Rockhampton Race Preview: Thursday 27th November, 2025.
Published 25 November 2025
Mare with a local name, makes its Rocky debut
The name Fitzroy Steet is almost as old as Rockhampton itself.
Fitzroy Street runs through the city to the Fitzroy Bridge which crosses the Fitzroy River.
These landmarks so named by explorers Charles and William Archer after Sir Charles Fitzroy, a 19th century Governor of New South Wales.
So, it was a nice surprise to see a galloper also linked to Rocky by its name, Fitzroy Street, in the acceptances for Thursday’s RJC race meeting which recognizes the National Thoroughbred Race Week.
You think with a moniker like hers, Fitzroy Street would be a ‘dyed in the wool’ local.
Oddly, she is not.
Fitzroy Street originally hails from New Zealand, and ironically, she will start in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing BM 55 Handicap (1600m) at Callaghan Park.
Fitzroy Street is trained on the Sunshine Coast by Stuart Kendrick, with the four-year-old mare making her way north after winning a race in Kilmore, Victoria, 10 months ago.
Fitzroy Street, who makes her local debut, has raced seven times in southeast Queensland this year for Kendrick and her owners Tipsters HQ and looks to be well suited for this week’s Rockhampton assignment.
The daughter of multiple Group race winner Turn Me Loose from the nicely bred three-time NZ winning Zabeel mare Cool Tart, was purchased in late February online by Kendrick for $44,000 from Price Kent Racing and at her two most recent starts, she has gone quite well over the metric mile. Both runs were on her home track at Corbould Park where she finished third in a Class 1 (1600m) behind Ole Bazzle, beaten just over a length on 19 October, then sixth behind Ionaceltic in a BM60 (1600m) on 4 November. Both times she was doing her best work late in the race suggesting the 600m straight at Callaghan Park will be right up her alley.
Kendrick has engaged Ryan Wiggins, the leading jockey on the local premiership table, for the ride on Fitzroy Street. Wiggins also has other top rides at the meeting. He rides the promising Senzora (3YO QTIS Handicap (1050m), and Panigale Class 3 – 3yo+ Plate (1050m) for trainer Clinton Taylor. He also rides Our Turn Now for trainer John Wigginton in the Class 5 Handicap (1400m) and Miss Mercy for Kendrick in the BM55 – 1100m).
Kendrick’s staff also saddle Nightstick (Class 5 – 1400m) and Show Me Mercy in the Class 3 Plate (1050m).
Apprentice Maddie heads to CQ with her Barky boss
Maddie Mankelow is emerging as one of Queensland’s leading country riders and on Thursday the Barcaldine apprentice will team with her boss Toni Schofield with three rides for the home stable, at Callaghan Park.
It’s only early in the season but 22-year-old Mankelow is currently sitting on top of the country jockey ladder, about a half dozen wins in front of her nearest rival.
The Schofield’s, Toni and husband Nathan, have a lot of faith in the young rider, who is now part of their racing family. “She’s a good worker, listens and rides good trackwork,” Nathan said, with Mankelow producing 31 wins in the five months she’s been based in Barcaldine. Her last winner was on All England for the Schofield’s at Blackall on the weekend. “Now she’s getting good opportunities.”
Mankelow claims a three-kilogram allowance and her three rides for the Scholfield’s are Yukan Rose (Open Handicap), Rush Hour (Class 3 Plate), and Noble Intent (BM55 Handicap).
The voice of the Red Centre to call at Callaghan Park
Dean Jones, thoroughbred racing’s voice of the Red Centre, will be in Rocky for the races on Thursday and will join local Sky broadcaster Russell Leonard in the caller’s box.
Jones, who is enjoying a few days R&R at Yeppoon will provide racegoers with a treat by calling a race on the eight-race Callaghan Park card.
As race callers do, wherever they go, they pack their binoculars and like to be behind a microphone to call a race somewhere new.
It’s been almost two years since Jones made the big move to Alice Springs and joined the thoroughbred calling ranks, after years of experience calling harness racing and the greyhounds. Well known throughout Queensland, Jones decided to relocate to the Northern Territory to start a new chapter in his life, calling at Pioneer Park — much to the relief of the Alice Springs Turf Club.
There was a vacancy in ‘The Alice’ callers’ box for some time after the club’s previous race-caller Dylan Bairstow returned to Perth in mid-2023. Jones is now making a real go of it, calling the thoroughbreds.
Announcing races since he was 12, Jones is probably best known for his association with the Marburg trots, when he called harness races, trials and jump outs for a couple of decades prior to stepping away from the racing industry for a while and was working in hotels in Gladstone for two years.
“I got a call from the Alice Springs Turf Club committee — they wanted a fill-in race-caller, so the club flew me over to call a meeting,” he said. “Then after that they virtually put up a proposal that they would like to have a fulltime race-caller here, so I decided to get back into broadcasting and moved to Alice Springs.” Calling the gallops was new for Jones but his voice was familiar to Territorians – before moving to NT, Jones was the stand-in greyhound caller at Winnellie Park when Darwin’s Craig Sant took holidays.
Race times
The first on the eight-race TAB card commences at 1.10 pm with the last race at 5.30 pm.
- David Aldred (CEO) RJC
