Rockhampton Race Preview: Friday 14th November.

Hansen has a solid double hand in the TAB 2YO Breeders’ Plate

Callaghan Park trainer Kris Hansen is no stranger to collecting big race wins and he seems to consistently have success with young horses graduating through his stables.

Hansen was the man that educated and originally trained, in Rockhampton, the season’s Group 3 TAB Vanity Stakes, Caulfield winner, Sheza Alibi, and probably should have had a 2025 Stakes win with her in Brisbane before she was sent south to Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman to train.

On Friday he will have a double hand to take out Callaghan Park’s first 2YO race of the year, the TAB Breeders Plate (1050m).

The trainer said he likes educating “babies” to race.

“Just like Sheza Alibi, young horses with proper education will try their hardest and when you get them right it’s very satisfying when they are successful,” Hansen said.

Hansen does a lot of trackwork himself, which is a valuable skill for him to have when educating 2YOs.

“I do most of the main gallops and that gives me a good sense at what stage they are at, two-year-olds are very much day by day and I can be a barometer for them,” he said.

The Breeders’ Plate, a $35,000 Maiden race for Two-Year-Old gallopers, has attracted a field of nine.

Hansen will start Bowdene and Stylish Diamond, both raced in the ownership of Ron and Bev White and Maureen Olive.

Bowdene is an official barrier trial winner but like most of the field he hasn’t been to the races.

Stylish Diamond is one of the exceptions, she has had race experience, finishing in third place in Townsville prestigious Pallarenda Stakes (1000m) last month. The filly was a Rockhampton barrier trial winner before that and is bound to have improved since.

Hansen has engaged Chris McIver for Bowdene, a gelding by Barbaric from Three Cities, while Adam Sewell has stuck with Stylish Diamond, a daughter of Acclaim. Bowdene will jump from barrier three and Stylish Diamond, barrier six.

Hansen was upbeat about the duo’s chances.

“Bowdene’s only trial was promising, he did a fair bit wrong and still won it,” Hansen said.

“I know there’s a lot of improvement in him and he has the makings of being a smart horse, I think.

“Stylish Diamond has already shown me what she can do, her run in Townsville was massive and she has done well since that race. “She should have won in Townsville, she was four to five deep the whole way, it showed me she is going to be real competitive here.”

Taylor’s young duo has looked good at the official trials

Leading local trainer Clinton Taylor also has two runners, Erimar and Field of Clans and both have looked smart at the official trials, and they are ready to be fully tested in the TAB Breeders’ Plate.

Erimar (Shalaa – Thud) a $30,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale graduate is co-owned by Taylor’s wife Erin and Erin’s mother, and the colt was not extended by jockey Alisha Taylor when a neck second to Bowdene in an official trial at Callaghan Park over 1000m last month.

Field Of Clans is a filly by Better Than Ready from Gap the Field and she was a 6-3/4 length 850m trial winner at Callaghan Park earlier this month. Kept back early by jockey Ash Butler Field of Clans swept around her three rivals and spaced them in the run to the line, running a smart time. Erimar has drawn barrier one and will be ridden by Justin Huxtable and Field of Clans has gate five with Sean Cormack in the saddle.

The first of eight races will be run at 1.32 pm with the Breeders’ Plate, race five at 4.03 pm.

The other feature is the Dick Sullivan Memorial Maiden Plate (1300m). This race has a field of nine and will jump at 2.43 pm.

• David Aldred RJC (CEO