July 4, 2025
The rescheduled Duff Memorial Day honours a pioneering Burnett racing dynasty at Wondai on Saturday.
(The background information was covered in Gunsynd’s Gossip in the lead-up to the initial washout on May 31).
Sadly, another multi-generational local lineage will also be in the fraternity’s thoughts with the passing of Tom Moloney on June 28.
The 65 year-old trainer resided at ‘Riverview’ at Chahpingah. The long-time family property on the Boyne River is a hand canter east of Burrandowan racecourse.
There will be a tribute to Tom, a vice-president of the Burrandowan Picnic Race Club and president of the Kumbia Race Club, in next week’s column.
His funeral will be held in Virgo’s Funeral Home Chapel, 24 Pioneer Avenue, Kingaroy at 11:00am on Monday, July 7. A livestream of the service will be available at www.virgofunerals.com.au.
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Incidentally, Lewis Duff was one of the 11 enthusiasts that met at Muller’s Crossing on November 27, 1921, to formalise the setting up of an annual race meeting at Burrandowan Station. Of course, Pat Duff and his twin brother Cedric knew Moloney exceedingly well.
Isabella Teh, the current North Queensland jockey who spent part of her apprenticeship with Pat Duff at Deagon, scored for Tom at Kumbia on Diggity, a runner at Wondai on Saturday.
The chestnut, and another Wondai candidate in Igbo, are part-owned by Dorothy and Bob Black, the great neighbourhood friends of Tom’s.
The respective career records of the geldings by Equiano (Fr) on the Wondai circuit stand at 4:1-2-1 and 5:1-2-1. If they show that kind of talent this weekend it would be a lovely equine send off for Tom whose illness meant that Bob became their mentor last spring.
Another uncanny aspect about the card is that All About Lewis is a runner in the Lewis Duff Memorial Open.
Although the Whittington gelding faces a task at the weights, he was successful at Kumbia last November and has performed well at Gympie with three placings from three appearances. The aspirant from Phillip Burns’ Sunshine Coast yard might relish the sand again on Saturday.
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Gympie conditioner Trevor Thomas has thrown his weight behind the program by providing nine acceptors.
The usual guidance for novice assessors of form for Wondai is headed by seeking out horses proven on its sand surface with a steel uphill run to the finish. The vast majority have not started there, so look for pointers from Gympie and Bundaberg with their similar surfaces and also consider runners that are trained on the track.
Saturday’s opening event at 1:30pm is over 1577 metres. It is exciting to watch the field jump from the barrier near the home turn and pass the winning post twice. The layout of the track provides very favourable viewing for spectators.
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Burnett Links To Eagle Farm Hero
Peshwa, prepared at Toowoomba by Lindsay Hatch, scored a last gasp victory in last Saturday’s premier annual rural contest, the Battle of the Bush.
The potent grey, ridden to perfection by Angela Jones, collected $116,000 for a syndicate that included former well known jockey Shaun Bayliss.
Weight ruled out any chance of Chris Whiteley partnering the sprinter that prevailed for him in the 2024 Kumbia Cup and in the Burrandowan qualifier for the final skirmish of the Battle at Eagle Farm.
The $14 chance carried the stable’s confidence. His 20 outings for Hatch have chalked up a 20:5-3-4 form line
The Tapit (USA) gelding was knocked down originally for $250,000.
Later, a group headed by retired Monto trainer Gary Popp acquired Peshwa for $16,000.The five-year-old, previously prepared by the Victorian unit of Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock and then Roma’s Ben Waldron, has now banked almost $240,000.
Bayliss, who used to ride for Popp, had earlier luck with his involvement in Gary’s team that bought Sayl (GB). The grey by Iffraaj (GB), after registering three placings from four attempts in France, won at Wyong and Doomben in a disappointing time with Chris Waller.
Sayl then had a profitable stint with Rockhampton trainer Ricky Vale before short terms with Ben Waldron and Nick Walsh.
Lindsay Hatch applied the polish from late 2021. His highlights were collecting the 2022 Mackay Cup and the 2023 Cairns Amateur Cup.
Meanwhile, with the bulk of Peshwa’s ownership associated with cotton growing in the St George area, their pin-up is in the line up for Saturday’s $14,000 Cotton Namoi Cotton-B &W Rural Mungindi Cup (1400m, BM 66).
Two years ago, Peshwa won a Class 1 at the corresponding meeting at the township that straddles the border of two States.
The very fit Shaun Bayliss has been a postman for 13 years.
His current deliveries are made on the Sunshine Coast after earlier terms at Caboolture and Sandgate.
He has followed the lead of his close mate Lyall Appo.
The currently Chinchilla-based ex-jockey with origins in Eidsvold took up the trade during the disruptions of Equine Influenza. One sure bet is that Bayliss finishes his rounds with greater haste because Appo needs to take every opportunity to practise his conversational skills.
Looking forward to reminiscing about the Duffs and the Moloneys trackside at Wondai.
