Latest news with #TheInflictor
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
The Inflictor bounces back to win Tatt's Mile at Eagle Farm
'He's the dude'. Those were the crowning three words from hobby trainer Craig Cousins after cult gelding The Inflictor bounced back from a disappointing Stradbroke Handicap to win the $160,000 Listed Tattersall's Mile at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Inflictor jumped as the $3.50 favourite and the result never looked in doubt when the four-year-old hit the lead from about the 300m mark to collect his first stakes victory. 'I've always said the horse is easy to train and there's a lot of people who have helped me,' a delighted Cousins said. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! It would've been a bittersweet moment for jockey Cejay Graham, who was set to ride The Inflictor in the Tatt's Mile if not for a two-week suspension she is now halfway through serving. Graham also missed out on riding winning mare Miss Joelene, trained by Kelly Schweida, in the earlier Tatt's Gold Crown (2100m). Graham's close mate Rachel King was the lucky recipient of the vacant ride and she made her opportunity count with a flawless performance, finishing ahead of Sibaaq ($4.70) and Chica Mojito ($11). 'I feel for Cejay, she's one of my best friends in the (jockeys') room so I'm gutted she wasn't riding the horse today,' King said. 'She's done all the work on him and she told me everything I needed to know, so a big shout out to her. 'She's a superstar and I'm sure she'll be back on him again very soon.' Tough win! The Inflictor digs deep to score in the Listed Tatt’s Mile with @RachelK11 aboard 😎ðŸ�† @BrisRacingClub â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025 Truck driver Cousins said the victory on Saturday was some consolation for him and connections after The Inflictor finished 11th in this month's $3m Stradbroke Handicap at the same track. 'Yeah it does make up for it,' said the trainer, who only has three to four horses in work. 'The Stradbroke was a tough race. It was his first go in a Group 1 and he didn't get any favours. 'That's just racing and today's proven that he is a Listed horse and it's my biggest win ever as far as race status goes so it's great. 'I'll give him three weeks off now and we'll head down to Sydney. 'I haven't even picked out a race but we'll see what suits him. He could go down for a Benchmark 100 down there.' Cousins paid tribute to The Inflictor's band of owners, including the syndicate Bond 007, which is essentially a group of mates who used to play together at Moreton Bay AFL club. 'They're a mob of larrikin blokes like myself and they just love it,' the 60-year-old trainer said. 'They're all happy, it's great. It's a big day in my training life for sure.' King said The Inflictor had been 'beaten up a little bit' in the Stradbroke but being drawn out wide on Saturday was a blessing in disguise because it allowed him more room to strut his stuff. 'He probably doesn't want any further than the mile, but credit to the team for getting him ready after that run in the Stradbroke,' she said. 'He got his confidence back and it's great to get a winner for Craig.' â– â– â– â– â– Relaxed Metalart too slick in Healy Stakes Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida reckons his WJ Healy Stakes winner Metalart is so relaxed that you could tie him to a fence post and a week later he'd still be chilling out. But the four-year-old gelding had enough zip on Saturday at Eagle Farm to beat Austmarr ($8) and General Salute ($4.40) in the $200,000 Group 3 race over 1200m, handing Schweida a winning double for the day following Miss Joelene's success in the earlier Tatt's Gold Crown (2100m). 'You could tie him up to a fence post, come back a week later and he'd be fine,' Schweida said. 'He's a lovely horse. I don't know where his ceiling is, he just keeps winning. It's quite incredible really. 'He's a very unassuming horse, but he got a gun ride (from Jason Collett) today. 'He goes to sleep in the tie-ups, he's so quiet and lovely and he doesn't look like a racehorse, but he's a pretty good one. 'He probably should have won a stakes race by now. 'He almost came from behind the other day (in the 1000m Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm won by Vodka Martini). 