IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports that Racing Queensland will advertise for a new Chief Steward in Townsville.
He also has a column piece on the industry mourning losses at both ends of the state and on the best ever Cooktown Cup day where jockey Shane Pawsey won the feature race and rode a treble.
Here is the Butts’ column:
RACING QUEENSLAND TO ADVERTISE POSITION OF CHIEF STEWARD IN TOWNSVILLE
RACING Queensland will advertise for a replacement for Townsville’s departing Chief Steward, Rion Hitchener, who ceases duties in the north on December 9.
Hitchener has been chairman for a year and returns to his home town of Toowoomba in time for the re-opening of the new Clifford Park track on December 31.
The decision to call for applicants ends a lot of speculation about his successor.
Townsville has seen a succession of chief stipes in recent years when there has been an internal replacement.
It will be interesting to see what new blood is available in a profession that has changed markedly over the years due to changed integrity issues and several changes in the rules of racing that sadly some of their interpretations seem to differ from state to state.
RACING INDUSTRY IN MOURNING ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE STATE
WHILE the racing world unites and mourns the tragic death of yet another much admired jockey, a large slice of north-west Queensland weeps for Jimmy Swift. The Charters Towers based trainer passed away on Sunday.
The tragic events were miles apart and the only similarity was that they were both honoured and revered members of their respective racing communities.
Desiree Gill, at just 45, ended her life aboard a racehorse at Caloundra just hours after the curtain closed on the bumper Melbourne spring carnival.
The highs very quickly became the lows as news spread of the tragedy and stewards quite rightly abandoned the last two races from the Sunshine Coast.
For Jimmy Swift, the end was much less sudden. Poor man had suffered for many months but at no time, in spite of the pain and suffering, did he surrender his interest in racing, which he had devoted his life to.
He will be remembered as a tough but caring trainer of thoroughbreds – and for his unselfish support to all and sundry.
He was the man who organised the appeal for Dot Slack-Smith after she was badly injured in a race fall at Oak Park a few years back. And he did it on his own.
Jimmy didn’t have many champion racehorses. But he kept trying – as champions do.
JIMMY SWIFT HAD A COLORFUL CAREER AND RODE 500 WINNERS
SWIFT had a colourful career. As a jockey based in Mt Isa Jimmy rode around 500 winners. One of them was a horse named Brochander that just happened to be the first winner for a budding young trainer at the time named Greg Wehlow.
“He was the most honest jockey that ever rode for me,” Wehlow said.
He rode in an era when things were ‘tough’ out west. Money was plentiful, the mining boom was in full swing and the Buchanan Park racecourse was the casino for the big spending miners.
“But Jimmy Swift would never get involved with any of the monkey business,” said Wehlow, who is now recognised as one of the leading trainers in the north.
The Townsville Turf Club last month had a ‘special’ day for Jimmy and another old time trainer Johnny Ross.
They were honoured with races named after them and they mingled with their old colleagues on a day that will be long remembered.
Especially by Wehlow, who at the end of the day shook the hand of his old mate, each knowing it was to be their last farewell.
Jim Swift will be farewell by his many friends and colleagues at Charters Towers racecourse at 10.30 on Friday.
BEST EVER COOKTOWN CUP MEETING WITH TREBLE TO SHANE PAWSEY
COOKTOWN had its biggest meeting ever on Saturday.
They came from all over, filling the caravan parks and town accommodation to capacity.
They came from the south and hundreds swarmed in from the Cape. Some even cruised in from Cairns and returned after the last.
Tickets will be hard to get next year, I am told, because the voyage was just soooo good.
And what a day for jockey Shane Pawsey who has had a shocking season spending nearly fourth months sidelined after injuring his shoulder in a barrier incident at Innisfail in July.
Then he came back and won the Palleranda Stakes with a masterly ride on Element of Chance in October.
But, and some say quite harshly, he was sent out for three weeks (yes three weeks) for causing interference on the horse at the top of the straight. The interference occurred, but not enough consideration was given to the fact he was on a green unraced horse that suddenly spat out the bit at the 600m.
Pawsey slapped it up, the horse recovered a bit quicker than the jockey expected and it got on the heels of another. He edged out and on the point of the turn bumped another green two-year-old on its outside.
What did the stewards really expect him to do?
It was a very stiff penalty for interference that was caused by a green horse having its first start – in a field of debutantes.
It certainly wasn’t a deliberate attempt by the jockey to cause interference. And that’s the difference.
The winning treble at Cooktown and another on Melbourne Cup day at Cairns has helped Pawsey ‘get over it’ – no doubt.
The Cooktown Cup winner Liberty’s Magic was a horse once trained by Jared Wehlow, son of Greg, who now has it in his Atherton stable after its disappointment in the Innisfail Cup three weeks ago.
The two are often having a go at each other via text messages but I liked the text message sent by father to son after Cooktown: ‘You can build the house. I just put the paint on it!’
Ouch!!!
MAGIC MILLIONS TO SPONSOR FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND SERIES
LEADING Australian thoroughbred sales company Magic Millions has announced a new sponsorship of a seven-race series in Far North Queensland.
The Magic Millions FNQ Up and Coming Stayers Series will commence in early May and run through to July at five different tracks.
Horses and their owners and trainers will amass points on a 3-2-1 system during the added stakes race series and the winners will share in a $6,000 cash prize from Magic Millions.
The races will be run at Atherton, Cairns, Gordonvale, Innisfail and Mt Garnet with the first in the series at Atherton on May 3.
"We are delighted to welcome Magic Millions on board as the sponsor of this important series," Far North Queensland Racing Association Secretary Rob Koch said.
"For some time local owners and trainers have been looking for a series of races to set their horses as they develop a nice country cups horse for the future."
"This series of added value races is a great opportunity to do this and is a possible nice progression from the QTIS races," Koch added.
Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said his company was pleased to be able to support the Far North Queensland racing region.
"Over the years we have received great support from clients from Far North Queensland and we're pleased to be coming on board as a sponsor of this series," Cox said.
"Magic Millions graduates are renowned as precocious juveniles with great results in the Golden Slipper and other feature two and three-year-old races, but the record of our horses in classic and cup races is quite outstanding."
The races in the series are as follows:
- Atherton - 3 May, 2014 - BM55 - 1400m
- Gordonvale - 17 May, 2014 - BM60 - 1360m
- Atherton - 24 May, 2014 - BM60 - 1400m
- Mt Garnet - 6/7 June, 2014 - BM60 - 1350m
- Innisfail - 14 June, 2014 - BM65 - 1500m
- Cairns - 21 June, 2014 - BM65 - 1600m
- Cairns - 12 July, 2014 - BM65 - 1900m
Magic Millions graduates have been excelling in Far North Queensland this season and include unbeaten juveniles Element of Chance and Nevetus.
Element of Chance, the initial winner for first season sire Red Element, won the Pallarenda Stakes at Townsville before sweeping away with the $30,000 QTIS Plate at Cairns in late October.
Nevetus, meanwhile, was purchased for $15,000 at the recent National Horses in Training Sale with connections winning a QTIS bonus when the filly won on debut at Cairns last week.
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
