Country Cups series off and racing

Set for Group 3 George Moore Stakes Day at Doomben on November 30, the Country Cups Challenge will bring together the winners of 16 Country Cups held across Queensland between September and November.

Last year's Country Cups final carried $75,000 with the winner Baker Boy receiving $42,700. This year's $105,000 total prize pool - up 40 per cent - comprises: 1st $61,000; 2nd $20,500; 3rd $10,500; 4th $5000; 5th $3000; 6th to 10th $1000.

Longreach celebrated history because for the first time the race club held a country TAB meeting fully televised nationwide through Sky Racing. Owners and trainers responded with 65 acceptances over the seven race programs. In fact, five of the winners were ridden by Gold Coast-based jockey Matthew Palmer.

The Ewan Cup for Class 6 horses is the feature race on the second day of the annual two-day meeting first held at Ewan, north of Charters Towers, in 1922 and for the second year in succession the Ewan Cup win book-ended a successful September for prolific North Queensland owner Tom Hedley.

The next qualifying races to be held on Saturday October 5 are the 1450m Mt Isa Spring Cup in north-west Queensland and the 1400m Tara Cup on the Eastern Downs circuit.

BARCALDINE trainer Todd Austin scored rare doubles when his horses French Hussler and Fully Maxed won feature Cups and open sprints respectively at both Birdsville and Longreach race meetings held last month.

Both horses also started at Betoota and Bedourie. French Hussler finished fifth in both Cups while Fully Maxed fared better with seconds in both sprints.

A 9YO gelding, French Hussler is by Hussonet (USA) from the Flying Spur mare Paris Plaits and was sold for $30,000 at the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale. A Caulfield winner, Paris Plaits has been a productive broodmare with five winners including Flying Tessie (Testa Rossa) who was three times Group 3 placed in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Originally trained in Victoria by Matthew Williams, French Hussler won three races in country Victoria before being on-sold to Rockhampton-based John Wiggington who won a further nine races with him including seven at Rockhampton. His six runs for new trainer Todd Austin have provided Birdsville and Longreach Cups plus a second at Tambo. He now has earnings of more than $234,000 from 14 wins and 22 placings.

A 5YO gelding, Fully Maxed is aptly named as his dam is the Alert mare Out Of Credit. On the flip side, his sire is Group 1 Blue Diamond winner Reward For Effort and his efforts have yielded eight wins and four placings. Five of those wins were in Victoria for trainer Shane Nichols who paid $60,000 for him at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling sale. Since moving north to Queensland he has also rewarded his new owners with three more wins and two seconds from five starts.

FOR the second year in succession the Ewan Cup win has book-ended a successful September for prolific North Queensland owner Tom Hedley.

Last year on September 8, his 6YO gelding Multifacets won the 2100m Cairns Amateurs Cup then three weeks later on September 29, his 5YO mare Misc added the 1600m Ewan Cup to the collection. This year Hedley dominated the headlines with his horse The Harrovian winning the Northern Crowns Bonus of the Townsville, Cairns and Cairns Amateurs Cups and followed up with Arno Bay winning the Ewan Cup.

In fact, both Ewan Cup winners Arno Bay and Misc were trained by Townsville-based Alby Molino. A 6YO gelding by Artie Schiller from the Anabaa (USA) mare Kermis, Arno Bay began his racing career with Victorian trainer David Brideoak but after his five starts as a 3YO yielded just three thirds he was on-sold to Tom Hedley who placed him with Tolga trainer Roy Chillemi. Under his care Arno Bay won five races before he was moved in May this year to Alby Molino who has prepared him for wins at Townsville and Ewan.

IT'S been a week to remember for Richard Foster, syndicate manager for young Lyndhurst-based sire Better Than Ready.

On September 22, Foster and Lyndhurst principal Jeffrey Kruger were at the Queensland Racing Awards night to receive trophies won by Better Than Ready for champion 2YO sire and first season sire. Better than Ready had 47 runners for 23 winners including three Stakes winners, with prize money totalling $2,032,420.

The next Saturday, September 28, at Doomben Better Than Ready progeny won a 3YO double with Xanthus and Better Reflection - a filly bred by Foster at his boutique Yarramalong Park, Kalbar and sold to Rockhampton trainer John Wiggington for $20,000 at last year's Magic Millions March yearling sale.

From the unraced Canny Lad mare Miraposa - making her a half-sister to three winners - the filly was named Better Reflection and demonstrated her potential with a six lengths win in 1050m 2YO maiden at Rockhampton in early November having earlier won an 900m trial by five lengths. She then won the Listed Callaway Gal Stakes at Doomben in preparation for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January. Having been unplaced, it was discovered the filly had spurs on her knees so Wiggington decided an operation followed by a long spell were needed.

His decision was justified when the filly returned after a 259-day break to win first up in the 1200m QTIS 3YO Handicap for fillies. So far her three wins from four starts has returned $194,000 including $49,500 in QTIS bonuses.

Xanthus, winner of the QTIS 3YO Handicap for colts and geldings, has also been a good money-spinner for his Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn. A $44,000 purchase at the 2018 Magic Millions March yearling sale, Xanthus now has two wins in succession at the Sunshine Coast and Doomben plus two placings from five starts providing $121,100 prize money including $33,000 in QTIS bonuses.

Bred at Tipuana Farms, Boonah, 3YO gelding Xanthus is by Better Than Ready from Vis A Tergo - a five times winning daughter of Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Bradbury's Luck and comes from the same family as Group 1 winners Derobe, Pompeii Ruler and Ready To Explode.

LISTED-WINNING Falvelon mare She's Meaner has been named Queensland Broodmare of the Year for the 2018/19 racing season.

Bred at Glenlogan Park, Innisplain, She's Meaner won the accolade through the deeds of her 3YO son Lean Mean Machine who is now serving his first book of mares at Aquis Farm, Seymour.

A $250,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase in 2017 for Aquis Farm/Raffles Racing/Blue Sky Bloodstock, Lean Mean Machine made a successful racetrack debut over 1000m at Warwick Farm for trainer Chris Waller and the lofty opinion of the colt saw him only ever contest black type races from that point on.

Third in both the Group 3 ATC Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) and the Group 3 GCTC Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at his next two starts, the impressive son of Zoustar then claimed the Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) - in a time quicker than his very own sire - when defeating his stablemate Zousain.

Ending his juvenile season out of the top three just once in five starts, the colt resumed for his 2018/19 3YO season in the Group 2 ATC Run To The Rose (1200m) with a stunning, late bust victory over Graff, Jonker and Zousain.

Two starts later in the Group 1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight, Lean Mean Machine finished third behind the fellow Aquis Farm part-owned filly Sunlight, giving his sire a history-making one-two-three victory, when finishing ahead of Champion 2YO Colt Written By and the Group 2 winner Encryption.

Lean Mean Machine was retired to Aquis Farm as the only dual Group winning son of his Champion First Season Sire and Leading Second Season Sire, as well as being the second highest Timeform Rated colt by his sire at both two and three.

Unfortunately, She's Meaner had to be destroyed in April 2016 leaving just three foals - Lean Mean Machine, twice winning 6YO gelding Smart Devil (Smart Missile) and the unraced 9YO mare She's A Sweetheart (Show A Heart) whose first live foal - a filly by Smart Missile - sold for $80,000 at the Magic Millions yearling sale in January. Now named Ballistic Lover the 2YO filly is now in pre-training with Joe Pride at Warwick Farm, Sydney, NSW.