From $50,000 wine bottles to schooners of beer

Exciting Adam Campton-trained galloper Deepour is favourite for the Ramornie Handicap. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography

Emerging trainer and one-time bookmaker Adam Campton watched mega-rich Hong Kong owners down $50,000 bottles of wine, but he will celebrate with a schooner of beer if he scores his biggest career win.

The up-and-coming Queensland trainer has new sensation Deepour as the favourite for the time-honoured Ramornie Handicap at Grafton on Wednesday and a win would continue the fabulous career spiral of both horse and trainer.

Campton comes from a blue-chip racing pedigree with his late grandfather Les Coles riding the 1962 Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double on New Zealand invader Even Stevens.

His father is multiple Group 1-winning jockey and trainer Neil Campton.

But the trainer has taken a diverse path to becoming a trainer.

For a time, he worked as a bookmaker in Sydney and then upped stumps to head to the Asian racing mecca of Hong Kong where he managed young owners and members.

"There were plenty of moments in Hong Kong where I had to pinch myself, it's like a wonderland for grown-ups over there," Campton said.

"I saw some racing people drinking $50,000 bottles of wine and eating at the finest restaurants.

"But these people also work very hard behind the scenes, stuff that people don't see.

"While I was in Hong Kong, I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to train.

"I didn't tell many people but I was going to trackwork early and following Caspar Fownes and a few other trainers around and learning as much as I could."

Trainer Adam Campton (left). Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

While the Hong Kong experience caused Campton's training ambition to sprout wings, it was also his earlier time working as a bookmaker that helped to lead him to where he is today.

"I worked at Unibet as a young bookmaker and I loved it," Campton said.

"In those days I learned plenty about racing, in terms of placing horses, pricing horses and I met a lot of very smart punters.

"That still helps me a bit with how I train now."

Campton is great mates with riding gun Zac Purton who will be chuffed if Campton can score his first stakes win on Wednesday with Deepour in the Ramornie.

It's a long way from the bright lights of Hong Kong to the flame trees of Grafton.

But Campton is convinced he has the right horse to win the Ramornie and then perhaps go on to be deployed in Melbourne during the spring carnival.

"Every new trainer needs a good horse and it has been well publicised that at one time I had (Tony Gollan rising star) Antino," Campton said.

"I always believed I would get a good horse and that's what Deepour is.

"At first I didn't know how good he was going to be, but he's got better and better and his last few starts have proved he is a really nice horse."

Adam Campton (second from left) when he celebrated his first Saturday city winner with Deepour. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Gold Coast-based Campton has been a fan of Deepour since watching his debut win at Newcastle in December 2020 when he was trained by Richard and Michael Freedman.

Campton purchased Deepour in an online sale and the now five-year-old gelding has won five of seven starts for Campton.

Deepour blew them away when last seen in a race on Ipswich Cup day, franking Campton's opinion of his ability.

Recent Group 1-winning jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor will ride Deepour in the Ramornie.

Deepour is the $3.50 favourite on TAB fixed odds to take out the $200,000 Listed Sprint.

As for Campton, his training career is expanding as he will soon have another 20 boxes on the Gold Coast to add to his existing 48 boxes.