February 2, 2019
Wondai-bred, Nanango-based Hannah English is a worthy recipient of this year’s South Burnett Senior Sportsperson of the Year Australia Day award.
Her 1573 riding engagements since the middle of 2015 has produced 159 wins.
The former veterinary nurse has also been placed 468 times.
Remarkably, in the past twelve months, she has plied her trade at 29 different racecourses for 43 different trainers.
Hannah quickly outrode her country allowance and is close to being a non-claimer at the provincials.
It is ironic that first ever horse she partnered in raceday silk had a name utterly opposite to Hannah’s character.
On June 6, 2015, her master Glenn Richardson legged the rookie up on to Miss Pugnacious at Gayndah, where the Ferocity filly ran ninth.
However, the remaining three mounts, all for Dalby conditioner Patrick Sexton, went much better.
Flinder’s Luck and Luck’s In, the full siblings by Bradbury’s Luck from Seahawk Lass, both grabbed the minor money but Winner Wimmer carried her to Cup glory.
The team repeated the dose by taking out the Eidsvold Cup the following week.
More trophies were collected in November 2015 with Jam Tin saluting in the Kumbia Cup, Seen A Host prevailing in the Mount Perry Cup and Oggie scoring in the $50,000 Roma Cup at provincial level.
Other key rural thrills include the Murilla Cup at Miles in February 2017 (when Klammer was part of a treble) and the Wondai Cups of 2016 and 2018 with Unbowed and Clouds.
Despite a broken wrist sidelining her for three months during her first full season, Hannah missed out on being Queensland’s top Country Apprentice by just one win.
She has won the Desiree Gill trophy for being the premier South-East Country Apprentice twice, and easily took out the Nanango Jockeys Premiership for 2017-18.
Her talent has been recognised by Racing Queensland as she represented the state in the National Apprentice Series in Tasmania in 2015 and in South Australia two years later.
A little bit of luck in 2019 could well open bigger doors for English.
She is a natural lightweight, has an affinity with animals, a well balanced style and is an astute operator.
Furthermore, there is a wealth of experience and maturity to draw on.
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Richardson Takes On The City Slickers
The field for the Lunar New Year Two-Year-Old Handicap (1000m), the second event at Eagle Farm on Saturday, includes Arnwood.
As a short priced favourite, this recent addition to Glenn Richardson’s Nanango string had six lengths on his rivals in a Rockhampton maiden for juveniles on Friday, January 10.
The Better Than Ready colt backed up a week later at the reopening of Eagle Farm and led before holding on for third placing.
Red Dazzler’s grandson is QTIS eligible, and a victory this weekend would earn a payout of almost $100,000.
Arnwood’s grand-dam Carry On Kona was no slouch, either.
She banked more than $250,000 while Better Than Ready, winner of four listed races in Sydney and Brisbane, amassed almost $485,000 in just 16 appearances.
The son of More Than Ready is related to Miss Mooney Mooney and Publishing.
Hannah English, who is looking for her fourth metropolitan success, has the seat again.
The pair jumped from a wide gate for the two tasks since Arnwood moved from Tom Dougall’s Toowoomba stables and the draw has been unkind yet again.
Meanwhile, Canid returns after a four month break in the Access Insulation No Metro Wins Handicap (1000m), the third event at Eagle Farm.
English will pilot the eight-year-old that she part-owned before taking out her licence.
The cursed wide marble dropped for the bay too.
Hannah will get a good feel of the new track surface as she will be aboard On Demand in the opener, the Ratings 0-70 Handicap over 1400 metres.
And guess what! Pat Duff’s charge drew the extreme outside stall.
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Oddity From Afar
During a recent visit to South America, I discovered that jockeys at the Buenos Aires Palermo track in Argentina don’t use their own whips.
Instead, there is a communal set provided.
After each contest the riders drop the whip they used into a receptacle.
An official then brings the collection around to the parade ring and jockeys pick a whip from the bunch as they arrive to chat with connections.
They cannot be too fussy as there did not seem to be any stampede to get to the “lucky dip” site.
