THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: GET READY FOR A MASSIVE DAY OUT AT CORBOULD PARK

By Graham Potter | Saturday, June 30, 2018

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Whichever way you look at it, it is going to be a massive day out at Corbould Park today..

No less than ten races are scheduled for this Sunshine Coast Turf Club meeting. One hundred and sixty-one horses stood their ground at final acceptances and they represent a true cross section of stables throughout the country … from country to provincial to metropolitan … headed by the various state premiership leaders Chris Waller (Sydney), Darren Weir (Melbourne) and Tony Gollan (Brisbane).

There are three featured races on the card … the Sunshine Coast Guineas (Group 3), The Caloundra Cup (Listed) and the Glasshouse Handicap (Listed).

Racing enthusiasts still feel a rush when recalling the standout winner in the history of the Guineas. The mighty Winx thrilled the crowd that day back in 2015 when she came from the back of the field propelled by extraordinary acceleration which etched itself in everybody’s memory.

It was a scintillating performance in its own right but it is has gained even more significance with the passing of time as that was Winx’s first win in an unbroken sequence of victories (which currently stands at twenty-five over a three year period) which has taken the Chris Waller trained mare to the number one spot in the world rankings.

The Caloundra Cup has provided its fair share of memorable moments.

In 2007 jockey Ken Pope and trainer Trevor Miller combined to score an emotional local victory with King Latarmiss.

That win ended a purple patch for the New Zealand bred horses who had won eight out of the previous nine editions of the race. Seven of those were raiders trained by New Zealand trainers. The odd one out was the 2003 winner which was trained locally by the late, great Bruce McLachlan. (NB. Seven of the sixteen runners in tomorrow’s Cup are New Zealand bred).

The Glasshouse’s record shows Woorim scored back to back wins in the race in 2010 and 2011 for trainer Robert Heathcote. Woorim would famously go on to win the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield under a gem of a ride from Sunshine Coast champion jockey Damian Browne. It’s his first Glasshouse win Woorim was ridden by the late Stathi Katsidis who is so fondly remembered.

There is so much more … historical records, significant achievements, emotional moments … that could have been sourced but the above examples should suffice to underline the rich history of these three feature races … all of which will have another chapter of their story written today.

The tradition, the ten races, the full fields, the players and the crowd (who always arrive ready for a good time) means that everything is perfectly set up for a great day out.

If you are looking for something to do, you need look no further!