THE Bowen Turf Club was showcased across Australia last Saturday, March 2 – the first time in six years that Ben Bolt Park has staged a TAB meeting and been broadcast nationally on Sky Racing.
The racetrack is named in honour of locally bred and trained horse Ben Bolt who travelled south to win the 1886 Caulfield Cup in Melbourne followed by the 1888 AJC Doncaster Handicap in Sydney and then raced successfully in India.
Bowen’s TAB program was the first of four meetings transferred from Townsville as a result of recent flooding that included the city's Cluden racetrack.
Bowen Turf Club secretary Emily Harvey said the club had been waiting anxiously to see which club would get the nod. "It could have gone to Mackay or the Burdekin (Ayr), but they chose us which is a huge deal for the club. Our committee is very determined and the fact we've been able to put the meeting together inside of two weeks means that we can.
"The last couple of years we had a changeover of committee and introduced a new president and we have a reputation for being one of the best tracks in the region. The more races we hold the more viable our club is and the more potential we have to have racing in our area," she said.
Feature event on the six trace program was the 1200m QTIS Jewel Qualifier for 2YOs won by Lady Yendor trained and co-owned by Townsville-based Bill Kenning. The 2YO filly – by Wattle Brae-based dual Group 3 winning sire Mahisara from the winning Thunder Gulch (USA) Thundering Girl – now has three wins at Bowen, Townsville and Mackay plus two placings from her five starts. A $14,000 purchase from Wattle Brae’s draft at last year’s Magic Millions March yearling sale, Lady Yendor is a winning sister or half-sister to three other winners. Lady Yendor was the best QTIS 2YO performer in January and February, banking $18,200 and $14,550 respectively in bonus prizemoney and has now boosted that again by a further $10,750 with her Bowen win to $43,500 – just over half her total earnings of $85,400.
It was ironic that with the change in venue caused by flood conditions the 1000m Open Handicap was won by Cyclone Topgirl – a 3YO filly by Changeintheweather (USA) from the winning Kanoot mare Aleysa Kan trained by Mackay-based Lyle Wright. It’s a ‘nick’ that’s produced three winners for the Milner family’s Palm View Stud, Rockhampton, including Cyclone Topgirl who’s now started 12 times for nine wins and a second for total earnings of $258,000 that includes $92,700 in QTIS bonuses. A son of dominant sire Gone West, Changeintheweather was a Group 1 winner in the USA and now has sired more than 100 winners in Australia and the USA.
BRC and Tabcorp unveil major sponsorship deal
BRISBANE Racing Club (BRC) and Tabcorp have announced a major sponsorship deal that will propel the TAB brand across Queensland’s most famous races.
TAB will become the naming rights sponsor of the BRC’s three premier Group 1 sprints across Eagle Farm and Doomben as well as becoming a presenting partner of the Brisbane Racing Carnival.
The unprecedented partnership in Queensland racing will run until June 2020. The deal includes:
- TAB naming rights to the iconic Group 1 Doomben 10,000, Kingsford Smith Cup and Stradbroke Handicap;
- Naming rights to other select Group and Listed races outside of the Brisbane Racing Carnival;
- Naming rights to the Summer Carnival; and
- Significant TAB branding at Eagle Farm and Doomben.
BRC chairman Neville Bell said the new deal underpinned Tabcorp’s commitment to Queensland racing. “This is an historic partnership for the Brisbane Racing Club and it shows Tabcorp’s willingness to invest in this wonderful racing product we have in Queensland,” Mr Bell said.
“The TAB brand will be carried across the Doomben 10,000, the Kingsford Smith Cup and the Stradbroke. In 2018, we saw the likes of Redzel, Santa Ana Lane, Shillelagh and Voodoo Lad contest these races before going on to star in other Australian states. We look forward to working with Tabcorp across our next two Brisbane Racing Carnivals and Summer Carnivals,” he said.
In addition to the sponsorship deal, Mr Bell said Tabcorp would provide capital investment across Eagle Farm and Doomben that would include an upgrade to betting facilities.
Tabcorp Executive General Manager – Wagering, Andy Wright said Tabcorp had been working closely with the Brisbane Racing Club since merging with Tatts in late 2017.
