MOUNT Isa trainers and jockeys dominated the iconic two-day Birdsville race meeting winning more than half of the races.
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Thirteen races were contested on Friday and Saturday, with Mount Isa's premier trainers Jay Morris and Denise Ballard winning seven of them.
Mount Isa riders Dan Ballard and Aaron Spradau also dominated the Birdsville track, winning six races between them, each with a treble.
On Friday, Morris trained a treble with Whetstone, Emila and Tuatara winning strongly.
Emila took out the feature event for the day with jockey Wayne Kerford in the saddle.
Top Mount Isa jockey Aaron Spradau rode Whetstone and Tuatara to victory.
Steven Royes-trained Dimi The Dancer ran third in the race won by Emila.
The pair started as equal $3.20 favourites.
Saturday the winners kept coming for Morris, with his ever-consistent war horse Outstandingly ($1.60 favourite) taking out the Weight-for-age event in the feature sprint.
The sprinter beat fellow Mount Isa sprinter Chemin De Marc by close to five lengths.
Although Chemin De Marc was no match for Outstandingly, it remained a dominant day by for the mother-and-son duo of Denise and Dan Ballard.
The pair combined for three winners with Helluva Hurry, Marina Sands and Bullrama saluting.
Fellow Mount Isa conditioner Patrick Inwood also scored a handy result, with Faster Buster running second in the feature event of the meeting, the Birdsville Cup.
The Todd Austin-trained Primed won the Birdsville Cup.
The Ballard’s combined with Abdicated running third in the cup, while Servimoss started the race as favourite for Morris but ran 11th.
Photos by: Lorraine Kath
