September 22, 2017
The South East Country Racing Association deserves credit for richly rewarding the leaders in their fields for the 2016-17 racing year.
Nanango, through the achievements of Glenn Richardson, Hannah English and the stable’s Kaphero mare Hopetoun Street, dominated proceedings at the ceremony at Lee Park last Saturday.
Richardson collected $750 for his perfect win and place tie with Bundaberg’s Darryl Gardiner for the training honours.
Glenn shares in the ownership of the district’s Horse Of The Year, Hopetoun Street, with his brother Brad, Brad’s wife Erica and English’s father Frank.
During the season, the bay chalked up wins at Mount Perry and Bundaberg and two apiece at both Gympie and Nanango.
Former Wondai rider Jason Hoopert received $900 for heading the jockeys’ chart while Hannah, as the top apprentice, was presented with the Desiree Gill Memorial Trophy and $600.
It is gratifying to see the non-TAB race clubs that now stretch down from Monto to Esk so tangibly expressing their appreciation of their industry supporters.
Meanwhile, English is off to a flying start in this year’s Nanango premiership race.
Her double with Poetic Dragon and Psycho Said So last Saturday brought her tally to five after the completion of a third of the 2017-18 agenda.
The current laurels belong to Melody O’Brien. Her 4-1-1 score line narrowly eclipsed Hannah’s 3-4-3 tally for the 1 August 2016-31 July 2017 period.
Lee Park is a remarkably competitive venue.
Premiership tussles usually go down to the wire and the on-track action is always exciting.
The longest winning margin last Saturday was three parts of a length.
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Laudably, Not A Lemon
Gympie trainer Barry Gill wisely dropped Laudable Lemon from provincial to country company.
He also had the chestnut cherry-ripe for the metric mile journey of the Star Tyre Power Kingaroy BM 55 Handicap.
The horse’s name is derived from the lifelong nickname of his part-owner Chris Leman.
The former Sydneysider now hails from Hervey Bay.
It was no wonder that the $9 chance was conditioned to earn a crust at the Nanango meeting –
Leman operates a bread delivery service for Tip Top along the Maryborough-Hervey Bay corridor.
With Gemma Steele in the irons, the Strada five-year-old was always in the vanguard position.
The gelding appeared vulnerable when the chasers got busy nearing the final turn. However connections were not left with a sour taste because the leader dug deep to prevail by a long neck from the fast closing Tiverton (Jed Hodge) with the top weight Our Clarky (Lachlan Dodds) holding down third berth.
Leman’s livery, with its conspicuous lemon logos, has been carried to victory three times at Gympie this year by Sandy Straits, a Clang mare that has also been placed in heavy going at Caloundra.
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Timing Was Nice
Gympie owner-trainer Bill Wormer went within a nose of pulling off an amazing win with Nice Time at Nanango last month.
The seven-year-old maiden, having its first run for seventeen months, went down to Tycoon Zip.
The bay then followed up with immediate placings at Gympie and Bundaberg in the lead up to his breakthrough success in the Star Motel Maiden (1200m) at Lee Park on Saturday.
The seven-year-old’s current preparation is giving extreme satisfaction.
The son of Pembroke simply had to be given long stints on the sidelines because of issues such as a bowed cannon bone.
His first career outings were on March 2 and November 29, 2014. He next raced on five occasions in July-August 2015 and appeared once, on March 6, in all of 2016.
When jockey Paul Timbery rang Wormer for the booking, he reminded the semi-retired structural engineer that he had ridden for him some 26 years ago when they were involved in the Cessnock-Newcastle district.
The team is set to take on the Oakdale Homes BM 55 Handicap (1470m) at Gympie this weekend.
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Bits And Bridles
- Hannah English partners Prime Target and Flying Charger for the Richardson yard at the “city Saturday” program at Ipswich.
- Burnett gallopers comprise half the field for the Topsy Bath Memorial BM 50 (1030m) at Gympie. The horse, trainer and jockey combinations are as follows: Liverpool Jane (Lindsay Anderson, Gemma Steele), Monte Lago (Kaylene Hamilton, Paul ,Timbery), the Richardson duo I Am McLovin (Alannah Badger) and Man of Law (Paul Hamblin), Star of Bethlehem (Neville O’Toole, Maurice Crawford) and Nug’s Pocket (Kristen Wenck, Kelly Gates). Anderson’s old warrior Glenthorn Avenue and Steele will line up in the Roadcraft Driver Education Open (1170m).
- Don’t forget to jot down Sunday December 3 as the date for Nanango’s next meeting. It is an ideal slot for early Christmas gatherings. The designated fashion theme is “70s Flares and Big Hair”