“We’re delighted to back racing in Queensland and our new deal with the Brisbane Racing Club solidifies our commitment to investing in racing in the sunshine state. The transition from the UBET brand to TAB has been embraced by our racing partners and punters in Queensland,” Mr Wright said.
Good Job Bro close to $300,000 prizemoney
VETERAN North West Queensland galloper Good Job Bro is now less than $5000 away from the $300,000 prizemoney mark for Mount Isa trainer Robert Burow.
He’s now won his last two starts at Mount Isa – the 1200m open handicap at the final meeting held on December 8 by the Mount Isa Race Club for 2018 and backed up 12 weeks later by winning the 1000m open handicap at the Club’s first meeting for 2019 held on Saturday, March 2. His overall race record now stands at 10 wins and 23 placings for six trainers while his racing profile shows 43 jockeys have ridden him in his 80 starts at 24 different racetracks from Sydney to Mt Isa.
His initial trainer John Sargent prepared him for two wins including a metropolitan 2YO win at Warwick Farm ridden by Hugh Bowman who then stuck with him with two unplaced runs in the Group 3 Skyline Stakes at Warwick Farm and Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill.
His next trainer was Toowoomba-based Tony Sears who had a further three wins with him at Toowoomba followed by an Eagle Farm win in Brisbane for Murwillumbah-based Matthew Dunn. Subsequent stints with trainers Matt Kropp (Dalby) and John Barr (Townsville) were fruitless before he ended up with Mt Isa-based Robert Burow who has prepared him for four wins including a nine lengths win in the 1400m Camooweal Cup last August.
A $26,000 purchase at the 2012 Magic Millions National Yearling sale, Good Job Bro is by international Group 1 winning sprinter Choisir from the unraced Nashwan mare Umoya (GB) – a half-sister to nine winners including Canadian Group 1 winner Miss Keller while their grand-dam Inchmurrin was also a Group 1 winner in England.
Foaled in England in 2003, Umoya is from the last crop by outstanding racehorse Nashwan whose four Group 1 wins included the English Derby/2000 Guineas double. Imported in 2007 and the sole Nashwan mare remaining in Australia, Umoya has had six foals to race for three winners and two placegetters.
Entries open for breed shaping National Sale
THE biggest and best domestic and international buying bench will present owners, breeders and vendors with a world class opportunity on the Gold Coast this May and June.
Entries are now open for the Southern Hemisphere's number one Thoroughbred breeding stock auction, the Magic Millions National Sale.
"We are delighted to again present vendors with the opportunity to nominate for one of the world's leading bloodstock auctions," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
"Not only is the National Sale the peak sale of its type in the Southern Hemisphere year after year, it is the biggest and best because it delivers the perfect vehicle for all participants to sell and purchase bloodstock across every level. Our competitive commission rates allow us the opportunity to attract the largest buying bench possible and to market the sale to a global audience," he said.
Entries for the weanlings, yearlings, race fillies and broodmares close on March 15. Entries for racehorses close on May 27.
National Weanling Sale – May 23-24
The National Weanling Sale is the Southern Hemisphere's best shopping ground for trainers, owners and pin-hookers. The 2018 sale was a huge success with a $750,000 top price and a record 208 individual buyers, including 13 from six countries who spent over $600,000. The gross in 2018 was over $24.3 million with a Book 1 average of $62,931.
National Broodmare Sale – May 28-31
In 2018 the race fillies and mares section boasted a gross of almost $30 million including 19 lots realising $500,000 or more. Stakes winners in this section of the sale averaged an incredible $615,250. The broodmare section in 2018 grossed more than $102 million with 291 individual buyers representing 14 countries. Over the last five years 92.5 percent of all seven figure sellers in Australasia have sold on the Gold Coast.
National Yearling Sale – June 4-6
The National Yearling Sale continues to prove popular with buyers with an average price of over $43,000 for Book One. A quarter of the sale gross in 2018 came from international buyers - with that spend over $3.25 million. There were 199 individual buyers last year from 10 countries and 35 of those buyers spent $100,000 or more.
National Racehorse Sale – June 6
At the last Magic Millions Racehorse Sale five lots sold for $100,000 or more with a top seller at $230,000. The average price was over $40,000 for 95 percent of lots offered sold.