FAR North and Central Western Queensland gallopers shared the spotlight at the 2018 UBET Queensland Thoroughbred Awards in Brisbane on Sunday night, when Grey Missile and Bush Caviar were named champion Provincial and Country Horses of the Year respectively for the 2017/18 racing season.
Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan collected his fifth Queensland Trainer of the Year title, Jeff Lloyd was declared the state’s best jockey, while the Liam Birchley trained Crack Me Up won 2018 UBET Queensland Thoroughbred of the Year with three black type successes in Sydney and Brisbane including the Group 2 Villiers Stakes and Group 3 Liverpool City Cup at Randwick. A $60,000 purchase at the 2015 Magic Millions yearling sale, Crack Me Up is by Queensland-bred Group 1 winner Mossman from the Danehill (USA) mare Chuckle.
By dual Listed winner Red Element – brother to champion racemare Typhoon Tracy – from the Lion Hunter mare Days Of Innocence, top Provincial horse Grey Missile was bred at Raheen Stud, Gladfield, and bought by Atherton Tablelands trainer Roy Chillemi for $35,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions 2YO In Training sale at the Gold Coast. After winning twice as a 2YO, Grey Missile resumed racing in late January and over the next six months started 11 times for six wins and two seconds – his most notable win being Townsville’s premier sprint, the Cleveland Bay Handicap, in late July.
Narrow runner-up in the Battle of the Bush final at Doomben in June, Bush Caviar earned his best country horse title by winning eight times in western Queensland including the Stamford and Corfield Cups. Owned and trained by Illfracombe-based Henry Forster, the now 8YO gelding is by Tycoon Ruler from the Yeats (USA) mare Precious Verse. Also a recent winner at Betoota, Bush Caviar now has 19 wins and 15 placings from 63 starts.
Premiership winners from across the state were recognised on the night, including Queensland’s provincial and overall premier trainer Ben Currie, Provincial premiership jockey Justin Stanley, Country Trainer Bevan Johnson and country jockey Dan Ballard.
Jag Guthmann-Chester won the prestigious Ken Russell Queensland Apprentice of the Year after taking the metropolitan apprentices’ premiership. Nathan Fazackerly (Country Apprentice) and Baylee Nothdurft (Provincial Apprentice) were also recognised.
Five inductees to Hall of Fame
RACING Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell congratulated 29 award recipients at the Thoroughbred Awards, which included five new inductees into the Racing Queensland Hall of Fame.
“Participants are the beating heart of the Queensland racing industry and they work extremely hard to ensure our sport continues to grow each year. It is important that we stopped to celebrate some of the remarkable achievements of our participants over the past 12 months. Congratulations to all on another successful racing season in Queensland,” he said.
Southern Darling Downs city Warwick added to its reputation as a major breeding hub when Molly’s Robe (horse) and Charles Edward (Ceb) Barnes (associate) were added to the Hall Of Fame, Lyndhurst-based Rothesay was champion stallion and Raheen Stud’s Pyramisa’s Lass was champion broodmare.
Rated by many to be the best sprinting mare produced in Queensland, Molly’s Robe was bred by Jack and Charles McDougall at Lyndhurst in 1915. Her best wins included the VRC Newmarket and VATC Oakleigh Plate while at stud she produced four stakes winners including the outstanding Mollison.
Ironically, ‘Ceb’ Barnes grew up at Lyndhurst Station at Einasleigh in north-west Queensland before his father JHS Barnes bought the historic Canning Downs property near Warwick in 1917.
'Ceb' Barnes assumed control of the stud after returning from service in the Air Force from 1942-1945, and was delighted to accept a welcome home present of a free service from Jack McDougall of nearby Lyndhurst Stud to three time champion sire The Buzzard. The mating with the mare Perfect Morn produced Basha Felika who went on to win the 1951 Caulfield Cup, ironically defeating McDougall's Blue Vest by a neck.
‘Ceb’ bought the 1952 Melbourne Cup winner Dalray to stand at Canning Downs, and from a limited numbers of mares produced Tails from his mare Dolled Up. Tails went on to become Australia's second highest stakes winner (behind Tulloch) and his wins included the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, The Metropolitan and the Doomben Cup.
