Rocky Racing Review: Tuesday 5th August.

Captain Fox salutes for the first time on his home track

Before Tuesday he was dubbed the Chief De Beers of Rocky. From 24 starts at Callaghan Park nine-year-old gelding Captain Fox, had never won a race on his home track.

That all changed when he belied his age with a game performance to win the Clinton Taylor Premier Trainer Open Handicap (1100m), but his trainer Peter Fleming wasn’t on track to see his sole stable representative win.

Peter’s wife Tracey led in Captain Fox who was ridden a perfect race by 3kg claiming apprentice Amy Graham.

The gelding started at long odds of $41.00, not because of his ability, but his previous inability to win at Callaghan Park.

Captain Fox won by just under half a length from Mackay’s Divine Okay (Ryan Wiggins -$8.00) with Alloutatime (Nikki Olzard $1.60f) dead heating  for third with 2024 Rocky Horse of The Year, Dragon’s Snip (Jackson Murphy -$11.00)

Old timer Captain Fox was a bit like the former Brisbane champion Chief De Beers who couldn’t win at Eagle Farm but was a superstar at Doomben.

“Chief” became synonymous with Doomben and was a fan favourite, boasting one of the most remarkable Doomben racing records ever seen. In 13 career starts away from Doomben, he managed just five placings, but at Doomben he was a 12-time stakes winner.

Rockhampton’s Captain Fox, the winner of well over $200,000 has a similar affinity with Mackay’s Ooralea track, but before Tuesday couldn’t reproduce the same winning form at Callaghan Park.

His home track record before this win was 24 starts, resulting in three seconds and seven thirds. However, he had seven wins in Mackay and a win at Thangool and Yeppoon.

Lucy sparkles at Callaghan Park

Trainer Clinton Taylor declared Letitia Langbecker the tinniest owner around after her debutante Ten Carat Lucy won Tuesday’s Great Northern Maiden Handicap (1050m) at Callaghan Park.

Langbecker who races the 4YO mare with her husband Kerry and parents Kevin and Pauline Thomas, paid just $1,250 for the daughter of Exceedance at an Inglis online sale in April this year. The Langbecker’s are the third hands that she has gone to. With her original buyer paying $160,000 for her as a yearling in 2023, then she was sold again in October 2024 for $14,000.

Last week another of Langbecker’s bargains, the Taylor-trained Out Of Luck, won a Class 1 Handicap at Callaghan Park. Langbecker astoundingly paid just $1.00 for that gelding, and put him through a rehabilitation program before sending him to Taylor to train.

“She is pretty tinny!” Taylor said. “And obviously a good judge.”

The Langbecker’s run a family horse business, Embrook Park Stables, a spelling, pretraining and rehabilitation property at Beaudesert.

Daughter Emma, who works for Taylor Racing in Rockhampton was on track to celebrate Ten Carat Lucy’s victory.

Ten Carat Lucy was well supported in betting, on the back of some handy trials at Callaghan Park and started the $2.45 race favourite.

From a wide barrier, the mare was held up back in the field behind a wall of runners with 300m to run. Jockey Ryan Wiggins patiently waited until the run came and when it did Ten Carat Lucy burst through.

“When she drew 12 out of 12, I hid under the bed and sulked for a couple of days, because I really thought she had a good chance of winning,” Taylor said. “Had she drawn better I would have declared her a special today.”

Wiggins snagged her back early and she was easily the best maiden in the race. Moonlight Starlight (Leah Martyn – $2.60) ran second over two lengths behind Ten Carat Lucy with Kobe Ascot (Sean Cormack – $6.50) in third place.

Winning Double for Taylor Racing

Ten Carat Lucy’s win was the first leg of a winning double for premier trainer Clinton Taylor.

He also saddled 5YO gelding Gangitano to win the Justin Stanley Premier Jockey Class 6 Plate (1400m).

Gangitano, a stakes-placed horse in Victoria, took its Rockhampton record to two victories from three starts at Callaghan Park.  Still getting the hang of racing clockwise, the son of Written By scored a grinding and convincing win over its opponents.

Starting $1.45 favourite, Gangitano (Ryan Wiggins) pulled away at the end of the race to defeat Prepotent (Chris McIver – $15.00) by just over a length with Zhuang Shi (Sean Cormack – $10.00) in third place, less than a length and a half from the winner. Also close up was For Valour (Raul Silvera Olivera -$19.00) who was game in defeat finishing fourth, just missing the official placings. A winner at Pakenham early in its career, Gangitano was placed third in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes behind Little Brose and Cylinder at Caulfield in 2022.

