November 2, 2015
On Tuesday, Tom Moloney will load Famechon Baroness and Yamanners on to his float to make the short journey from Chahpingah to Kumbia.
Victory by either of the pair in the $8600 Jim Lenihan Memorial (BM 55, 1400m) will be very satisfying for the local fraternity.
However, success by Lucks In – a newcomer to Glenn Richardson’s string – would be very special because Jim’s brother Brian, the Kumbia Race Club President, is in the Bradbury Luck gelding’s ownership.
As expected, the triumphant Stanthorpe Cup team of Writtenintherain, owner-trainer Graeme Postle and jockey Leanne McCoy has its sights set on the $7700 Huston Motors Kumbia Cup (1200m).
The first prize bonus of a complimentary nomination to the Old Boyneside stallion Over adds value to the pursuit.
James Curtain is pinning his hopes of a hometown victory in the bottom weight Kistamon.
The Monashee Mountain mare will be handled by Hannah Phillips, the Nanango apprentice who piloted the stablemate Chain Road to a tidy fourth at Kilcoy’s TAB fixture on Friday.
Kistamon is stepping out in easier company but has not raced since January.
With the two kilogram claim, she will be in receipt of eight kilograms from the top weight Craiglea Falcon, the ten-year-old with a 109:18-15-11 form line.
Lyall Appo’s mount Brady’N’Me will also have backers.
The Mark Goodwin trained galloper has been on the podium at its last three outings.
An interesting runner is Talk Back in the Rob Stewart Memorial Class B (900m).
The Stratum mare, previously prepared by her owner Chris Nettelfield, and her Wondai trainer Neville “Shorty” O’Toole are resuming after a long lay off.
Jason Missen, who booted her home in the Maiden on the corresponding card last year, will be aboard again.
Tuesday’s program has been boosted by the support of Kenilworth’s Craiglea juggernaut.
Seven starters are set to sport Stan and Marilyn Johnston’s blue and white livery.
Kumbia Race Club has reason to be pleased with the number of acceptors the five races drew.
Competition has been fierce with Gatton, Kilcoy and Beaudesert all racing in the lead up, and another 14 Cup day meetings running across the state.
The traditional prelude – the Cup Calcutta – was conducted at the Kumbia Hotel on Sunday afternoon.
The Fashions Of The Field categories are Classical Lady, Unique Styling and Best Dressed Gent.
Novel twists include a Suits and Frocks Dash, children’s footraces and Jumping Castle fun for both adults and kids.
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Missing The Master
The James Cummings trained Ruling Dynasty failed to score a place in the final Melbourne Cup posse of 24.
Pity, because the omen punters would have had a sentimental saver on the aspirant in memory of Bart, the young conditioner’s grandfather.
Bart Cummings first entered the Melbourne Cup winner’s slot in 1950.
He was strapping Comic Court, his father Jim’s highly versatile galloper that set race records for events ranging from six furlongs to two miles.
Half a century ago,the South Australian maestro was there for the first time in the trainer’s role.
The dry witted legend went on to make eleven more appearances in the coveted zone.
Below are a few key points about each of the Cummings-trained winners.
The depth of his mastery is revealed in the variety of backgrounds of his hero and heroines:
1965: In an epic stoush, Light Fingers wrested the trophy from her stablemate Ziema. The mare by Le Filou from the Red Mars mare Cuddlesome was a full sister to The Dip, the gelding that Bart usually trained but was in Jim Cummings’ care when it scored in the 1962 AJC Metropolitan Handicap.
1966: The Caulfield Cup star Galilee, raced by Ziema’s owners, proved too strong for Light Fingers. The Alcimedes gelding was from the same family as Sometime, the 1963 Caulfield Cup winner that was transferred to Les Patterson when Cummings was outed for a year in November 1961.
1967: Red Handed, an 850 guinea grandson of Red Mars, had put the writing on the wall with a fast finishing second in the Caulfield Cup. The Le Filou gelding completed a two mile, eastern capital sweep for Cummings with Galiee (Sydney Cup) and Fulmen (Adelaide-Brisbane Cups) also contributing.
1974: Think Big, the son of Sobig that had wintered in Brisbane, ran down his yard mate, the Caulfield Cup winner Leilani.
1975: After a winless twelve months, Think Big prevailed again. Holiday Waggon ran second. The duo gave Cummings his fourth quinella.
1977: Gold and Black’s defeat of Reckless meant that Bart’s run with Kiwi bred stayers had chalked up six Cups. He had selected and bought all bar one of them as yearlings.
1979: Hyperno, third in 1977 when prepared by Geoff Murphy, put his moodiness aside and had a lip to spare on Salamander in the desperate drive to the wire. The Harry White and Bart Cummings combination secured their third title in six years.
1990: Kingston Rule (USA) started his Australian chapter with Tommy Smith. Sydney’s champion trainer wanted to geld the entire by Secretariat. Cummings had put the polish on the aristocratic chestnut’s grand-dam Kingston Rose. The lead up this time was a neat win in the Moonee Valley Cup.
1991: Caulfield Cup winner Let’s Elope, a Group 3 winer in New Zealand before she migrated across the Tasman, and Shiva’s Revenge filled the quinella. Cummings could not lose when the latter protested (in vain).
1996: Saintly had disappointed when third in the AJC Metropolitan but bounced back in the Cox Plate.Cummings then poured work into the Sky Chase chestnut and proved that he could adjust the lead up pathway for his Cup contenders according to their needs.
1999: The Western Australian Rogan Josh was sent to Cummings with the specific aim of capturing first-Tuesday glory. Some would say he made a sow’s ear into a silk purse. That is a bit harsh but the point is clear. The Old Spice gelding which may have headed to the Broome Cup arguably would not have scored without Cummings’ solution to his stomach ulcer problem.
2008: Viewed had won the Brisbane Cup in heavy going in the winter. Again, it was an ultra tight finish with the fast finishing English contender Bauer failing to get there by a nose. Gold and Black’s runner-up effort to Van Der Hum in 1976 was the only time a Cummings runner ran second to anything but a stablemate.
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Cup Day Bits And Bridles
- Barry Jones, a very long term stalwart of the game on the Downs and parts of the Burnett, will call his last race at Kumbia. His enthusiasm for the industry has been matched by his dedicated service in the media, at the track and as a compere. Barry can come back to his favourite haunts now without the pressure of learning and identifying silks from all manner of “vantage points” in all manner of weather conditions. Best wishes for the freer time that lies ahead.
- Although there is no race meeting in the area, folk to the north can get into the Cup spirit. The Mundubbera Hotel is hosting its usual function on Monday night. Its Tuesday Cup luncheon is a fundraiser for the local kindergarten.
- Gympie has a trotting program in lieu of its usual camel racing.
- If you live in Nanango and want to have a day at the races, NaTDA will be running a bus to Kumbia and back on Tuesday. They have a great $25 package on offer, and you can find out how to book a seat on this page.