'We got the saloon passage from the good gate today.' Metalart salutes in the last at Eagle Farm with Jason Collett in the saddle earning a double for the @schweidaracing stable! ðŸ'� â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michael Rodd is the regular rider for Metalart but fractured his hand during trackwork at Eagle Farm last week, handing Collett a golden opportunity. Collett will be enjoying his holidays on the Sunshine Coast in two weeks but he made sure he finished Tatt's Tiara day with a bang. 'He's got such a great attitude,' Collett said about four-year-old gelding Metalart, who has now won eight of his 14 races. 'Once he got going the run was easy, and he was strong late. 'I remember seeing him over the Christmas period when Michael Rodd won on him (in a Benchmark 78), and he looked impressive that day. 'I'd say 1400m is probably his best trip, so it was a good sign that he was able to win over 1200m today.' Hidden Wealth jumped at $6.50 but could only manage fourth on a disappointing day for the Tony Gollan stable after star mare Floozie finished fifth in the $700,000 Group 1 Tatt's Tiara.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins seeks redemption with The Inflictor at Eagle Farm as he reflects on Stradbroke heartbreak
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins couldn't bear to watch the standard replays of the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after the story of cult galloper The Inflictor didn't follow the fairytale script. In a magical Stradbroke week that left the 60-year-old truck driver mentally and physically exhausted after being sought after by almost every media outlet on the eastern seaboard, Cousins was left feeling flat after The Inflictor finished 11th in Queensland's premier race two weeks ago. The Ben, JD and Will Hayes -trained War Machine ended up convincingly winning the Stradbroke ahead of Queenslander Yellow Brick and Sydney star Private Eye. Four-year-old gelding The Inflictor will be back on Saturday at Eagle Farm for a crack at the $160,000 Listed Tattersall's Mile, with Rachel King on board after his regular rider Cejay Graham copped a two-week suspension on Stradbroke day that she is still serving. King and Graham are close friends and used to live together when Graham was travelling regularly between her home town Port Macquarie and Sydney, where she was apprenticed to leading trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 • Keeping up with the Jones': From outback to Group 1 big smoke 'I'm still a truck driver,' Cousins joked this week when contacted by Racenet. 'At least he (The Inflictor) showed me that he's up to Group class because he had no luck whatsoever in the Stradbroke. 'It was a hard watch. I haven't even seen the replay, although I watched a couple of drone replays. 'Nash (Rawiller on Private Eye) cut him off early and the horse checked himself. 'He had no racing room whatsoever after that but the positives I took out of it is that he's up to competing on that level and he certainly didn't disgrace himself. 'That was the anticlimax to a great week. It was hard to take on the day. 'We were going out to The Star (casino) afterwards and I just couldn't go. It took the wind out of my sails, put it that way. It was a big fortnight, geez I had some interviews.' It stung even more that the Stradbroke prizemoney went down to 10th place ($36,000) so The Inflictor's connections were left out of pocket on the day but ahead overall, with the gelding earning almost $500,000, winning six out of his 23 races. Cousins said he was happy with drawing the widest barrier (14) for the Tatt's Mile on Saturday because $4 favourite The Inflictor could 'float across at his own steam'. 'I think Rachel will suit him,' the trainer said. 'I booked her on the Sunday after the Stradbroke once Cejay was suspended. She's excited to be on.' Cousins said The Inflictor would have a three-week break after the Tatt's Mile before being targeted for some Group races in Sydney, although he was yet to map out a firm plan. 'If you try to give him a two-month spell then he gets the sulks,' he said. 'I've had a look at the Racing NSW diary and I couldn't really cement anything but I definitely want to go to Sydney with him. 'He'll be a better horse next prep and he's been going like an absolute treat since the Stradbroke. 'He worked enormous on Tuesday so all I'll say is that they'll want to be on their bikes (in the Tatt's Mile).'
