FROM Cairns in Far North Queensland to Chinchilla 1200km south on the western Darling Downs - all points of Queensland were cheering loudly as 'Tolga Tornado' Tyzone and the 'Thrilla from Chinchilla' Rothfire won both Group 1 races, the Stradbroke Handicap and JJ Atkins (2YOs) respectively, at Brisbane's Eagle Farm racecourse on Queensland Day, Saturday, June 6.
Rothfire was the first to salute winning the 1400m JJ Atkins in track record time of 1:21.06 to lower the previous record of 1:21.3 set by Cruze in December last year. However, Rothfire's record only lasted 40 minutes until the next race when Tyzone lowered the time to 1.20.43 in winning the 1400m Stradbroke.
It was major validation for Queensland's country racing and breeding participants with both horses bred, owned and trained in Queensland. Indeed, both horses have the same maternal grandsire, the Mr Prospector sire Hussonet (USA), as does this season's dual Group 1 winning 2YO King's Legacy.
Tyzone is by Queensland-bred sire Written Tycoon who has relocated this year from Victoria to the renowned Arrowfield Stud in NSW's Upper Hunter Valley while Rothfire's sire Rothesay moved to historic Lyndhurst Stud, Warwick, when Glenlogan Park, Innisplain stopped standing stallions in 2017.
According to Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell, Tyzone and Rothfire both qualify for a QTISx bonus, which can be redeemed as a $100,000 sales voucher or $50,000 in cash.
Accolade for country racing
AN outstanding accolade for country racing is the fact that future Stradbroke winner Tyzone began his racing career in far-north Queensland with 10 wins and two placings from 13 starts. However, facing the prospect of increasing weights, connections decided to transfer Tyzone to Gold Coast-based Toby Edmonds in April 2018.
Racing historian and journalist Mark Oberhardt reports that Tyzone became the first horse since 1976 to win a Queensland Group 1 after starting his racing career in a country area. His book 'A Guide to Queensland Thoroughbred Racing' shows the previous winner was former western Darling Downs sprinter Burwana who won the 1976 Doomben Ten Thousand and he was preceded by Red Smoke who won the 1962 Ten Thousand after originally racing around Bundaberg, Gladstone and Rockhampton.
Notching a first Group 1 success for so many of his Cairns owners headed by prolific owner Tom Hedley, Tyzone produced his usual stunning finishing burst to win an exciting edition of the famous Brisbane race. The win was also the first at racing's elite level for Edmonds Racing - the Gold Coast based training partnership of father-son team Toby and Trent Edmonds.
"It's a big thrill - finally. I had to wait for Trent to come on board as a training partner to get it," a delighted Toby Edmonds said. "Tom Hedley - in the north - I don't think racing would survive without him. He often gets a horse up there that's very good and he sends that to us - it's great. We are so glad that we can deliver him his first Group 1 as well."
A stalwart of racing in far north Queensland, Hedley is current president of the Cairns Jockey Club and heads up numerous racing syndicates. Last year he had major success with The Harrovian winning the Northern Crown series with victory in the Townsville, Cairns and Cairns Amateurs Cups and last month on May 14 he had the satisfaction of horses wearing the Hedley distinctive orange silks win six of the nine races at Cairns. Other Tyzone syndicate members are Tom's wife Jeanine, Gerard Posselt and Don Scheffler from Atherton and Bruce and Natalie McDonald, Cairns.
The Stradbroke win was the culmination of a 12-month plan to win Queensland's feature race with Tyzone having finished runner-up to Trekking 12 months ago. In addition, having tasted Group 1 success overseas, jockey Robbie Fradd finally broke his duck in Australia as he steered the 6YO gelding to his 17th win.
Master horseman Roy Chillemi, who trained Tyzone from Tolga on the Atherton Tableland to 10 wins earlier in his career, said the win provided him with an incredible thrill. It was Chillemi who spotted Tyzone at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale and paid $60,000 to secure him from Kenmore Lodge for a syndicate headed by Tom Hedley.
"The only thing that worried me at the sale was his size. He's a bit small, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in heart. He's a little bulldog that just wants to run and run and run. He's the fastest horse I've ever trained. He could break 32 seconds over 600 metres at home. I've watched the race in a pub and everyone here knows me so I've had a lot of congratulations. It was an incredible thrill and I must admit I had to reach for my hanky," Chillemi added.
Second Group 1 winner for Blue Hills
"OUR second Group 1 winner foaled at Blue Hills Thoroughbreds" is how excited Darling Downs agister Jennifer Sommerfield described the Stradbroke win of Tyzone.
The Australian Stud Book lists Tyzone being bred by MVO Thoroughbreds - a company owned by former Townsville Turf Club president Kevin O'Keefe who agisted horses at Blue Hills Thoroughbreds run by Jennifer Sommerfield and husband Joe at Quinalow on the Darling Downs. "Tyzone was foaled at Blue Hills on November 2, 2013, and was sold privately as a yearling in September 2014," she said.
Tyzone is the second Group 1 winner foaled at Blue Hills. The first was Group 1 Tatts Tiara winning mare Miss Cover Girl bred and jointly raced by Kevin O'Keefe and Jennifer Sommerfield. Prepared for the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, Miss Cover Girl was passed-in for $18,000 with a $20,000 reserve. She subsequently had eight wins and nine placings to earn more than $850,000
Tyzone reared at Kenmore Lodge
THERE were loud cheers from the Bond family's Kenmore Lodge property, Wyreema near Toowoomba when Tyzone stormed home to win the Group 1 Stradbroke. Cameron and Kellie Bond, who've been preparing breeze-up horses for about a decade, bought Tyzone as a yearling, broke him in and prepared him for sale.
