TAB Rockhampton Cup Preview: Saturday 11th July 2026

Toowoomba trainer zeroes in on Cup Day feature double

John Dann’s horse truck rolled into Callaghan Park racecourse around midday on Wednesday, after more than seven hours  on the road from Toowoomba.

The truck was carrying precious cargo, including his two runners in Saturday’s feature races, the $150,000 TAB Rockhampton Cup and the $75,000 Magic Millions Capricornia Guineas.

It was a long trip that Dann’s team has done before.

Dann made the long haul to Rocky at the same time last year and collected third place in the Cup with Quothquan, who subsequently went on an extended road trip to win the Townsville Cup.

The hobby trainer who juggles looking after his horses with operating a successful truck repair and services company raced Quothquan in three of the Northern Cups in 2025 with the galloper also running fourth in the Mackay Cup after he was trapped wide with no luck on the Ooralea track.

Naturally Dann is thinking he could be half a chance at winning the inaugural rich CUB sponsored $500,000 Northern Crowns Cups Bonus, this year.

The Northern Crowns Bonus is paid to any horse that can win all four of the Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns Cups.

It’s an enticing prize and to make it even more attractive, if a horse can win three of the four, it will collect a $250,000 consolation bonus.

Six-year-old Quothquan is a tough customer, and he is in form, beating a good field over 1350m at Ipswich at his only start in June.

The stable’s runner in the Guineas is the up and comer Illegal Justice, who looks very promising with a victory and third place from just three starts.

The Under the Louvre gelding’s maiden win was at Doomben in March, and last start in June, he ran home powerfully to finish third in a BM65 Handicap (1200m), again at Doomben.

Dann and the Dylan Turner combination is a formidable one. Former Kiwi hoop Turner rode Quothquan in his last Cup campaign and Dann has booked him to ride both of his gallopers in the Rockhampton features.

Quothquan will start from gate 10 in the Cup while Illegal Justice has drawn better in the Guineas at barrier 5.

The Cup Day racing at Callaghan Park starts at 12.09pm with an eight-race program.

• David Aldred (CEO – RJC)

Photo Credit: Trackside Photography