November 2, 2024
The winner of Tuesday’s $15,000 Huston Motors Kumbia Cup (1400m) qualifies for the $200,000 Country Cups Challenge (1600m) at Doomben on November 30.
The other automatic representative for the south-east is the Sunshine Coast galloper Centaur. The gelding by Cluster, prepared by Louie Peoples and partnered by Erin Molloy, ensured a berth by accounting for his rivals in last Saturday’s Gympie Cup.
The official Stewards Report for the event states that “the gates on Centaur’s barrier were slow to open, resulting in his being slow to begin. Club officials have been advised of the slow barrier and have undertaken to test and make any repairs required to the barriers before the next race meeting. Furthermore, the horse blundered on jumping”.
The head margin to the 2024 Wondai Cup winner War Too All prevented a frustrating dilemma. If the placings had been reversed, it would just have been a case of seriously hard luck for Centaur’s connections and backers.
The Country Cups grand finale in Brisbane is a tough and exhilarating affair with each of the eight Queensland regions supplying two aspirants for the $116,000 first prize cheque.
Tuesday’s round at the Flemington Of The Bush has attracted a wide range of candidates from Toowoomba, Beaudesert, Chinchilla, Rockhampton, Dalby, Warwick and the Sunshine Coast.
Jandowae is the closest local source, courtesy of Geoffrey Schrader’s charge Barclay’s Bank.
Fire King ($4) and Office Jim ($4.80) filled the quinella on soft going in last year’s renewal of the Challenge Final.
The duo are in the 2024 Kumbia Cup line-up. They are in the early phase of their current campaigns but their respective trainers, Olivia Cairns and Pat Webster, know how to lay the groundwork for the lucrative assignment.
Cairns has put the polish on the Worthy Cause chestnut Fire King for its entire career. The money spinner has chalked up an extraordinarily consistent 57:11-19 form line.
Fire King (Adam Sewell, 61.5kg) has drawn the extreme outside. However, there is a comfortably long straight run from Kumbia’s metric seven furlongs despatch point to the first turn.
The Magnus gelding Office Jim (Les Tilley, 63.5kg) has made seven visits to the winner’s circle since moving from Anthony and Sam Freedman’s Victorian stable to Webster’s Toowoomba yard.
The William Kropp-trained Lucky Exchange had posted encouraging form at Rockhampton and his home turf at Toowoomba before his September sortie to Birdsville and Bedourie.
Warwick conditioner Michael Hemmings will saddle up Super Duck in the Cup. The five-year-old, which was not disgraced in his two Brisbane appearances this season, won at Gatton recently on a soft track.
Hemmings will send out the top weight Voulait in the opening event.
The 10-year-old, named for the French word for his sire Wanted, will be making his 104th appearance. He was originally a Caloundra specialist but has been on top also at Eagle Farm, Toowoomba, Warwick, Tara and, most recently, at Murwillumbah in February. The old boy finished a close third at Warwick in September.
With a minimum weight of 55kg in place, horses down the list in the Kumbia Cup meet the higher bracket poorly on handicapping terms. Punters doing the form calculations should note that apprentices cannot claim.
Inexperienced racegoers need to keep in mind that Gympie, Bundaberg, Wondai and Gladstone are sand tracks. Performances on these surfaces may not be a good reference for the grass at Kumbia.
For those who follow a specific coloured hopeful, Countless Kisses, and One Last Trick are greys while Peshwa is described as a grey-chestnut.
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The Jockeys
Country racing hopefully will always be valued for its role in providing work for rookie riders.
There will be eight apprentices in Kumbia’s jockey rooms.
Kayla Johnston and Samantha Pointon, both with four kilo allowances and both with a second from just two rides thus far, would love to break through on Tuesday.
There are 18 jockeys competing, with the females’ quarters set to be the busier accommodation with 11 occupants.
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Key Reminders
Do keep a watch on Kumbia Race Club’s Facebook page and also refer to Trybooking.com for a rundown of information and online ticket sales at $15.
The cost is $20 at the race day gate.
Access to the course for the general public is via the Bunya Highway and not by Kumbia Road. That entry point mainly caters for horse floats.
The landscape at Kumbia racecourse has a vital new feature.
A new one floor building will be the working space for the judge-photo finish operator, the racecaller and the video camera personnel.
The long-time “Perfectly Pink” theme prevails again. Naturally, it is the fashion contest flavour. The meeting supports #PINKUPYOURTOWN, a Breast Cancer Care Nurses project.
Horses running with predominant pink colours are Cotton Caper, Lucky Exchange and Peshwa while several other have a dash of that colour.
Rides on buses from The Carrollee Hotel at Kingaroy can be arranged by phoning (07) 4162-1055.
Patrons are free to bring chairs and a pop-up gazebo.
The outside fence in the straight is a long one at Kumbia. Self-contained camping at $10 per night per site is available next to the course
Foot races by gender are staged for cash prizes after the last race at 3:45 pm.
Race 1 is at 1:00pm. The Melbourne Cup gets under way between the second and third Kumbia races at 2:00pm (Queensland Time).
EFTPOS, without the cash withdrawal option, will be available at the track on Tuesday.
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Sunday’s Calcutta
The Smoothy Contracting Calcutta will be held at the racecourse from 2:00pm on Sunday.
It is important to arrive early to purchase tickets in what is an advanced type of sweep.
A complimentary bus will leave from the Carrollee Hotel at noon and return around 5:00pm.
Bookings for the free transport are to be made by phoning 0407-645-574.
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The Highlight At Wondai
There is a sense of triumph when a local galloper salutes on its home patch.
Often there are several layers that generate added thrills. That was the case last month at Wondai.
Wondai hobby trainer Kristen Roon has done a sterling job with Jain, a Drumbeats mare that is raced by five branches of her family.
The syndicate includes her husband Bodie, her sister Lauren O’Neill and husband Harley, parents Jeff and Narelle Wenck and Jeff’s sister Paula and husband Michael Hedges.
Narelle’s sister Leanne Ryan rounds out the group. She works for Lawrie Mayfield-Smith, the Brisbane trainer who prepared Jain for her first three runs.
Jeff is the president of the South Burnett Race Club while Lauren is the organisation’s secretary.
Jain has now won three in a row.
Her four home track outings have collected two wins , a second (beaten a head) and a third placing that was just a long neck shy of victory.
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Looking forward to a great, action packed occasion at Kumbia. There will be something entertaining for everyone!
