It was always going to be the perfect mix, the son of a master horseman flying across the turf in a Wanderers jumper.
Premiership wingman and stablehand Simon Bates starred in his side's shock 28-point win over St Marys in Saturday's grand final.
The 18-year-old showed the speed and agility of a racehorse when he ran his opponents ragged in front of his biggest fan, master horse trainer David Bates.
"It was the best day of my life, if I could relive that game again it would realise another dream," Simon said.
"Everyone stepped up when Johnno (Mark Johnson) got injured and we lost Jarrod (Erlandson) halfway through the third quarter."
An Eagle since he first kicked a football in the under-14s at the request of family friend Barry Clarke, Simon wants the success he enjoyed to flow on to horse racing.
"We've got 10 horses ready for the (Darwin Cup) carnival and that number might reach 15," he said.
Three-time Darwin Cup winner David Bates has recovered from a horror fall at Fannie Bay 18 months ago.
He suffered severe injuries, resulting in him being placed in an induced coma in intensive care at Royal Darwin Hospital.
But he was several metres away from Fannie Bay racetrack on Saturday night when his son was part of Wanderers' first senior premiership in 18 years.
"I love watching Wanderers play footy, including the A-grade side and the juniors," he said. "But that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, watching them play in the grand final and win it very well."
David said his good mate Clarke and his father had "been at Wanderers forever" before the Bates family naturally progressed there.
And will the success his son enjoyed spread to the Fannie Bay racetrack?
"It's the same as everything, success breeds success," he said.
"I'm just tuning everything up so hopefully we can end up like Simon, with a win."
Story courtesy of Grey Morris, NT News
