Rockhampton Jockey Club’s Racing Year in Review Part One: Aug-Oct, 2023.

The RJC sincerely thank all racing stakeholders, members and guests for what has been a sensational year of racing  in Rocky.

We hope you enjoy the first edition of the ‘RJC’s Racing Year in Review’ (August to October ’23), thanks to the RJC CEO David Aldred.

Part Two (Nov’23 to Jan’24) will be published this Friday 16 August.

August 2023

The 2023-24 Racing season saw young Callaghan Park trainer Tom Smith saddle his first metropolitan winner at Eagle Farm. Smith started the racing year with locally owned galloper Acres Away putting away southerner Kitri by a half-length at Brisbane racing headquarters.

In the north the Townsville carnival was in full swing and trainer Jamie McConachy flew the flag for Rockhampton winning the $75,000 Magic Millions Townsville Guineas with City Mission, ridden by Adrian Layt.

September 2023

South American jockey Raul Silvera Olivera arrived in Rockhampton to begin riding at Callaghan Park. Having a “sea change” the 32-year-old Uruguayan arrived in Rocky on a six-month temporary work visa. His hard work ethic and personality made him a popular and welcome addition to the local riding ranks.

Rockhampton trainer and jockey Tash Chambers became the first dual licensee to win Townsville’s time-honoured Pallarenda Stakes at Cluden racetrack. The Chambers trained and ridden Age of Aquarius jumped quickly to lead and kept going in front to hang on by a long neck over Dance for Me Randy with Forgetaboutit, a length away in third place. Chambers described the victory, both riding and training Age of Aquarius as the most satisfying of her career in racing.

October 2023

With the southern spring racing carnivals in full swing, Rockhampton’s Ken McCaffrey scored the win of a lifetime when the horse he part-owns Think About It, took out the world’s richest thoroughbred race on turf, the $20 Million ‘The Everest’ at Royal Randwick.

The same weekend, visiting international jockey Raul Silvera Olivera scored his first Australian win at Callaghan Park riding the Jamie McConachy-trained Antagoniser.

There’s no better place than Callaghan Park in the springtime and under perfect blue skies, the Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke MP officially opened the Rockhampton Jockey Club’s new Administration Offices, Function Room, and Race View Deck at Callaghan Park at the RJC’s annual Caulfield Cup day race meeting. A new Owners and Trainers Bar adjacent to the saddling enclosure was also opened.

O’Rourke unveiled a wall plaque at the entry to the new level one structure to commemorate the special occasion. The RJC built the modern facilities with funding assistance through Racing Queensland’s Accelerated Infrastructure Project Scheme and the Queensland Labor Government. Senior Project Manager (infrastructure), Samantha Dalziel represented RQ at the opening. The race view deck overlooking the Callaghan Park saddling enclosure and racetrack was used for the first time at the event.