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
From fish and chip shop to 2025 Stradbroke Handicap for jockey Cejay Graham
It's not quite out of the frying pan into the fire. It's out of the fish and chip shop into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. Young gun jockey Cejay Graham is buttering up for her first Stradbroke ride, but it was only a decade ago she was frying fish and crumbing calamari at a Port Macquarie fish and chip shop. It was just as well she hated the gig. It didn't last long and it helped to convince her there was a much better career path – that of a jockey. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The daughter of Peter Graham, a former jockey-turned-trainer, was soon set on a path that has had more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel. There have been setbacks and major injuries but the determined young jockey had been a giant-killer in the Brisbane riding ranks and can now help write a Stradbroke fairytale when she rides home-bred hero The Inflictor. 'I was a teenager and working in the fish and chip shop because, like any young kid, I just wanted some of my own money,' Graham recalled. 'I thought horses were amazing and I thought my Dad's job was amazing. 'But for some reason I thought 'I am a girl and I can't do that' and I knew my Dad didn't really want me to become a jockey, because it's a dangerous sport. 'My friend at the time was working in a fish and chip shop, so I thought, 'well, I can't be a jockey, I'll give it a go'. 'I was making calamari and cooking fish and chips and serving people. 'I only got about a week into the job and I absolutely hated it. 'I don't think I stuffed anything up, but the boss was a little bit stunned when I said 'see you later' after I hadn't been there for long. The Inflictor dominates Race 2 at Doomben! ðŸ'° @nashhot — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 • 'As soon as I got a new job of an afternoon at stables with (trainer) John Sprague, I thought 'surely I don't get paid for this'. 'I was initially just doing ground work, putting horses out in the yards, giving them a pick of grass, doing their stable boxes and looking after them. 'I then wanted to give riding trackwork a go. 'I knew Dad didn't want me to do it. 'I remember vividly asking him to teach me how to ride trackwork, but I couldn't get the words out and I just cried because I knew he really didn't want his little girl to do it. 'All he said was that if I was going to do it, I had to do it his way, otherwise I wasn't doing it.' Graham's Stradbroke ride is just her fourth in a Group 1 but the 26-year-old has been a star in the Brisbane riding ranks with a series of stakes wins this year and last year. Nothing has come easy, however. Several years ago there were major injury setbacks when Graham endured a broken back and two broken wrists. She would drive six hours from Port Macquarie to Brisbane for a handful of rides before making the trek back to race in country NSW the next day. The worm started to turn when multiple Group 1 winning Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida took Graham on as an apprentice jockey and she has never looked back. • 'I won't be backing him': Owner questions Stradbroke favourite's odds The girl who was raised a stone's throw from Port Macquarie Racecourse is now taking the senior riding ranks by storm. She is one of a growing army of female jockeys who are dominating. Emily Lang and Angela Jones are the top two in the Brisbane jockey premiership race this season. If The Inflictor can score the Stradbroke, it will be another feather in the cap of the females who are competing on an even footing with the males and beating them more often than not. 'These days, most owners are really excited to have a female jockey on which is absolutely fantastic,' Graham said. Trainer @BBakerRacing gave @bendorries76 the lowdown on Robusto's Stradbroke chances at the Straddie calcutta in Brisbane today ... and he also gave a big tip for one of his runners at Rosehill Gardens. — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 13, 2025 'You hardly hear any of the old stigma when some people used to say 'oh, I'm not putting her on, she's not strong enough'. 'Maybe there is still a tiny bit of it around with some of the old school trainers, but I think female riders have become a lot more accepted now. 'In our (female) jockeys' room in Brisbane we have some experienced riders and that is great because the younger girls like me can really look up to them.' The Stradbroke Handicap has had its share of extraordinary tales over the years, but the Inflictor can write a colourful new chapter. They might one day write a book about it if and the former fish and chip shop worker jockey Cejay Graham surge to an incredible Stradbroke triumph. Bookmakers are giving The Inflictor a solid chance, rating him a $15 prospect.
