August 29, 2014
by Ross Stanley
Racing Queensland announced the results of the various awards for the outstanding apprentices for the 2013-14 season at a gala function last Sunday.
Understandably the major accolade – the Ken Russell Award for Apprentice of the Year – went to the Gold Coast’s Tegan Harrison, who collected 43 metropolitan winners last season.
Courtesy of Temple Of Boom, she also secured long-shot seconds in the Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke and a Victory Stakes (Grade 2) success.
Harrison, in becoming the first female to score back-to-back metropolitan junior titles, further showcased her talent with front-running efforts in the Ipswich and Tattersalls Cups.
This year the Russell prize included a month-long sojourn with English trainer Ed Dunlop, significant spending cash and riding gear.
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The performance of Jimmy Orman was of substantial interest to the south-east fraternity.
He was named as Rookie of the Year and the Provincial Apprentice of the Year.
The acrobatic lad, who is indentured to his mother Caroline Allardyce at Gatton, also picked up the Racezone Award for the most wins in one month.
Gemma Steele, meanwhile, collected the Country Apprentice of the Year title.
Gemma is currently listed as being on loan to Blackall’s Charlie Prow from her Cunnamulla master Robert McMaster, and was also deemed to have the best winning percentage with a “one in five” strike rate.
The in-form Luke Tarrant was recognised as the Rising Star, while the Stewards Awards went to Sonja Wiseman, Travis Wolfgram, Sairyn Fawke, Brooke Stower and Anthony Allen.
And Faith Elliott, the lass who miraculously prevailed when the saddle slipped on Ta Rara Boom De Ay at Beaudesert recently, is maintaining her excellent form.
A treble at Talwood last Saturday and a Dalby double the previous week means that she’s landed the money five times from her past nine assignments.
One of her Talwood victories was on Willywynya for Wondai’s Norma King.
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The Gums’ “Annual” Blossoms
Chris Nettelfield knows all about timing preparations to perfection.
Along with husband Arthur, she puts in the hard yards at The Gums at Memerambi to ensure that weddings and other functions go off without hitches, except for those of the “tying of the knot” type.
Their venue is situated between Kingaroy and Wondai and the enthusiastic and experienced horsewoman also provides the best of holidays for horses.
Last year Chris turned her hand to training racehorses, and at her first attempt in July 2013 she broke through with Fusette at Wondai.
It was great for her account to be opened at her home course where she’d previously been active in the roles of owner, sponsor and clerk-of-the-course.
However, it was especially satisfying to produce the goods with a galloper returning after a nine-month break.
Last Saturday at Gympie, Chris did it again with Lucstana, a sparingly raced five-year-old with apprentice Melissa Cox aboard.
Precisely nine months after the Chateau Istana mare had run third there at Class 2 level, the chestnut resumed as a $9 shot with a nail-biting defeat of You’ll Have To in Class B grade over 850 metres.
In 2013, Lucstana shed her Maiden tag at Wondai on Anzac Day, and also picked up a minor placing on the grass at Gatton’s August fixture.
Her Gympie form line now stands at 3:1-1-1.
“I leased Lucstana when her trainer Anthony Greaves decided to take a break from racing,” Chris told me.
“Like Fusette and my only other starter Leica Fuse, she has spelled with us before.
“I had aimed her for a debut for me at Wondai in April but she was sore, so I gave her plenty of time,” said the patient, analytical owner-trainer whose career has yielded an amazing two wins from just five essays.
Nettelfield’s shift to thoroughbred work has been a gradual but natural process.
Her original stamping ground was Semaphore, the South Australian seaside suburb where Colin Hayes cut his teeth before he relocated to the rustic surrounds at Lindsay Park.
She kicked off with the standardbreds through her father Barry Johnson, then followed this with six of her 16 years in the police force spent in the mounted division.
During that stint, grey horses were her partners in crowd control duties on Adelaide race-days.
Another racing taste came via Easter camp-outs at “the fallen log” at Oakbank.
The odds are that Chris will strike again soon.
But do keep an eye out next July-August for her silks on a stable debutant that is coming back after a long break.
Nettelfield certainly knows how to line the planets up at that period of the year!
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An Oddball Weekend
The racing calendar this weekend has certainly thrown up some rare situations.
Saturday has an unbelievable three-way neighbourhood clash with Gatton, Dalby and Toowoomba all staging meetings.
Although there were 12 entries for the Class 3 contest over the metric mile at Clifford Park, the race was abandoned due to insufficient acceptances.
The Lockyer Race Club card concludes at the remarkably early time of 3:17pm – presumably, that move is to enable some jockeys to be up on the range for the first of the Garden City’s evening offerings.
On the other hand, post time for the last at Dalby is 4:45pm. There is no way riders in that race could be guaranteed to be at Toowoomba for a 6:05pm opener.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how Sunday’s Gold Coast program turns out in practical terms.
The track is hosting a bumper 10-event card while the adjacent car parks and the Magic Millions pavilion are the venue for the Gold Coast Show.
With the demise of the Parklands complex, the harness, greyhound and show bodies were rendered homeless.
Equestrian ring contests have been dropped and anyone heading to the races should contact the club for the vital shuttle transport information.
