March 3, 2017
Jumps jockeys are used to covering plenty of ground – but Paul Hamblin, the former Darling Downs horseman now based in Melbourne, doesn’t find any hurdle when it comes to his work travels.
Paul, who was apprenticed to Marty Byrne and then to his son Danny at Pilton and Clifton, has a great strike rate when he makes trips to his state of origin.
He followed up a “one from one” at Warwick with two from three at Nanango last Saturday.
Back in November at Gympie, he saluted on Canid, and that ride rekindled an association with Nanango’s Richardson family that began decades ago at Emerald.
Hamblin plans to move back to Queensland in a couple of months time.
Travel has never bothered him, so he will still be able to head south for opportunities over the sticks.
Last year he made several excursions to New Zealand and collected the Riccarton Grand National on Upper Cut.
More recently, at Tasmania’s King Island Carnival, his 13 bookings produced four winners and five placings.
Importantly, Paul can ride upwards of 59.5.
He rode at Ararat on Monday and is off to Blackall this Saturday to ride principally for Todd Austin.
At Lee Park, Hamblin opened with a determined victory on the Patrick Sexton trained Anxpense in the Glendalough Brangus Stud-Papilloma Class B over the metric half mile.
The Teranaba gelding from Oakey defied the challenge from the favourite Poetic Dragon.
Later in the day, in the Nanango Bookmakers Association BM 50 (1200m), he helped the top weight Deputy Peck extend trainer Tom Dougall’s lead in the trainers’ premiership race.
The All Bar One four-year-old got up inside the wayward leader Solo Mio nearing the turn and bolted in by seven lengths.
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Commitments and an early Toowoomba kick off last Saturday meant that Leanne McCoy and Hannah English successfully did some saddle warming for each other.
McCoy’s husband David Reynolds took out the first at Clifford Park with Pick of the Pubs with English aboard.
Leeanne returned the compliment at Nanango by driving Hopetoun Street home In the Three Way Photos BM 55 (1000m).
The Kaphero gelding is part-owned by Hannah’s father Frank.
When her master Glenn Richardson acquired the horse from Lindsay Anderson, he offered his brother Brad – a clerk of the course for the Brisbane Racing Club – and Brad’s wife Erica a share.
Glenn was looking for a lucky link and it worked: Brad and Erica happen to live in Hopetoun Street at Ascot.
The Richardson’s Nanango yard has collected seven first prizes since mid January with Klammer contributing three, Man of Law two and one apiece from Dream of Choice and Hopetoun Street.
There was a throw at the stumps with Man of Law at Doomben.
Although last of six in the $20,000 Class 2 (1110m), the $41 pop was only beaten by a margin of four lengths.
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It was hard to wipe the smile from the face of Sunshine Coast conditioner Trevor Thomas after the Ruby Early Memorial Maiden Plate (1200m) when Diamondine, the grand-daughter of Exceed and Excel that he also part-owns, comfortably broke through.
Thomas, the trainer of the reigning Nanango Race Club Horse Of The Year Turbo Teddy, had persisted patiently with the four year old that had filled second berth four times from 27 assignments.
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The only favourite to score at Nanango was I’m No Ruby in the last, the Ken Mills Toyota BM 60 (1600m).
The Jet Spur gelding, raced and trained at Oakey by Peter Kings, brought its career form line to 52:11-4-4.
Jockey Joshua King got through an opening at the right time and a half length margin secured back to back triumphs for the same team that had scored at Warwick a week earlier.
King has a two from three strike rate since he resumed race riding.
He was disqualified over a testing issue at Charleville last July.
The journeyman’s previous win was at Blackall last April, and the very tidy way he handled I’m No Ruby will be a real confidence booster for him.
Watch out for the bay’s return to Nanango.
His 6: 3-1-1 history at the track includes an unbeaten treble over the mile journey.
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Looking Ahead
Gympie deserved a better fate with this Saturday’s offering of a $10,000 BM 55 Handicap (1470 m).
The contest attracted just six acceptors while the card total ran to a disappointing 32.
36 hopefuls were declared for the sand at Gladstone with local conditioner Denis Schultz (7) and Miles trainer Bevan Johnson (5) contributing a third of the count.
Esk begins its 2017 operations on Saturday, March 11, just two days after a TAB fixture at nearby Gatton.
Nanango’s next meeting on April 15 is a major one, and the Moffattdale Ridge Winery’s theme for Easter Saturday is Bonnets, Bowlers and Cottontails.
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Sydney’s Setbacks
Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club are fortunate that their funding reserves run to ample proportions.
Poor weather forced the postponement of Winx’s autumn debut, impacted on her appearance last Saturday, and is again a significant concern for this weekend’s program that is spearheaded by the $1 million Randwick Guineas.
The fact that Flemington’s $750,000 Australian Guineas on Saturday aims at the same cohort as Sydney’s mile for three-year-olds shows the weakness of both Group One events.
The Melbourne race has always been run at this time of the season, whereas the Randwick affair (nee Canterbury Guineas) was originally entrenched in the early spring.
Fairfax Media has reported that all 14 Japanese nominations for The Championships in April are not venturing in a down under direction, so the lucrative betting arrangement with the Japanese will not operate for the second successive year.
Sydney has really struggled to engage international stables for recent festivals.
Hopefully the reasons for the Japanese withdrawals will be forthcoming.
The Everest, the new initiative for October, has not been greeted with overwhelming endorsement either.
