Marlon Pusey says he has always loved horses, but it was words of support from strangers that sparked his desire to become a licensed thoroughbred horse trainer.

Pusey stated he was inspired while working as a groom for trainer Gary Subratie in Trinidad and Tobago.

Pusey said that one day he was approached by Trinidadians who pushed him to take the position since he possessed all of the traits of a successful racehorse conditioner.

“From I went to Trinidad and Tobago and the way I acted and carried myself, some Indian men said to me that I am no groom and that I must be a trainer instead,” Pusey told the Jamaica Observer‘s The Supreme Racing Guide.

“So when I came back to Jamaica, I took out my assistant licence with Mr Subratie and he guided me through the process until I fulfilled my dream. I went to the Jamaica Racing Commission Trainers’ Training programme and I successfully graduated on May 12 of this year,” he added.

On Sunday, September 10, 2023, Pusey recorded his first victory of his career with three-year-old chestnut colt Cookie Day N Night, who won a native-bred three-year-old call for maiden over 5 furlongs (1,000m) straight.

Ridden by champion jockey Dane Dawkins, Cookie Day N Night made all the running to win the race by 10 lengths ahead of Crucial Alexxya (Oneil Mullings) and Oh My (Matthew Bennett) in a time of 1:01.2.

“I have been putting out my best each time and so I knew one day that I would be successful and it came. I am grateful for everything and I have to give thanks to everyone who has been around and supporting me.

“But I have to give a special thank you to Mr Subratie for everything he has done for me. I am feeling good about this win and will continue to work hard to saddle more winners,” Pusey said.

“From I was a young boy growing up I used to come to the track and I got to love the sport and I never left. I started out as a groom in 1995,” Pusey said.