New northern winter carnival creates major growth

It comes after Racing Queensland increased carnival stakes by $527,000 across the feature race meetings at Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns from June to September and offered up to $350,000 in UBET Northern Crowns bonuses.

Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said the prize money increases and bonuses, in conjunction with promotional activities conducted by clubs, helped attract high quality participants from across the state. 

“Some of the state’s best trainers and jockeys were on show this year, which led to increased interest from racing fans across Australia. Average turnover per race across the carnival for the same period in 2017 grew by 15 per cent with average field sizes up from 10.66 to 11.26 per race,” he said.

Mr Parnell said the northern carnival highlighted the positive impacts regional racing has on the Queensland economy. “Racing contributes $1.2 billion in economic value each year to the Queensland economy, with 47pc of that value realised in regional areas of Queensland. The success of this carnival has again proved how much racing, and its long-term viability, means to Queenslanders and punters across Australia who enjoy engaging with our product,” he said. 

Mr Parnell said the UBET Northern Crowns series offered bonuses to any horse that could win three of the five feature sprint or staying races across the carnival period. The bonus saw the Diane Murphy-trained Peacock – a former James Cummings runner – race at four feature meetings across the Carnival as he chased the $150,000 UBET Northern Sprinters Crown. 

Northern Carnival highlights included:

BARCALDINE galloper Hunter Island is the first qualifier for Racing Queensland’s new ‘Country Cups Challenge’ series final courtesy of winning the 1600m Longreach Cup on Saturday.

Set for Group 3 George Moore Stakes Day at Doomben on December 1, the $70,000 Country Cups Challenge metropolitan final will bring together the winners of 16 Country Cups held across Queensland between September and November.

The exciting new challenge complements the inaugural Battle of the Bush Series, which brought 16 sprinters from the country to the city on Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara Day held on Saturday, June 23.

A 9YO gelding bred in New Zealand, Hunter Island has now won three of his past four starts including the Muttaburra Cup for Barcaldine trainer Patrick O’Toole – his fifth trainer having begun his racing career with Melbourne-based John Sadler who prepared him for wins at Kyneton, Wangaratta and Geelong in Victoria.

Although foaled in New Zealand, Hunter Island was sold at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale in Sydney for $360,000 as the result of his impressive pedigree. He is by champion sire Zabeel from the unraced Rubiton mare Chalonne making him one of six winners that include Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Incumbent and dual South African Group 3 winner Royal Chalon. In addition, Chalonne is a three-quarter sister to Group 2 winner and twice Group 1 placed Innovation Girl while her dam Voodoo Gleam is a winning half-sister to Group 1 AJC Doncaster winner Soho Square.

Next race in the Cups series is the 1600m Ewan Cup for Class 6 horses on Saturday, September 29 – the second day of the annual two day meeting first held at Ewan near Charters Towers in 1922. A prize pool of $105,500 plus bonuses is planned for the 10 race program which has attracted 96 nominations including 11 each for the Cup and the 1200m Bracelet for open horses held on Day 1.

ILFRACOMBE sprinter Bush Caviar justified his selection as Racing Queensland’s Country Horse of the Year for the 2017/18 season by winning the 1000m Weight for Age Open Sprint on Longreach Cup Day.

Owned and trained by Henry Forster, Bush Caviar (Tycoon Ruler/Precious Verse) extended his race record to 20 wins and 15 placings from 64 starts. Narrow runner-up in the Battle of the Bush final at Doomben in June, Bush Caviar earned best country horse title for the past season by winning eight times in western Queensland including the Stamford and Corfield Cups and has won twice this season at Betoota and Longreach.

ONE of Queensland’s most prominent Thoroughbred breeding properties has been re-launched as Telemon Thoroughbreds with outstanding sprinter Sidestep as its inaugural sire. 

Central Queensland financial planner Dan Fletcher and family bought the Innisplain property in late 2016 and took over operations when the lease to previous occupier Sun Stud expired in June this year.

Situated on almost 100ha of practically fully irrigated prime land within the headwaters of the Logan River, the farm – first developed in the 1990s and previously known as Noble Park, Racetree, Eliza Park and Sun Stud – has been home to notable stallions such as Success Express, Mossman, Written Tycoon, Bel Esprit, Monashee Mountain and Love Conquers All.

“The name Telemon dates back to 1844 when the land that includes the farm was first officially licensed. Originally comprising some 36,000ha, Telemon was progressively subdivided over the years. We have adopted the name Telemon Thoroughbreds as a tribute to the original pioneers,” Mr Fletcher said.

