NORTH QUEENSLAND RAIDERS LINE UP IN THE 3YO JEWEL

By Graham Potter | Friday, March 13, 2026

A full field will face the starter in the $500 000 QTIS Jewel 3YO over 1200m at the Gold Coast on Saturday and numbered amongst the sixteen-strong lineup with be two runners from regions in North Queensland who have made the trip south.

The Georgie Holt trained Satisfied Mugs has travelled all the way from its Townsville base while the Jennifer Hatfield trained Fabulean has made the trip from Mackay, with both of these runners proudly representing areas away from the big smoke.

Satisfied Mugs raced in the QTIS Jewel 2Y0 at the corresponding meeting last year but never flattered when finishing down the field behind the very smart Grafterburners who has gone on to win, amongst others, the Listed Gold Edition and the $3 million Sunlight.

While there is a huge discrepancy in the class of these two runners, the paths they have followed and the races they have won, Satisfied Mugs can claim the same winning strike-rate as Grafterburners with both horses having won half of the races they have contested … and Satisfied Mugs will bring that record of seven wins from fourteen starts into Saturday’s contest.

Four of those wins have come at Cairns … where Satisfied Mugs is unbeaten … and the other three wins have come on his home track at Townsville.

As it was last year in the QTIS Jewel 2YO, the QTIS Jewel 3YO obviously represents a huge step up in class for Satisfied Mugs, but, in five starts this prep he has won three times including a last start win over 1250m in heavy going, a racing surface on which Satisfied Mugs has the perfect record of two wins from two starts.

Satisfied Mugs can also claim some bragging rights as he once finished second to Sheza Alibi, who won the Group 1 Randwick Guineas last Saturday.

For her part, Fabulean was also a last start winner at home in Mackay but seemingly faces a similar, if not a bigger mountain to climb than Satisfied Mugs.

Three runs back, the daughter of Lean Mean Machine, did venture to town to tackle the Listed Mode Stakes at Doomben but finished well down the field as a $101 outsider, a price at which she has been quoted once again for this Saturday’s contest.

Satisfied Mugs is quoted at double figure odds … but at a fairly respectable $27.

Both of these visiting outsiders might be hard-pressed to have a major say in the outcome on Saturday, but their presence means there will be a wider spread of interest in the race in those areas in the north of Queensland, and in that, Holt and Satisfied Mugs and Hatfield and Fabulean have already made an important contribution to Saturday’s race-day at the Gold Coast.