A long serving member of the Australian House of Representatives who served as a Minister under five prime ministers until his retirement from politics in 1972, ‘Ceb’ worked with his horses at Canning Downs until his death in 1998, aged 96.
Domiciled at the Nolan family’s Raheen Stud, Gladfield, unraced Not a Single Doubt mare Pyramisa’s Lass – a half-sister to South African Group 2 winner, Sharks Bay and from a sister to Group 2 QTC Cup winner, Pembleton – was awarded Broodmare of the year following the success of Hong Kong Group 1 Stewards’ Cup winner Seasons Bloom in January this year.
Trainer inductee, Con Doyle, was also raised on the southern Darling Downs at Mount Desmond near Allora. Having trained his first winner at Leyburn at just 10 years of age, Doyle went on to train three Stradbroke winners – Thurles Lad (1936), Ballyvista (1948) and Mister Hush (1967) – plus three Toowoomba Weetwood victories during the World War II and post-war era with Repic (1942), Lucky Ted (1948) and Silk Bine (1949).
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Fred Shean was born at Banana in Central Queensland. Best remembered for winning the Melbourne Cup/Caulfield Cup double in 1938 on Catalogue and Buzalong respectively, he also had a successful association with Queensland-bred Lough Neagh.
Former The Courier-Mail Racing Editor and current Brisbane Racing Club Racing Manager Bart Sinclair was also inducted as an associate. Mr Sinclair is recognised as one of Queensland’s greatest ambassadors for racing and has been part of the Hall of Fame voting panel for many years.
Awards winners
- Thoroughbred of the Year – Crack Me Up (Liam Birchley)
- Trainer of the Year – Tony Gollan
- Jockey of the Year – Jeff Lloyd
- Apprentice of the Year – Jag Guthmann-Chester
- Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership – Tony Gollan
- Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership – Jeff Lloyd
- Metropolitan Apprentice of the Year – Jag Guthmann-Chester
- Provincial Apprentice of the Year – Baylee Nothdurft
- Country Apprentice of the Year – Nathan Fazackerley
- QRIC Stewards Award – Jeff Lloyd
- QTIS Horse of the Year – Pennino (Darryl Hansen)
- 2YO Horse of the Year – Ef Troop (Tony Gollan)
- 3YO Horse of the Year – Houtzen (Toby Edmonds)
- 4YO and Older Horse of the Year – Crack Me Up (Liam Birchley)
- Provincial Horse of the Year – Grey Missile (Roy Chillemi)
- Provincial Trainer of the Year – Ben Currie
- Provincial Premiership Jockey – Justin Stanley
- Country Horse of the Year – Bush Caviar (Henry Forster)
- Country Premiership Trainer – Bevan Johnson
- Country Premiership Jockey – Dan Ballard
Breeding awards
- Stallion of the Year – Rothesay
- First Season Stallion – Spirit of Boom
- 2YO Stallion – Spirit of Boom
- Broodmare of the Year – Pyramisa’s Lass
Hall of Fame
- Horse – Molly’s Robe
- Jockey – Fred Shean
- Trainer – Con Doyle
- Associate – Ceb Barnes and Bart Sinclair
Kelso Wood tribute
RACING Queensland has paid tribute to Group 1 winning trainer Kelso Wood (74) who died on Tuesday, September 4 after a long battle with illness.
Wood grew up in Brisbane and started his apprenticeship at age 14 with trainer Athol Strong. After six years he moved to Sydney and completed his apprenticeship with trainer Harry Plant – former trainer of champion Bernborough.
Later he would work as Plant’s foreman in Sydney before taking out a license of his own, before he returned to Brisbane in the 1980s.
Wood prepared a number of outstanding horses throughout his near 60 years in racing, including 1993 Doomben 10,000 winner Unequalled, the 2012 TJ Smith (now JJ Atkins) with Sizzling and the 2013 Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Real Surreal.
Racing Queensland Chief Executive Officer Brendan Parnell said Wood was a shining light for racing in Queensland. “On behalf of all at Racing Queensland we would like to convey our condolences to Kelso’s family and friends at this time. Kelso is being remembered as one of Queensland’s great trainers and as someone who highlighted the good things about racing in the state,” he said.