"I was absolutely screaming the place down," a proud Kellie Bond said. "He's been such a good horse from the time Roy and Tom bought him from us and he deserved a Group 1." Other horses pre-trained by the Bonds include Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways, recent million dollar earner The Odyssey and Singapore winner My Big Boss who the Bonds sold as agent for $320,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions 2YO in training sale.
Tyzone conceived at Sun Stud
A 6YO GELDING by Queensland-bred Written Tycoon from the winning Hussonet (USA) mare Rezonet, Tyzone was conceived when Written Tycoon stood the 2012 season at Sun Stud (now Telemon Stud) near Beaudesert serving 138 mares at a $15,400 service fee.
Other prominent horses from that 2013 foal crop include Group 1 winners Capitalist and Luna Rossa. Subsequently, just seven seasons later, he served 136 mares in the 2019 season at a service fee of $110,000 - seven times his 2012 fee which in turn is almost double his initial fee of $8250 in 2007.
Tyzone now becomes the ninth Group 1 winner in Australia and New Zealand for Written Tycoon and his second this season following Pippie's Oakleigh Plate win at Caulfield in February this year.
Rothfire sets track record in Group 1 win
AN Eagle Farm 1400m track record of 1:21.06 allowed Rothfire to end the debate once and for all as to who is Queensland's premier 2YO with a dominant three lengths victory in the Group 1 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm.
Having paid not once but twice for the Rothesay gelding after being caught up in an internet phishing scam, Rob Heathcote secured his first Group 1 victory on home soil as Jim Byrne steered him to his sixth win from just seven starts, with a second placing to Kisukano in the QTIS 2YO Jewel at the Gold Coast the only blemish to his name. Heathcote's other Group 1 winners were Dubai Al Quoz Sprint victor Buffering (seven), dual Toorak Handicap winner Solzhenitsyn and Oakleigh Plate winner Woorim.
"He climbed his Everest today and note that I did use the word 'Everest'," Heathcote told Sky Thoroughbred Central. "He will spell now. We haven't put anything in concrete as there are a stack of races for him - a race like the Coolmore at Flemington could be perfect. But I have had some talks about The Everest and I am not talking out of turn. I did an interview with MiRunners. We know that they have bought a slot and they told me the other day that he's certainly in the running for their spot," he said.
Gleeson grabs headlines 50 years apart
BACK in 1971 Chinchilla rider Wally Gleeson created headlines when he rode 100-1 shot Gallant Duke to victory in a Corinthian Handicap for amateur jockeys at Eagle Farm with the treble paying about $99,000 for a 50 cents investment.
Now almost 50 years later, Gleeson, wife Jill and three sons Simon, Jacob and Tom have again created headlines as the breeders of Group 1 JJ Atkins winner Rothfire trained by Rob Heathcote.
Gleeson never rode in a Group 1 race, but for the record he began riding at 16 years old and from 1967 to 1973 rode more than 200 winners against amateur and professional jockeys around the Darling Downs and western Queensland. This included two of the six Corinthians held in Brisbane. Gallant Duke was the first followed by Countless in 1973.
While Rothfire has been dubbed the 'Thrilla from Chinchilla', Gleeson got an equal thrill over the weekend with four individual winners in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia bred at the family's Chinchilla property. In addition to Rothfire, other winners were Our Alicia's Lane (Charters Towers), Amorem (Yeppoon), Power Boom (Pakenham) and Alleboom (Balaklava). In addition, multiple Macau winner Golden Conqueror was also bred by the Gleesons.
Rothfire and Golden Conqueror are both by Fastnet Rock's Group 2 Queensland Guineas winning son Rothesay now standing at Lyndhust Stud, Warwick. He joins a list of at least six other sons of Fastnet Rock to sire Group 1 winners in Australia and New Zealand. They include El Roca, Foxwedge, Hinchinbrook, Stryker and Wanted. Gleeson bought a share in Rothesay when he first began stud duties at Glenlogan Park in 2011 and has maintained the faith since culminating in Rothfire's Group 1 win.
Designated racing regions to end
IMMEDIATE removal of designated racing regions across all three racing codes in Queensland and the limited return of on-course patrons have been announced by Racing Queensland.
The restrictions were among a number of biosecurity measures introduced by the Queensland racing industry during COVID-19.
RQ announced last Thursday that with the approval of Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young raceday restrictions limiting participants to allocated regions have been lifted immediately, allowing them to compete across the state.
In line with 'Queensland's roadmap to easing COVID-19 restrictions', clubs will also be permitted to allow up to 20 patrons on-course. Further patrons may be able to return upon the adoption of an Industry COVID Safe plan for RQ licensed race clubs, which will be submitted to Queensland Health this week.
Having operated under strict biosecurity measures since March, Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the announcement demonstrated the progress the industry had made in recent months. "The Queensland racing industry has done a phenomenal job of banding together during the COVID-19 crisis," Mr Hinchliffe said.
RQ CEO Brendan Parnell said the easing of restrictions, including the removal of designated racing regions and the limited return of patrons, was reward for the diligence and hard work the industry has adhered to in recent months. "There is still a long way to go, however this is a positive step for our three codes of racing," he said.
A range of existing biosecurity measures remain in place including:
- Mandatory temperature testing for all on-course personnel attending race meetings;
- A 14-day self-isolation period for any licensee - Queensland or otherwise - who travels from inter-state; and
- Restrictions around training, trackwork and inter-state animal transport protocols.