producing Pride Of Petite, who is still third on the all-time stakes earners list for New Zealand square-gaiters.
''It's a pretty good trotting family way back,'' he said.
''The first horse was Tu Long because it took so long to get him. If they had mobile starts in those days, he would have won a lot of races, but he just kept on going backwards.''
Woodhouse had better luck with Kimba Marshall, a son of Court Martial, who gave Woodhouse not only a winning drive at Wyndham but a connection with trainer Neil Edge that remains to this day.
''I met him when he was 16 in 1975. In the first race we were second-last and last with 600m to go and the cheeky young bugger said, 'I'll race you home for a bottle of beer.' I beat him home.''
Edge trains 2yr-old Cheeky Pat (out of Turbo Pat) for Woodhouse, along with other trotters. But it is Young Pat, the daughter of Princess Pat, who has left the biggest mark on Woodhouse's life.
Like most of Princess Pat's progeny, Young Pat carries the Pat suffix, which came from Woodhouse's wife, who has battled health problems for the past 20 years.
The suffix came after the birth of Princess Pat, a Tempest Hanover filly.
''Every day a foal was born, we used to have a 'high tea' or Friday night at the pub and have a few beers.''
''The bank manager's wife said 'You've got a General Ginger, why not a Princess Pat?' and that's why they're called Pat right through now.''
After running the Becks Hotel in the early 1980s, Woodhouse and the family moved to Omakau, where the progeny of Princess Pat really started to thrive.
Young Pat won six races on the track from Murray Hamilton's training establishment, as Woodhouse was hard at work in his horse-transporting business. However, she left her biggest mark in the broodmare paddock.
The Pernod Eden mare matched well with Sundon, but the pairing almost didn't happen. Woodhouse wasn't too enamoured with the prospect of sending his mares to Sundon, having heard of his progeny's hot-headed reputation, but several trips to Fred Fletcher's property for horse chiropractor work changed his mind as Sundon stood quietly in the next stall to his mares.
Sundon provided four of the eight foals of Young Pat to make it to the races, including Supreme Pat, who almost did not arrive.
''He was forgotten because we didn't think Young Pat was in foal,'' he said.
A veterinarian did a test ''just in case'' and, sure enough, Young Pat had a gift waiting for Woodhouse.
Once he was born, Supreme Pat had a few more bullets to dodge - quite literally.
''The day we weaned him up here, he slipped on the tarseal and shattered his stifle. Three times, I had the gun out to shoot him, but he survived, survived, survived, and got better.''
In 2001, Supreme Pat went to Auckland for the 3yr-old sires stakes championship, which he won, but he had a tough run in the Rosso Antico stakes.
''We gave him a month out then I worked him up and went on the boat to the Victorian Derby out of Dunedin,'' Woodhouse said.
''I was over there three months with him and we had five starts for four wins and a second.''
Despite drawing the ''visitor's marble'', as Woodhouse puts it, he was too good, beating Our First Jewel by a head.
Supreme Pat was exported later that year to the United States, where he continued to thrive.
''He was the first [Australasian trotting] 3yr-old to run 1.55 or better. He was a feisty bugger, like all my breed. They have their little habits - you've got to know them.''
The list of winners from the Princess Pat family goes on forever: White Horse Pride, who won an Interdominion heat, Game Pat (three wins), Pat Supreme, Stroppy Pat, Pat's Sun, Turbo Pat and Pat's Victory.
As you hear Woodhouse talk about his breed, you can tell the passion is still there.
Which is why you'll see him at most racecourses, still chasing an elusive win with City Courage, who is yet to clear maidens as either a pacer or a trotter.
''Hopefully, we keep breeding them and keep winning them, but City Courage is a heartache. I think it's my fault for not working her hard enough - things have changed. I've always been a good feeder - I hate seeing a skinny cook.''
Woodhouse's grandson Aaron (''Young Ginger'')
helps out with John Caldow in Victoria after spending time with David Butt and Tim Butt in New Zealand.
''I just hope we can keep the Pat breed going for him. We've had a lot of enjoyment. If you were asked 'what would you do if you had your life over again', I'd have just the same.
''It's been a good journey and I hope I can last long enough to see the fruits of Turbo Pat's and Lucky Pat's progeny.''
