SEVEN DAYS – RACING IN QUEENSLAND (JUNE 1 – JUNE 7)
By Graham Potter | Monday, June 8, 2020
SEVEN DAYS – RACING IN QUEENSLAND (JUNE 1 – JUNE 7)
A Stradbroke days of firsts! A midweek four win romp for Brisbane’s leading trainer/jockey combination. The ‘king of the coast’ on-song. A talented jockey continues his successful comeback. Dual license holders in the frame and much, much more.
The highlight of the first week in June was Stradbroke day at Eagle Farm where, unlike the norm at the height of carnival time, the locals delighted in reeling in the big prizes on offer. There were only two Group 1’s … the Stradbroke Handicap and the JJ Atkins … over the entire revised Queensland Winter Carnival and they both took place on Stradbroke day where they provided a series of ‘firsts’ as both Robert Heathcote and Toby Edmonds got a special Group 1 win off their bucket list when winning with Rothfire (the JJ Atkins) and Tyzone (The Stradbroke) respectively.
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Heathcote was already a multiple Group 1 winning trainer (in four states and overseas) but he had never cracked a Group 1 win before in his home state and training out of Eagle Farm and winning on his home track made it doubly special. The race also confirmed the enormous potential of Rothfire who has become even more hot property than he was before after ticking the Group 1 box and taking his record to six wins from seven starts. There might be a blank cheque being offered from Hong Kong.
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For Toby Edmonds, Tyzone was his first Group 1 winner … full stop … and well deserved at that! This was a big landmark victory in Toby’s career. And, no, I haven’t forgotten Trent Edmonds who trains Tyzone in partnership with his dad. He too must take full credit for a win that was twelve months in the planning following Tyzone’s second placing in the 2019 Stradbroke but it was Toby who had to wait years for the pleasure to be able to call himself a Group 1 winning trainer. Trent got one in his first season as a trainer. All power to both of them.
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Tyzone’s dramatic win, coming from the tail of the field to score a last stride victory, gave seasoned jockey Robbie Fradd his first Group 1 since relocating to Australia in 2014. Fradd has ridden in his native South Africa, in Japan, Dubai and Singapore and, latst but not least, Hong Kong, where he was the leading jockey in 2000-01 and this latest feature race result shows that the fifty-five-year-old is still right on top of his game.
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Fradd, in fact, has also enjoyed a strong relationship with JJ Atkins winner Rothfire having partnered the two-year-old star in two of his six wins where he substituted for the then injured Jim Byrne. Byrne was back on Rothfire for the JJ Atkins though and the win must have been pretty sweet given what the rider has gone through over the last twelve months. First, he spent most of the 2019 Winter Carnival on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. Then, in December he broke his leg … would you believe when three horses in a four-horse field fell AFTER the winning post. Byrne returned briefly in late March but aggravated the injury to the point where his leg swelled up and he required surgery which again put out of action. You could say Byrne was due for a change of luck but really the old truths applied. It was only all of the hard work he put in to get back and a then perfect ride on a good horse that gave Byrne his first Group 1 winner since 2017.
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Chris Anderson put his name on the Group winning scoreboard when Ballistic Boy took out the Group 3 Rough Habit in confident fashion under another accomplished ride by Brad Stewart. Ballistic Boy had previously finished third in the Listed Daybreak Lover (over 1650m, just 1.30 lengths behind the smart Vanna Girl) and second in the Group 3 Gunsynd (over 1800m just 0.10 lengths behind Supergiant). This progressive win came over 2200m. Like Rothfire, Ballistic Boy is a target for Hong Kong Buyers with Anderson obviously hoping he can keep his rising staying star in Australia.
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James Cummings (Godolphin) had the numbers in the Stradbroke with four runners but the stable could only come back with a fourth placing (Ranier) in the big one. The well fancied Aquitaine did give them a consolation prize when the three-year-old filly skipped away with the predicted authority in the Mick Dittman to claim her fourth win from only nine starts. It was also a consolation prize of sorts for jockey Jimmy Orman who went so close in the Stradbroke aboard Niccanova.
