Rockhampton Racing Review: Thursday 27th November 2025.

Satherley’s 3YO topples favourites

Saraqael returned to the winners’ list for the first time since March when he found his best form to topple the Clinton Taylor trained stablemates in the National Thoroughbred Week QTIS 3YO Handicap (1050m) on Thursday at Callaghan Park.

The gelding’s previous win was as a 2YO at Callaghan Park.

Trained and ridden by Warwick Satherley, Saraqael has an impressive 50% winning strike with four wins from just eight races. Saraqael was a standout juvenile, winning his first four races before finishing runner up in the 2025 Capricornia 2YO Classic.

“We did it,” part-owner Joanna Andersen said when Saraqael’s number flashed up on the board. It was a tight finish with Saraqael ($5.00) arriving right on the finish line to beat Old Gold ($4.80 – Sean Cormack) by a half-head and the short-priced Senzora ($1.55 -Ryan Wiggins) just over a length away in third place.

Lightning strikes for Manzelmann win

Lachie Manzelmann struck gold just as the lightning started to strike at Callaghan Park on Thursday.

Manzelmann trained the first and third placed horses in the Kick Up for Racing Maiden Handicap (1500m). Three-year-old King’s Legacy gelding Mayor of Kingston landed the prize for jockey Adam Sewell. The $3.60 favourite got home by just over half-a-length from Atlantic Lace ($21.00), trained and ridden by Brendon Newport with Manzelmann’s other runner Yorokobi ($12.00 – Ash Butler) in third place. Mayor of Kingston was a $100,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale graduate in 2024 and he found his way to Manzelmann’s stable last month after placing once from four runs in south-east Queensland. Stewards sent the Callaghan Park program into a holding pattern after the Maiden race due to lightning activity in the immediate area.

Balance of the Thursday meeting postponed to Friday

Lightning continued to strike in the region of the racetrack and the wider area.

Taking safety precautions and RQ Policies into consideration the QRIC stewards made a decision shortly after 3.30 pm to postpone the balance of the RJC Thursday race program. The first race on Friday morning will be raced at 11.42 pm with Race Six at 2.47 pm. The four scheduled official trials will be now raced after Race Six. The RJC Jump outs will now be held on Monday morning.

• David Aldred CEO