GCST JAN 15 - GO YOU QUEENSLANDER!

By Graham Potter | Monday, January 17, 2011

As Premier Anna Bligh stated at the height of the terror and trauma of the recent floods, they breed them tough in Queensland.

The broader racing activity, other than the obvious concerns and efforts to secure the well-being of participants (human and animal) and keep them from harm, was rightly reduced, like almost everything else of normal routine, to a level of inconsequence while attention remained firmly focused on the enormous task of survival and revival, the tremors of which will still be felt for a long time to come.

Any ‘lift’ that any individual or community can get at this time is a bonus. While no moment of joy remains untouched by the tragedy of loss of life or in any way diminishes the degree of havoc that has impacted on so many lives, any bright note is welcome.

For Toowoomba based trainers Tony Gollan and Norm Hilton, Saturday at the Gold Coast provided such a bitter-sweet moment.

They do breed them tough in Queensland, but they also breed them with human empathy. There was no bravado from either trainer when they won consecutive races with Temple Of Boom (in the Magic Millions Sprint) and Bold Glance (in the Magic Millions Cup). No swagger.

Both had tears in their eyes. The first thoughts of both trainers were with their community that had suffered so much in the sweeping tide that had devastated their town.

“It’s been a tough week for people in Queensland. It was a very eerie drive down her today (through the flood areas) coming past a lot of areas that didn’t look like it did last time I drove past there.

“Everybody’s put their hand in their pocket in the last week in Queensland. It’s amazing the spirit of this whole country chipping for such a tragic event that has happened.

“We’re very pleased to be able to get the horse here today and get a result.”

If anything, trainer Norm Hilton was even more emotional.

“After the week we’ve had up on the range it is almost embarrassing to feel this happy.

“It’s been really hard over the last week watching the devastation. The people who are missing … and their children. It’s been terrible and, yeah, it is just unreal to be here today.”

Gollan and Hilton have done their community proud both in the way they managed to emerge from the other side of chaos with success and in the way they conducted themselves in the post race interviews by remembering the sobering reality that lay outside the racetrack.

In its own limited way, the victories of Temple Of Boom and Bold Glance provided a small, much needed morale booster for the Toowoomba community.

Two other Queensland trainers, Trevor Whittington and Andrew Williamson, struck gold on the day to ensure that the home state would take out four of the nine races and so more than hold its own against the weight of visiting numbers and reputations brought by trainers who raided the state from down south.

High profile name visitors such as Connors, Lees, Moses, O’Shea, Payne, Portelli, Pride, Ryan, Waterhouse and Waller were numbered amongst the opposition. Not one of them went home with a winner as Queensland trainers held their heads high.

Whittington is based at the Gold Coast. Williamson trains at the Sunshine Coast so the Queensland taste of success spread from the Sunshine Coast, through the Gold Coast and up to Toowoomba.

If there was a gap in the Queensland honour roll on Magic Millions day, it was the interesting statistic that no Brisbane based trainer claimed a victory on the big day.

Several came close though. The Liam Birchley trained runners, Pepperwood and Huckleberry Dane, finished second in their respective races. Barry Baldwin had to settle for second with Shezamyth in the opening race on the card. Kelso Wood was also close but got no cigar when Zero Rock finished second behind Bold Glance in the Magic Millions Cup.

Not to be outdone in the runner-up stakes, Toowoomba based runners were also snapping at the heels of the winners in two races. Paul Nolen (Jnr) had to settle for second place with Golden Kid after having two bites at the cherry (Golden Kid came second on the track and in the protest room) while Tony Gollan rounded off his highly successful day with a runner-up finish when Easy Rocker chased fellow Queenslander Ready To Rip home in the last race.

Gold Coast based trainer Bruce Hill also went home with a runner-up finish notched onto his belt. That result came via the strong showing of Startsmeup. The Danzero gelding finished second best behind Torio’s Quest in the lucrative 3yo Guineas. The second place stake of $150 000 meant he had some consolation in defeat.

That made it four wins, four quinellas and seven runner-up finishes from nine races for Queensland based trainers.

Queensland jockeys Bobby El-Issa and Jason Taylor were also winners on the day.

That’s impressive work on any given day, but it translates into outstanding results given the tragic and taxing circumstances that overshadowed the race-meeting and brought all things into perspective.

It’s a much quoted speech now … as it will be in the future, but it is worth repeating here.

In the words of Anna Bligh, “As we weep for what we have lost, and as we grieve for family and friends and we confront the challenge that is before us, I want us to remember who we are.

"We are Queenslanders.

“We’re the people that they breed tough, north of the border. We’re the ones that they knock down, and we get up again.”

Go you Queenslander!

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