Rockhampton Racing Review: Saturday 14th March, 2026.

Sewell had the luck of the Irish riding with him at Callaghan Park

The luck of the Irish was with jockey Adam Sewell at Callaghan Park on Saturday. He found his pot of gold with a winning double on the five-race program.

Around 1,500 local racegoers celebrated St Patrick’s Day a few days early with function rooms booked out and the member’s room numbers at capacity.

General admission was also up, and punters lined the fence in front of the Acton stand to watch the racing.

Sewell was quick off the mark, winning the opening race on Krackacan, and a group of young locals, obviously drawn to the galloper’s catchy name cheered him home, yahooing as they nursed a cold one of their own in hand.

Krackacan, trained at Callaghan Park by Darryl Johnston brilliantly won the QTIS 3YO Handicap (1100m). The gelding by Fastnet Rock stallion Wanted, was not headed in its win, the galloper’s fourth race success from nine starts.

Krackacan started at odds of $3.20 and his winning margin was just shy of a length with race favourite Wayno (Warwick Satherley- $1.70) finishing second and Our Eagle Rock (Nikki Olzard-$6) three-and-a-half lengths further back in third place.

Sewell’s second winner was the Bundaberg trained Nicconori ($4.40) in the St Patrick’s Day Class 4 Handicap (1200m).

The Gary Clem trained five-year-old gelding has found Callaghan Park to be a happy hunting ground and has now won three races on the track, since venturing to Queensland from New South Wales twelve months ago. Nicconori chimed in to win by over a length from Better Than Words (Amy Graham -$5.50) with Determination (Warwick Satherley- $5) in third place.

Sewell almost collected a rare Callaghan Park treble, narrowly beaten into second place in the last race of the day.

Yo ho ho and a Sailor’s Rum

Alisha Taylor had Sailor’s Rum primed for Saturday’s Bruce McKenzie Memorial race and the free going front runner delivered for his big syndicate of owners.

Sailor’s Rum, raced by One Syndications, was placed fourth at the Sunshine Coast at his previous start and looked well-suited in the 1050m BM 60 at Callaghan Park.

The big striding galloper tends to lose concentration when racing alone in front and Satherley made sure he had company early. From the time they straightened it was just a matter of the jockey keeping the galloper’s mind on the job. Despite spotting his chasers 6kg in handicap weight, Sailor’s Rum left his rivals standing when Satherley asked him to go. Sailor’s Rum ($2.90) still a little inclined to let his concentration wander had a bit on the field in the talent department and strided clear to win by five-and-a-half-lengths. Sunshine Coast visitor Craiglea Merida (Gabby Semmens -$91) ran second ahead of Hard to Dismiss (Amy Graham – $51). The big flop in the race was Miss Mercy (Steph Tierney – $2.50) who travelled wide the whole trip and finished last.

“I was making sure he was concentrating, I knew he had the race won at the 400m,” Satherely said.

Taylor and Satherely were on hand to receive the trophy for the inaugural race, honouring the memory of Bruce McKenzie, who was the RJCs oldest member, before he passed away last month aged 97. RJC Life Member, 92yo Maureen Olive and Bruce’s son Kenneth, presented the trophy.

Autumn Gale shows plenty of class to win QTIS Maiden

Three-year -old Autumn Gale has delivered on its early promise, winning at its second race start at Callaghan Park.

Autumn Gale a 2024 Capricornia Yearling Sale graduate, came from behind to wear down its opponents in the Great Northern Maiden QTIS Plate (1050m). The gelding won by one-and-a-half-lengths.

Purchased by John Sparrow for $40,000 from Graceville Thoroughbreds, Autumn Gale is a son of Perast, a Snitzel who stood briefly in Rockhampton before being sold to China. His dam is the Mahisara mare Sing For Violet.

The Jamie McConachy trained three-year-old had a huge wrap placed on him after winning a Rockhampton official trial by more than 10 lengths, but on debut it was all new to him and he finished out of the money. The experience was noticeable on Saturday and with Chris McIver in the saddle, the $3.50 second favourite, zeroed in on the finish line like a good horse, defeating Say It Loud (Nikki Olzard -$7) with the $2.70 favourite, Prosviseur (Steph Tierney), coming from last on the home turn to fill third place.

Tierney makes it win number nine for the season

In the space of a few months’ Sunshine Coast apprentice jockey Stephanie Tierney has shot up the Rockhampton Jockey Premiership ladder.

She leads the apprentice title with nine winners, sharing the spoils with Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick.

Tierney kept her excellent strike going when Storm Force Ten took out the final race on Saturday. The $3.90 third favourite won the Masot Class 1 (1400m) by a long neck from Villandry (Adam Sewell – $3.50EF) who appeared to have the race won several times over in the final few hundred metres. Kayleen’s Profit (Warwick Satherley – $3.50EF) was close in third place.

“I wasn’t going to go home without a winner,” quipped Tierney who has an impressive winning strike rate in Rockhampton.

Storm Force Ten (Fastnet Rock – Shrill) was a $145,000 yearling , 2022 graduate of a Magic Millions 2Yo in training sale. He has won two of 18 race starts.

• David Aldred -CEO