But there is another side to Bruce MacKenzie, the passionate racehorse owner and trainer who goes to extreme lengths to look after his stable of thoroughbreds "from the cradle to the grave".

"I love my horses. I don't chase the money and I have never raced a two year old because I believe they are not mature enough at that age," the 82-year-old said.

If that isn't proof enough of his love for horses, MacKenzie tells the story of the time, in driving rain and in the middle of the night, he rescued a foal which had turned blue after a problem at birth - by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while covered in afterbirth.

MacKenzie's first interest in the 'sport of kings' goes back 70 years when, as an 11 year old, he hopped on a train with a local farmer (Alan Sansom) to Sydney for a day at the Randwick yearling sales.

Some 50 years later he purchased his first racehorse, Oakfield Prince, who went on to win five races.

"I was told that my horses would never win a race because they are trained on the coast, but I have had plenty of winners at Newcastle, Wyong, Gosford and Sydney tracks."

MacKenzie estimates he has owned around 80 horses in the past 22 years, and currently has a stable of 30 with at least 10 active runners, which he lovingly pre-trains before handing them over to his Wyong trainers.

His horses are easily identifiable with the moniker Oakfield (named after his Salt Ash property), and while he has sold the odd horse, the vast majority are retained after their career as a racer. Many have gone on to live to their late 20s.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 MacKenzie has been unable to attend race meetings and has missed three of his charges saluting in recent weeks.

"Normally, I wouldn't miss [a race meeting], but the virus has meant no crowds. There is no better feeling than watching your horse flash past the winning post."

MacKenzie says that while he prefers to remain a sole owner, there are benefits for mum and dad punters to invest in syndicates with small outlays.

"If it's something within their means I would certainly encourage people with an interest in the sport to look into syndicate opportunities."

And while he would never give up on a dream of winning a major Group 1 race such as the Melbourne Cup or The Everest, MacKenzie is philosophical about his prospects.

"As I said I own and breed thoroughbreds as a hobby, not for the money. And yes I would love to own a big cup winner but it is not a priority for me."

Some of his better performing gallopers presently include Oakfield Target, Oakfield Hiawatha, Oakfield Twilight and Oakfield Missile.