The boutique scale property has produced an amazing output of outstanding performers including Buffering, Gold Edition and, more recently, star sprinter and emerging sire Zoustar.

In an historic arrangement with Godolphin Australia, multiple Group 2-winning sprinter and Group 1 Golden Slipper runner-up Sidestep will become the highest-rated son of Exceed And Excel standing in Queensland. Prior to his arrival at Telemon Thoroughbreds, Sidestep completed his third shuttle trip to France for the northern hemisphere season having spent his first three season on the Darley roster.

Sidestep is one of three Group 1 performers produced from the Group 2 winning Quest For Fame (GB) mare Dextrous  – the others being Champagne Stakes winner Skilled and Epsom Handicap runner-up Ambidexter. Dextrous, Skilled and Sidestep were all 2YO black type winners and already early trial winners One Step (Hawkesbury) and Kaihi (Gold Coast) appear to be smart juvenile prospects from his first racing crop.

Telemon and Godolphin have committed to make him available to Queensland breeders for a minimum of the next two seasons. Breeders supporting Sidestep this season will be guaranteed they can access the horse in 2019 without paying an increased fee. In a deliberate marketing ploy, Sidestep will stand his first Queensland season at a $7700 service fee – a 30pc  drop from his $11,000 fee for his three seasons at Darley. 

Darley stallions Head of Sales Alastair Pulford explained, “We think the opportunity is ripe to offer Queensland a genuinely elite colt. It’s vital that breeders who support the horse have some comfort as well as incentive that he will be standing in Queensland for a minimum of two years.

“He’s been paraded at our recent Australian and European Stallion parades, all of which are available on YouTube, so Queensland breeders don’t have to wait to see him. We encourage everyone to go online, I’m sure they’ll be very excited,” Pulford said.

IN January this year Zoustar’s first crop daughter Sunlight won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Listed as co-breeder was Central Highlands-based financial planner Dan Fletcher who has now established his Telemon Thoroughbreds on the property where Zoustar was bred.

“At this stage of the breeding season there are about 65 mares on the property. Many of these will return to their owners once safely in foal to our new resident stallion Sidestep. The number also includes a small group of mares formerly at Emerald that are now on Telemon to foal as well as be covered by Sidestep. They’ll stay on Telemon and enjoy the comforts down there,” Dan said.

Originally from Blackall, Dan moved to Emerald some 20 years ago and has raced several ‘bush’ horses. However, he ‘upped the ante’ in 2012 by buying a rising 15YO winning Marauding mare Steal My Love in foal to Widden-based Golden Slipper winner Sebring for $300,000 at the Magic Millions national brood mare sale.

The resultant colt foal was accepted by Inglis for its 2014 Easter yearling sale where he sold for $185,000 on the strength of his older multiple stakes winning half-brother Amorino. Named Let Us Win,  the colt became the second stakes winner for his dam by winning the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill before being on-sold to Hong Kong.

Keen to continue his involvement in well-bred mares, Dan decided to re-invest his yearling sale proceeds by partnering with Widden Stud in mare ownership. Indeed, one of their first ventures was to join with Qatar Racing to buy the Group 3 winning Charge Forward mare Solar Charged in foal to Sebring for $650,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions national broodmare sale. The resultant filly foal was stakes-placed Sheikha while her following mating to fellow Widden sire Zoustar produced Sunlight who was sold for $300,000 at last year’s Magic Millions yearling sale.

Dan’s not listed in the ownership of Sunlight – his wife Rae and daughters Jordan and Shannon are. They’re part of an all-female syndicate headed by Melbourne women Robyn Parker and Irene Mitchell as well as Loretta Fung from Aquis Farm, and also includes Qatar Racing assistant racing manager Hannah Wall and Katie Thompson from Widden Stud.

To top off a massive Magic Millions week for the Fletcher family, Sunlight’s full sister was sold the day prior to the Magic Millions race day through the draft of Widden Stud for $600,000 to Tony McEvoy with the majority of Sunlight's owners (including the Fletchers)  participating in the purchase.

Dan also had two other yearlings go through the sales. He was a partner with Widden in another Zoustar filly from Satinka which sold to Cameron Cooke Bloodstock and Bussuttin Racing for $525,000. He also consigned a Star Witness/Aragonce filly, foaled at his Emerald property, in the Book 2 session bought by the Hayes/Dabernig stable for $100,000.