Rocky racing roundup: 4th March 2025

STENHOUSE TRAINS HIS FIRST CALLAGHAN PARK WINNER

The victory of the Rob Stenhouse-trained longshot D’esprit at Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park on Tuesday brought about a surprise reunion of two old racing blokes.

Forty-two years ago, Rob’s father Ian won his second Mackay Cup on a tough-as-teak bush galloper called Bororen. This week, Ian stood proudly in the winner’s circle at Callaghan Park races as his son Rob unsaddled D’esprit, part-owned by another of his sons Andrew and daughter Karen.

It was Rob’s first Callaghan Park winner. “The old mare came through for us today and I had something on her at $41,” Andrew Stenhouse said.

Ridden by Georgina Cartwright, eight-year-old D’esprit showed a ton of courage to hold off all challengers and defeat the well-supported Boyfriend Material by a half-length in a great finish which resulted in Moment Of Truth (Liv O’Donnell) being only a short neck away in third place. The victory was D’esprit’s second from 33 starts, with her only other win three years ago in a Sunshine Coast 1400m Maiden Handicap.

The “old racing blokes” that I referred to in the opening paragraph are Ian and myself.

It was terrific catching up with Ian who I haven’t seen since the 1980s when Bororen was racing in Mackay. Ian rode Bororen to win the 1980 and 1983 Mackay Cups and a Mackay Newmarket Handicap. Swapping stories, we recalled the days the iconic Barcaldine trained horse was racing. Bororen was a dependable, typical country favourite who didn’t start racing until he turned four. Seven years later I called the gelding, who was aged almost 12, winning his second Mackay Cup.

Bororen contested the Mackay Cup six times, and I reckon I was the race broadcaster for most of them. NQ caller Tony Wode would have also called him in six or seven Townsville Cups.

One of the interesting things about Bororen and his connections was the extraordinary distances they travelled to race. Bororen’s owner-trainer Tom Broughton was a shearing contractor based in Barcaldine, western Queensland, about 700 km (420 miles) from Mackay and 880 km (540 miles) from Townsville. Tom, his wife Pat, and jockey Ian Stenhouse mostly raced around western Queensland at tracks – Barcaldine, Longreach, Blackall, Emerald, Isisford, Jericho and Aramac but also went south to Toowoomba, 945 km (595 miles) away and took trips to Brisbane (1000 km/660 miles) where Bororen had two minor placings.

A true soldier of the turf, age did not weary him either. In 1983 he won his Mackay Cup in an almost identical time to what he posted winning the same feature four years earlier and he had 3.5kg more weight the second time around. 

HULKING NIC LOVES HIS FEED

“There are not as many horses that put away feed like him,” Bundaberg trainer Gary Clem said after former Sydney galloper Niccorini broke his maiden at his first race start for his new stable at Callaghan Park.

Popular in betting, jumping as the race favourite, the herculean Niccorini was ridden perfectly by Liv O’Donnell to defeat the Clint Taylor-trained Diligente (Justin Stanley) and Tom Smith’s Overimpatient (Ash Butler). O’Donnell praised the 4Yo who was formerly with Joe Pride in New South Wales. “When I wanted him to go, I just pushed the go button and he responded,” O’Donnell said. Clem is quite excited about the future of Niccorini in Queensland. He is a big horse that took a bit of working out, but I ride him in his trackwork and I was able to get on top of his issues quickly,” Clem said. “I thought my old horse King Klaus was the best doer I’ve seen, he ate 6kg each feed, this bloke outdoes him, with a 7kg serving.”

Standing tall with a long shoulder, and a big stride, Niccorini looks a real goer but when he first arrived at Clem’s stable the trainer wasn’t that impressed. “I put him on the track and he was slow, real slow,” he said. “Then I found out he has infected sinuses and was allergic to dust, everything, that’s been treated now, and he is going great, his win today was brilliant.”

SILVERA OLIVERA LANDS FIRST WIN FOR TAYLOR STABLE ON CYS SALE GRADUATE

Clinton Taylor saddled up three two-year-olds in the Great Northern QTIS Maiden Plate (1100m) with his stable representatives running first, second and fourth.

But it wasn’t the odds on favourite Old Gold that saluted it was the outsider of the trio Power Chic (20/1) that provided Uruguayan jockey Raul Silvera Olivera with his first winner of the powerhouse Taylor stable.

“Raul rides her for all her work, so I was happy to keep him on her today, he is a hard worker too, and his ride this time was perfect,” Taylor said.

Old Gold led the chase and darted three lengths clear in the straight but passing the 200m pole, he began to paddle according to jockey Justin Stanley.

“She only got me in the last two hops,” Stanley said. Taylor knew 1100m would be the absolute maximum distance for Old Gold who he holds a high opinion of.

“He’s a smart horse but that was as far as he wanted today, we will turn him out for a spell and let him develop now,” Taylor said.

Some of the connections of Power Chic were on track including Larry Acton and Gladstone couple Matt and Michelle Tudman.

They were excited after the win, given that they didn’t expect to beat the favourite.

Power Chic (Power x Gracefully Chic) was purchased by Taylor for $41,000 at last year’s Rockhampton Jockey Club Capricornia Yearling Sale. Related to a number of Group race winners including Edward Manifold Stakes winner, Bring Me Roses, Power Chic will now be set for the $168,000 CYS 2YO Classic, exclusive for sale graduates, at Callaghan Park on 12 April.

HOME-BRED DIAMOND SPARKLES AT CALLAGHAN PARK

There’s no bigger thrill for a breeder to see a galloper he bred win a race and the thrill is multiplied 10 times when you are the owner as well.

Rob, Margaret and Andrew Symons were at Callaghan Park to cheer home Diamond Money in the TAB 0-55 Handicap (1100m) and their home-bred gelding powered home to victory. Ridden by Adam Sewell, the Kevin Miller-trained Diamond Money wore down frontrunner Greylist (Justin Stanley) to win by a half-length with Our Heart Throb (Georgina Cartwright) in third place. “He is our baby, we bred him,” Margaret Symons said.

“We had him back home in our paddock for a spell recently and he looks to have come back better than ever.” Since spelling, Diamond Money has record two victories resuming to score at Thangool on 26 January.

Diamond Money is a 3YO by Better Than Ready from the Commands mare Diamond On Command and has raced 21 times for four victories and nine placings.

AMBER RINGS UP ANOTHER ROCKY VICTORY

Allan and Chris Jenkinson bred Amberinger from their former highly strung but very smart race mare Charcoal Melody and they keep on reaping rewards.

The 3YO filly posted its third victory from 12 race starts in the QTIS 3YO Handicap (1050m) at Callaghan Park on Tuesday.

By Snitzel stallion Brabinger, Amberinger was ridden by Warwick Satherley and wore down a game Lamentum (Liv O’Donnell) with race favourite Kai Mondo (McKenzie Apel) just nosing out some fast finishers for third place. The Jenkinson’s train at Yeppoon’s Keppel Park and Charcoal Melody won its maiden on that track 12 years ago but all but one of her subsequent 13 wins were elsewhere including three at the Rockhampton track and several in Mackay.

Amberinger looks set to win more races too and she already has equaled her dam’s Rocky record. “She is still learning too,” Chris Jenkinson said.

RJC CEO, David Aldred

Pictured: Power Chic, a 2024 Capricornia Yearling Sale graduate, provided Uruguayan jockey Raul Silvera Olivera with his first winner from the powerhouse Taylor Racing stable.