December 9, 2016
Picnic In the Park, the Lunchtime gelding that put together 21 straight victories in 1984-85, was honoured at last Sunday’s Nanango Race Club meeting.
The full brother to the Blue Diamond and VRC Sires Produce Stakes winner Street Cafe was worked at Wondai by Murgon’s Malcolm Raabe.
It was great to see his widow Colleen and his sons Shane (the bay’s strapper) and Wade (the sprinter’s encyclopaedic historian) in attendance at Lee Park.
Also present were jockeys Chris Smith and Pat Collins, who respectively saluted 18 times and twice on the pin-up from the Todman mare Tod Lass.
Michael Lakey, who was aboard for an initial seventh over a mere 340 metres at Wondai on August 4, 1984, was the successful pilot at Gayndah on August 25.
After three Sydney outings between November 1982 and May 1984 that yielded seconds at Warwick Farm and Gosford, Picnic in the Park was sold to Malcolm and Colleen.
The bookends to his 23 start Queensland phase were the only unplaced results for them.
A smart lady called Black Caviar, unbowed after 25 tasks, eventually upstaged him.
Picnic in the Park’s sequence ended when he broke down in running at Rockhampton on March 30, 1985.
The former Theo Green trained conveyance also thrilled the crowds at Nanango, Esk, Gympie, Ipswich, Thangool and Townsville.
He went out at 50/1 on for one of his two Mackay performances and scored twice on the Gold Coast’s November 10, 1984 program.
On Australia Day in 1985, Picnic In The Park (10/1 on) triumphed at Wondai despite humping 67 kilograms.
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Richardson And English Keep The Ball Rolling
In the Star Tyrepower Kingaroy BM 50 (800m), Jill’s Shadow (Hannah English) made it two from just three Lee Park assignments.
Although the sparingly raced Murtajill four-year-old has had her problems, she zipped away strongly after hanging during her first run since June.
Her Nanango trainer Glenn Richardson, with a Gympie double and a Mt Perry success on the resume, could have had a treble on the day, given a modicum of luck.
In the Hunt Family Reunion-Picnic In The Park BM 55 (1200m), Hopetoun Street (English) went down by a half length.
Later, a protest on behalf of Canid, beaten a short head in the Nanango RSL-Pederson Memorial Maiden (1000m), was turned down.
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Pascoe Realised An Ambition
Young folk, even before they have become involved in the racing industry, have a primary ambition. It may be to win the Melbourne Cup or just their local, small town Cup.
Toowoomba trainer Troy Pascoe, who took out the Nanango RSL and Pederson Memorial QTIS Maiden Plate (1000m) at Nanango last Sunday with Current Figures did have a very specific and special goal in mind.
The former Lismore High School student wanted to become foreman to a fellow Northern Rivers district graduate, namely the legendary Jim Atkins.
After his family moved to Toowoomba, Pascoe worked in a voluntary capacity in Wally Ingram’s stables, was involved in pre-training and gained extra knowledge about feeds through his job in a produce store.
He did get a call from Atkins inviting him to join his team and he did become the foreman.
Troy went out on his own before Jim passed away at age 94 in 2010.
When asked what was the most important lesson he learned from the Hall of Fame inductee, Troy quickly replied that you needed to be patient and kind and that Jim’s gentle nature applied to horses and humans.
Pascoe, aided by the natural setting afforded by a 25 acre property, is certainly doing something right.
In the past twelve months, his record is 46 for 10-5-3 for a very impressive 21% win rate.
Significantly he has been highly successful in bringing thoroughbreds back from injury enforced lay offs.
Current Figures is a case in point as is her full brother Hit Him Again. Both horses are raced by their breeder Col Wilson
Corey Bayliss, in partnering Current Figures, did well to rebound quickly after his Saturday fall at Kilcoy,
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Dakota Covers The Country
Dakota Graham had a few other career ideas when everyone was expecting her to be indentured to her widely travelled father Bevan Johnson.
The Miles-based rookie admitted to being stubborn on the matter and was keen to do the timing on her own terms.
In the last month, she has registered doubles at Barcaldine and Clermont and singles at Emerald, Gladstone and Murwillumbah.
She scored for Bevan with Blue Vest at Thangool on Saturday.
Dakota’s Nanango win was on the top weight King Cobia in the M.McCallum Memorial BM 65 (1200m).
The former Sydney metro performer by Exceed and Excel is owned and trained at Taroom by Rodney Hay.
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Coming Up
Bundaberg is the rural venue this weekend, and Esk’s Christmas offering is set down for December 17.
The next South Burnett meeting is at Nanango is on February 25, and patrons will need to go their wardrobe and “Think Pink”.
