January 28, 2020
Several South Burnett players have kicked off the calendar year in winning style.
At Thangool on Saturday, Hannah Phillips booted home Stick With Me and Glam Rock for her father Barry.
Phillips also signed off 2019 delightfully by landing a double at Taroom on December 28.
Hannah English also closed out the year well.
In mid-December, she scored for Lindsay Anderson at Dalby with Momentum Glory and posted a Chinchilla double before recording a victory at Emerald on New Year’s Eve.
English has since prevailed at Rockhampton and Calliope and twice at Dalby during her January working days at ten different tracks.
On Australia Day at Kilcoy she was just edged out on Black Envy, Glenn Richardson’s charge, and finished a tidy second on Scarlett’s Choice, the handy Choisir mare that Neville “Shorty” O’Toole has saddled up 17 times for an admirably consistent 3-7-3-2 form line.
The Richardson-English combination also dipped out by the barest possible margin with Mr Noddy at Calliope, but did have room to spare when Eight Over saluted in the very next contest.
The other success story was After The Storm (Hannah English) for the Kym Afford stable at Dalby on January 14.
Hannah Phillips and, more recently, Hannah English have completed their indentures.
They are wonderful ambassadresses because of their talent, professionalism, dedication, high levels of industry and a commendable willingness to travel.
They both have their feet on the ground and deserve the rewards that have come their way.
Incidentally, there have been a lower number of Saturday country meetings this month.
Bell was cancelled because the track was considered unsuitable, and the only two programs state-wide on January 18 were the Gold Coast wash-out and Eagle Farm.
Given the intensity during the other eleven months, a bit of a breather during January has its merits.
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Changes To Key Series Program
Six new venues will participate in the 2020 TAB Battle of the Bush Series.
In the Burnett, Burrandowan (on May 9) and Gayndah (June 6) get a turn at the expense of Nanango and Bundaberg.
Emerald returns to the roster in lieu of Thangool while Quilpie (for Cunnamulla), Charters Towers (Home Hill), Jandowae (Warwick) and Innisfail (Mareeba) are the other alterations.
The $125,000 Final will again be decided on Tattersall’s Tiara Raceday at Eagle Farm on Saturday, June 20.
As no reasons have been given for the modifications, it seems likely that they have been made to give more clubs an opportunity to be involved.
If that is the case, there need to be regular adjustments to spread the future offerings.
Surely clubs that will have presented a heat in all the series from 2108-2020 inclusive should be subjected to rolling replacements.
In 2019, the qualifiers were conducted from April 20 to June 8.
During that time span, the likes of Wondai, Mount Garnett, Gregory Downs, Hughenden, Tambo, Bluff-Blackwater and Aramac operated meetings and so were eligible for selection.
Gympie, Eidsvold, Esk and Monto, Mount Perry and Kumbia were the south eastern non-TABs that did not host programs in the established time frame.
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Nanango Will Soon Turn Pink
It’s an odds on bet that a day out at Lee Park is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
The upcoming Pink, Pink and More Pink race day is set down for Saturday, February 15.
As well as being St Valentine’s Day, Friday February 14 is also the anniversary of Australia’s replacement of pounds, shillings and pence by dollars and cents in 1966.
That is an excuse to spend up big even though a Lee Park outing is not expensive.
Other South Burnett race dates to June 30 to mark up are Nanango (Easter Saturday, April 11 and Saturday, May 23); Wondai (Anzac Day, Saturday April 25); and Burrandowan (Saturday, May 9).
May your vision for 2020 be realised!
