October 23, 2015
Dalby owner-trainer Graeme Postle’s support for Burnett racing activities is well established.
His current first mate, Writtenintherain, collected prizemoney (and more) last season through victories at Kumbia and Burrandowan, and a Gayndah placing.
Last Saturday – with Leanne McCoy doing the riding honours – the veteran Written Tycoon gelding ($8) scored decisively in the Central Motors Stanthorpe Cup (1200m).
Postle thereby continued his uncanny knack of picking up free breeding services.
This time it was to the Wattle Brae stallion Raheeb.
Previously, two had come his way for the Dr Grace entire Over.
Dalby colleague John Hearne gifted him a bonus he had been awarded and then Writtenintherain added another to the tally at Kumbia in March.
Old Boyneside’s James and Laurie Curtain are again offering a complimentary mating with Over to the owners of the Huston Motors Kumbia Cup winner on Melbourne Cup day.
Hence a Cup nomination for the grandson of Danehill will not surprise.
McCoy swept the Kumbia program during a period when non-TAB meetings on Cup day were limited to four races.
More recently, she has worked hard to recover from serious leg injuries.
Five from five on November 3 at the Flemington of the North would go down very well for the Downs hoop.
The Kumbia card includes a lucrative $8600 Jim Lenihan Memorial BM 55 Handicap (1400m) and an appetising QTIS Added Class 1 (1200m) for Three, Four and Five-Year-Old gallopers).
Eligible candidates will toil for a share of a $12,700 purse.
Racegoers seeking information about the day should phone (07) 4163-7200.
Patrons travelling from Nanango can inquire about bus bookings for the return service form the Nanango Visitor Information Service by calling (07) 4163-2848.
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Past And Present Burnett Players Prevail At Wondai
Pat Duff, the masterful Deagon trainer, provided the centre-piece outcome for the Wondai meeting that celebrated a century of the butchering business in the district by his kinfolk, the Ryans.
Pat’s distinguished career kicked off at Wondai and his father Lewis of course was a key figure in racing at Wondai.
Duff’s entrant Fasta Than Light (Wayne O’Connell), to the delight of favourite backers, romped in by almost seven lengths.
Tony Williams chalked up one for the current Wondai band of trainers when Western Maizcay (Montanna Savva) saluted in Benchmark 55 company.
James Curtain experienced the frustration of missing out by a nose in the Maiden when Chain Road went down to Bradley Hudson’s Somerset Dawn (Hannah Phillips), a steed that filled third placing for the Kumbia horseman in the corresponding event last year.
However, there was great satisfaction for the stable later in the program when I Am McLovin (Hannah Phillips) hung on to beat Lindsay Anderson’s contender Hopetoun Street (Jason Missen) by a head in the Class B over 850 metres.
The three-year-old by has shown potential but has not been an easy thoroughbred to train.
The ever consistent Phillips posted a 5: 2-1-1 form line for her day’s work.
Hannah English managed to boot home Miss Mega Hertz in the open sprint.
She had a head to spare over Hopetoun Street’s stablemate Glenthorn Avenue (Jason Missen).
The Oakey mare conceded the second and third placegetter four and a half and seven and a half kilograms respectively.
No doubt, as runners prepared for the Cup, the Ryan family wondered if the final race result would match the 1990 precedent when all winners were partnered by female riders.
On that occasion, Monica Ryan with a quadrella and successes by Jo Downes, Jenny Cochrane and Debbie Osborne, who was one of the great Vo Rogue’s attendants, meant that the male jockeys went scoreless.
This time O’Connell prevented a wipe-out for the boys.
However the next five to finish in the Cup were piloted by ladies.
The “fairer sex” ended up with an amazing total of 4-3-5 from a possible haul of 5-5-5.
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Bits And Bridles
- It could be said that the “bucket and spade brigade” have their own Spring Cups double with sand track feature races staged on consecutive weekends. This Saturday sees the running of the $19,000 Nationwide Civil Gympie Cup (1600m). Not surprisingly, performers such as Fasta Than Light, Western Maizcay, Glenthorn Avenue, Hopetoun Street, Nug’s Pocket, Somerset Dawn and Miss Alexandra are doing a seven day back up at the Southside track.
- Meanwhile, Spencer Slatter, the quietly spoken dynamo who spearheaded the incredible turnaround in Gympie Turf Club’s fortunes, did not seek re-election at the organisation’s recent Annual General Meeeting. He is staying on in a vice-Presidential capacity. Whilst Gympie has a much larger population pool than many other rural racetracks, the leadership group in the dark era had to engage the local community in the club’s endeavours. Alhough Slatter’s civic government experiences would have been a springboard to the ultimately successful comeback, it took a great deal of effort and determination from the crew to refloat and navigate the distressed ship.
- Hveger, the dam of Cox Plate aspirant Highland Reel, was named after the famous Danish swimmer of the 1920s. The mare by Danehill from Circles Of Gold is a full sister to Elvstroem, the Caulfield Cup and VRC Derby hero that was named after Paul Elvestroem, a Danish yachtsman who earned gold medals at four successive Olympic Games. Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus-Circles of Gold) won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and an AJC Doncaster Handicap. He sired Famechon Baroness, the minor placegetter in last week’s Wondai Cup.
- A Plate victory by the visiting Highland Reel would at least enhance the status of Australian racing and breeding, even if it means that $1.8 million dollars leaves our shores. By the way, his half brother by Fusaichi Pegasus is known as Nakata, the Japanese soccer star who was also an Olympiad.
- Circles Of Gold (Marscay-Olympic Aim by Zamazaan) took out the 1995 AJC Oaks and was runner-up to the Queensland Oaks victress Arctic Scent in the 1996 Caulfield Cup.
- The sporting theme will continue. Clarry Connors is hoping that his stable’s Dawnie Perfect can top the podium in the upcoming Oaks at Flemington. The filly was named after Dawn Fraser, winner of the 100 metres freestyle at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics.
