June 23, 2022
Racegoers at Lee Park on Saturday will take special interest in the last leg of the Burnett To The Beach series and the local premierships.
There’ll also be TV coverage of Eagle Farm’s $200,000 Battle of the Bush final, a marvellous event that has representatives from all over the state.
In the South East Queensland series, Kelly Gates (41 points) will collect $1100 for being the leading jockey with Shannyn Stephan (30) her nearest chaser.
Eidsvold trainer Bob Murray, with 67 points, has come from behind to overtake Kilkivan’s Kym Afford (60). The $3300 prize was decided at Gympie last Saturday when Murray’s string accrued a staggering 18 points.
The major windfall of $6600 for the best performing horse is still up for grabs.
Although Afford’s Modern Family (35) has the runs on the board, Murray’s charge Ourlastpenny (29) can still claim the money.
The outcome will depend on their relative finishing positions on Saturday.
To force a countback, Bob’s other hopeful in My Certain (25) would need to win and Modern Family fail to finish.
The scoring works from 10,8,7,6 and so on down to 2 points for eighth with other finishers picking up one point.
Seemingly, if Modern Family is placed fifth or better, he will prevail.
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Although the South Burnett has no direct representative in the coveted Battle of the Bush finale, there are a number of players of relevance to the area.
The Toowoomba galloper Moscini bolted in by seven lengths for Nathan Fazackerely in the Nanango qualifier that had been transferred from Burrandowan.
The Dale Grove trained cuddy has to contend with gate 16.
The runner-up that day was Kappy Chino from Jackie Crompton’s Toowoomba yard.
The eight-year-old by Kaphero has drawn barrier 6 but is 2.5 kilograms worse off for that Lee Park defeat.
Veteran journeyman Paul Hamblin will continue his association with the Raymond Williams prepared Ahwahneechee.
The duo took out the Emerald leg.
The horse is named for the native American tribe in Yosemite Valley. An Indian headdress logo is prominent on the silks.
Frisco’s Image, after running a tidy fourth at Nanango last month, followed up with success in the Gayndah heat.
The lightly raced chestnut will be saddled up by the Gympie conditioner Andrew Mead.
Taroom owner-trainer Rodney Hay will be a competitor, courtesy of Galapagos, the Teofilo gelding that accounted for three rivals in the Injune offering.
Pat Webster, the St George horseman who is relocating to Toowoomba, landed a double with Coat of Arms and Leica Special at Nanango in May.
He will roll the dice with V J Day, and Gary Geran will again partner the bay.
Meanwhile, the Nanango Race Club’s premierships for 2021-2022 will be finalised at the meeting with a “Winter Styles” fashion theme.
Hannah Richardson has already secured the jockey’s title, and her husband Glenn is the pacemaker for the training honours, with Patrick Sexton an outside chance of reeling him in.
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McDonald Disappoints
Former Kiwi hoop James McDonald was the toast of Australia when he recently booted home Nature Strip in the £500,000 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Before leaving Brisbane for the northern hemisphere, Sydney’s top rider incurred the wrath of the stewards at the Stradbroke meeting two weeks ago.
He was reprimanded for using the whip on six occasions prior to the 100 metre mark when winning the Brisbane Cup on Irish Sequel (Ire), and again chastised for an identical infringement two races later on Ranch Hand.
After the $1 million J.J. Atkins Stakes, Macdonald was suspended for 10 days from midnight from June 18 to June 30 for using his whip 17 times in totality on Political Debate.
The colt was only a half-length adrift of the winner Sheeza Belter.
The debate about whether horses should lose on protest if their jockey ignores the provisions about whip use would surely have cropped up again if the victorious filly had been beaten by a nose.
The suspension is likely to have no impact as McDonald is apparently having a break in Europe.
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Best Wishes To Hannah
2022 has been anything but kind to Nanango jockey Hannah Phillips.
Injury sidelined her from January 21 to Anzac Day and she now faces a longer stint following a recent incident with La Belle La Belle behind the barrier stalls at Gayndah.
“The mare was absolutely lovely but she got a fright and I wasn’t able to stick with her,” Hannah said.
“It would have been a harmless fall except I somehow got caught in the iron.
“My left leg went one way and my body went the other.”
Hannah now sports a torn posterior cruciate ligament and a medial collateral ligament in her left knee.
“I am out for six months or more,” she said.
“I desperately hope it will start knitting and that I won’t need surgery, because that would mean I would be out for 12 months.”
The fraternity certainly hopes that Hannah’s recovery is a speedy one!
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Wondai Is Around The Corner
The South Burnett Race Club will be staging its “Winter Bolds” race day on Saturday week, July 2.
Booking for platters and payment close on Tuesday, June 28 at 10:00am, and payment for marquee seating needs to be finalised no later than 2:00pm on Thursday, June 30.
See you at Lee Park for an exciting program on Saturday.
Please note that it is a six-event card on a Good 3 surface, with the first race kicking off at 1:10pm.