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Other winners on Stradbroke day were: Stardome – Chris Waller/Luke Dittman. Red Chase – Desleigh Forster/Taylor Marshall (who was winning for the fourth time in a row). Plenty – Stuart Kendrick/Jake Bayliss. Mangione – Chris Watter/Ryan Maloney and Jami Lady – Steven O’dea/ Boris Thornton.
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In midweek the Tony Gollan/Baylee Nothdurft trainer/jockey team snared four races on the card. Their winners included Vinco who was winning for the second successive start and Socialising, who is now unbeaten in two starts since transferring to the Gollan yard.
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Also, in midweek at Doomben, the Kelly Schweida trained Expert Eye also put back to back wins together adding a Class 1 success to the Maiden win in his previous start.
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The Toby and Trent Edmonds trained Green Jacket made it two wins in three starts since transferring to the Edmonds stable (from Bjorn Baker).
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Dan Griffin riding winners at the Gold Coast! No surprise there. This time his four-timer comprised Magic Delta (trained by Natalie McCall), Written Beauty and Momentum To Win (both for the Bryan and Daniel Guy training partnership) and Connoisseur (trained by Chris Anderson), who was winning for the second time in a row.
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Lead-up form proved to be a fair pointer to the day’s outcome at Ipswich with four of the winners having finished second at their previous starts. These winners were Princess Jude (Gary Doughty), River Rocket (Les Ross), Emma’s Jet (Matthew Dunn) and Got My Thrills (Stuart Kendrick). Jimmy Orman rode three winners, while Robbie Fradd and Ipswich home town boy Jake Bayliss each rode a double.
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Male and female riders shared the honours over the ten-race card at Toowoomba winning five races apiece with Maddy Wishart topping that list with a double.
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At Townsville Aidan Holt, who was away from race riding for nearly two years (from April 2018 until March this year) landed a double to continue his successful comeback. Holt won on Last Chance for trainer Olivia Cairns and on Bochy, at the juicy odds of $31, for trainer Georgie Holt.
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Still at Townsville Olivia Cairns completed a double when Sound Investment got up in the last, with Justin Stanley aboard, and dual license holder Trinity Bannon also tasted success when she rode Fanaar, a horse she now trains, to victory. Interestingly enough, between November 2019 and the end of May 2020, Fanwaar had changed stables no less than four times without having a run. The Stratum three-year-old first moved from Hayes and Dabernig to Zach Hatch; from Hatch to Tim Cook; from Cook to Mick Bannon and then from Mick Bannon to Trinity Bannon where he was ready to strike first-up!
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In December 2018, Peter Cullen became the first person in Queensland to be granted a dual jockey and trainer licence. At Townsville this week he got the best of both worlds when he rode Witch Lily to victory for trainer Ben Williams before putting on his trainer’s cap and saddling up Buster Block to win later in the day.
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At Dalby Tom Dougal and Robert Smith shared the training honours with a double apiece. Dougal scored with the joint favourite Danina and Sir Bam, a $18 chance. Smith won with Tabbard and Arrow Express. Bubba Tilley took out the day’s riding honours winning the first three races on the card.
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Tony Gollan winning at Yeppoon? Yes, that’s right, and it was She’s Our Rippa, who had finished second at Doomben in ger previous start, who got her Maiden out of the way at the restrictive, but still really generous odds of $1.80.
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Sonja Wiseman ride the last three winners on the card at Yeppoon. Dan Ballard had a similar experience at Mount Isa also riding three winners and, like Wiseman, they were all for different trainers. Leanne McCoy had a double at Chinchilla. Dual licence holder Bonnie Thompson got the chocolates with a double at Charters Towers and jockey Scott Sweedman paid two visits to the winner’s enclosure at Charleville.
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At Bundaberg apprentice Isabella Rabjones rode a double winning for trainers Mary Hassam and Darryl Gardiner. Favourites won three of the six races at Emerald where Zoe White and Girish Goomany rode doubles. Four kilo claimer Marnu Potgieter and Mark Barnham completed the riding honours.
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