“He got the job done, he looks a progressive type and should go through the grades,” Taylor said.

Toowoomba teacher wins her first Rocky race

Toowoomba schoolteacher Rochelle Pereira made her first visit to the Callahan Park winners circle with longshot Dubble Hussle winning the TAB QTIS 3YO Maiden Handicap (1200m).

Pereira had only been to Callaghan Park once before Tuesday’s win, picking up minor placings on her initial trip. “This is only the second time I’ve been to Rocky with horses, it’s a nice surprise to be a winner,” Pereira said.

Starting at odds of $26.00 Dubble Hussle, a filly by Dubious improved out of sight on her previous two starts. Ridden by Sean Cormack she beat the Liam Birchley-trained Nordic Invader (Adam Sewell – $11.00) by a neck with Viking Sun (Raul Silvera-Olivera -$5.00) running an improved race for Gladstone’s Ian Prizeman, a length and a half away in third place. Cormack time his run perfectly on Dubble Hussle with the filly pairing away with Nordic Invader who looked to have all the momentum. After a nice run in transit Dubble Hussle found enough in the run to the line to hold off the challenge. Dubble Hussle has now equaled the record of her dam Hot Hussler, a Smart Missile mare that won one race at Murtoa in rural Victoria. Nordic Invader, a graduate of the Capricornia Yearling Sale, raced by the same connections as Kerzner who won the Year’s Capricornia 2YO Classic, ran its best race since finishing fifth to its stablemate in the feature last April.

Wiggins gets a treble of victories

Trainer John Wigginton provided Jockey Ryan Wiggins with his third winner for the day.

Wiggins steered home Electric Brae to bring up a Callaghan Park treble in the Caulfield Cup Tickets On Sale Class 1 Handicap (1100m).  Electric Brae scored its second Rockhampton win in a tight finish with less than a length separating the top three. Starting the $2.45 favourite Electric Brae defeated the Dane McKinnon-trained Irish Rocket (Jackson Murphy – $5.00) with Ricky Vale’s Rum Rumble (Ash Butler- $3.10) in third place. Wiggins said his horse finished off the race strongly. “He really wanted to find the line today,” Wiggins said. Electric Brae was a minor placegetter at Callaghan Park twice last month.

Local trainer Tim Cook saddles a welcome double

Bargain buy Outwitted is building an impressive record for trainer Tim Cook posting its second Callaghan Park win from three starts on the track and the trainer celebrated a winning double with Fine And Rare breaking its maiden in the 0-55 (Handicap (1500m).

Cook was chuffed to be back in the winner’s circle twice at Callaghan Park.

“It’s been a long, long time between drinks,” he said.

Five-year-old gelding Outwitted won the McKenzie Apel Premier Apprentice Jockey BM60 Handicap (1300m). The Godolphin bred galloper by dual Group 2 race winner Sidestep, took his overall record to three wins from 23 starts with a ¾ length win and Cook reckons the galloper is as nicer horse that he has had. Ridden by Ash Butler, Outwitted ($3.40) defeated longshot Thunder Mania (Adam Sewell -$71.00) with another longshot Santorini Summer (Tahlia Fenlon – $51.00) in third place, beaten a nose for second place. Cook said Outwitted’s runs have been spaced. “They have been a fair way apart, but it seems to be working for him,” Cook said. Butler also praised the progressive performer. “His been a little unlucky not to win his last three in a row,” he said. “He was good winning first up in May, then when we got him back to the races he ran into a good one (Lone Artist) on Newmarket day here. Outwitted was an exceptional buy for Cook and his ownership group who paid just $1,250 online for the gelding late last February.

Fine And Rare was ridden a treat by apprentice jockey Nikki Olzard. In a very open betting race, Fine And Rare was the $4.00 equal favourite and got the job done beating All Business (Chris McIver – $17.00) by 1.6 lengths with $21.00 shot Native Bee (Olivia Kendal) finishing third. “He has issues, has trouble breathing so he appreciated the genuine pace which allowed him to run along,” Cook said. It was the first win from 27 starts for the gelding by Olympic Glory who had previously placed 10 times.

• RJC CEO, David Aldred.