The amber ale that brought them together – first as acquaintances in the central west 40 years ago – was exactly the reason the Hawkesbury trainer was being driven mad at a sweaty table in the heaving Magic Millions sales complex.

"He drove me insane because we go there a week before the sales to have a look at everything," Frazer says. "I looked at this filly and that was on the Wednesday and she wasn't being sold until Saturday night.

"I couldn't wait for Saturday to come quick enough. He never stopped – 'we've got to get this filly' – and I kept saying, 'she's not sold for four more days'. It was the longest four or five days you've ever seen. I reckon if he didn't get her he would have jumped off the cliff."

The filly's name is Sheer Style. History shows Hilton and Frazer put their hand up for $255,000 to take her home. The underbidders? No shrinking violets in Chris Waller and Arrowfield Stud.

"We had a target where we'd go to – well, the price was a bit higher than what we thought," Hilton shrugs. "We didn't really know, but we reckoned she would probably bring anything from $120,000 to $150,000.

"I can still remember Garry in my ear when it got to $200,000 and he said, 'are you sure you're all right?' We ended up pretty playful after that."

Playful might be an understatement when you pitch up for a quarter-of-a-million gamble after recently trying – and failing often – to win races all over the countryside. Trekking over the Blue Mountains and exiting either end of Sydney in desperation just to win a race that seemed like it would never happen.

"The biggest race he'd won was a fillies' and mares' maiden at Gosford," Frazer laughs of the Quakers Inn publican before he sought a little advice from that old acquaintance. "That was his claim to fame."

Adds Hilton: "I was happy to win a provincial race ... we were going to the bush, everywhere."

Since then? The two old mates who steered trotters and schooners at a similar frenetic pace in their days at Cowra decided to work together to buy a few thoroughbreds four years ago. They had both moved to Cowra from neighbouring smaller towns – Hilton from Canowindra and Frazer from Grenfell – and were fond of the square-gaiters.

Frazer left for a job on Sydney's outskirts managing the old Agnes Banks property. Hilton stayed for a while longer and coached Cowra's rugby league side, the Magpies, for seven years before treading the same path across the Blue Mountains.

Hilton's league roots go a long way – "the only colours for me are black and white" – to explaining the racing colours donned by Snitzel's three-year-old daughter Sheer Style, which has won two from eight plus four placings for $230,000 in stakes.

But it was not until they had reacquainted themselves over a drink or two – what else? – at regular weekly trips to the Hawkesbury races that Frazer thought those same colours might grace Randwick or Rosehill rather than racing's backblocks.

"We'd have a bit of a chat, talk about horses and it was renewing an old acquaintance more than anything," Hilton says. "He pointed out where we'd gone wrong and said, 'you should be doing this'.

"He took me to the Magic Millions sale one year. He picked a couple of horses and we hit it off."

The proof? Sheer Style, which has given Hilton even more reason to duck away from the pub managed by his daughters Danielle and Katrina.

In a race where Waller, Gai Waterhouse, Hawkes Racing and Gerald Ryan flex their considerable muscle, a horse hobbyist enjoying the racing game away from the hotel hustle is thankful he took that quarter-of-a-million gamble as he arrives at the $125,000 group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100 metres) at Rosehill on Saturday.

At least his trainer is thankful.

"Billy doesn't bet, so there's no pressure on me," Frazer quipped. "But I do know one thing, if you're not in it you can't win it.

"We're fit and ready to go. I'm going there thinking and hoping she's going to run a huge race. I've never been frightened and you've always got to have a go."

Which probably explains a lot as Hilton never backed down when the filly walked into a sales ring.

And why if Sheer Style, already Ballarat's Magic Millions Clockwise Classic winner, can win her first stakes race, there's every chance Hilton will go all John Singleton-esque and shout the drinking folk at the Quakers Inn.

"All of the locals follow her," Hilton says. "Regardless of any race, we'll always celebrate at the pub. As soon as I started racing horses down here they started following and I think half of them think they own them."

That's one beer Frazer will only be too happy to share with his mate.