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins in pursuit of Stradbroke glory with The Inflictor
Craig Cousins has got the speech ready, he's got the new suit and he's got the horse. Now all the larrikin truck driver and hobby trainer has to do is win the thing. We are talking about the $3m Stradbroke Handicap. The Stradbroke, first run in 1890, has had its share of colourful and quirky stories but never before has it seen anything quite like Cousins. The 60-year-old only has three horses in work but one of them, home bred hero The Inflictor, has qualified for The Star Stradbroke. It has meant that Cousins has taken the week off his full-time job as a truck driver to enjoy everything the grandest week in Queensland racing has to offer. 'I have gone and bought a suit, I've bought some ties and I am thinking about the Stradbroke all the time,' Cousins said. 'I do little things in my mind, even when I'm driving the truck, and I've rehearsed what my victory speech is going to be if we win.' Cousins was born in Tasmania to a racing family and his much-loved Dad Des, who passed away on Caulfield Cup day nine years ago, was also a small-time trainer. Mum Carmel, now 90, hasn't been enjoying the best of health but she loves her racing and is determined to get to Eagle Farm if she can on Saturday to witness her boy's big Stradbroke moment. The Inflictor, to be ridden by young gun female jockey Cejay Graham, won a golden ticket into the Stradbroke when winning The Gateway last December. Ever since, Cousins has been plotting a path to Stradbroke glory. But they are busy days as he not only has to worry about The Inflictor and his other horses, but also keep focused on his day job of driving a truck. 'I work for a company called DMK Forest Products and I deliver particle board, plywood and other things to carpenters and shop fitters and joiners,' Cousins said. 'Every day I get up at about 3.15am and I do all the stuff that needs to be done at the stables before I take the horses to the track to do their work. 'My work rider jumps on my horses about 4.45am, then I leave for home about 5.30am. 'I get home by 6am and then I might have a shower and a shave and a coffee and then I head to work and do an eight-hour day. 'I can drive the truck anywhere from up to Gympie, to down to the Gold Coast, to out west to Toowoomba. 'Depending on what my workload is, I'm pretty bloody tired by the end of the week. 'I often find myself thinking about my horses when I'm driving the truck.' One of Cousins' earliest Stradbroke memories was when the great Daybreak Lover won the prestigious race in 1986. Now The Inflictor, a four-year-old gelding which is the son of 2016 Stradbroke winner Under The Louvre, gets an extraordinary chance to join some greats of the turf on the Stradbroke honour roll. The Inflictor is owned by a syndicate managed by Kurt Turner, the eldest son of the late trainer and breeder Ken 'Tubby' Turner. For two decades, Cousins managed a bowls club in Brisbane and he says that even if he won Queensland racing's greatest prize it wouldn't change his life. He would still return to work driving trucks next week and has no plans to expand his small team of horses. 'Dad passed away on Caulfield Cup day nine years ago, but he would be over the moon with me having a Stradbroke horse,' Cousins said. 'The two things that Dad taught me with horses are that if you can't feed them the best feed, don't have them. 'And he also said to make sure I looked after their feet and their teeth. 'This horse was wandering around cattle yards for a while as a young horse, but even then he was a good horse to handle. 'It will be a great thrill if he wins the Stradbroke, but it won't change things too much for me. 'I'm too old to suddenly start training more horses and if you do that, you have to start employing people and there's a lot of obligations. 'At the moment, I'm a one-man band with my training operation and that's the way it will stay. 'If I want to go to the footy or something, I might get a friend to give my horses some water and feed and clean up their poo, but basically I do 99 per cent of everything myself.'
News.com.au
10-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Bond 007 mates will be shaken and stirred if The Inflictor wins Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday
The members of syndicate Bond 007 will be both shaken and stirred if The Inflictor can complete a fairytale story and win Saturday's $3m Stradbroke Handicap. The seven mates are living the dream, with the four-year-old gelding making the Stradbroke field after last December winning the $300,000 The Gateway, which offers a golden ticket into Queensland's premier race. Some members of Bond 007 had placed bets on The Inflictor at $201 for the Stradbroke after his The Gateway victory and will collect a small fortune if jockey Cejay Graham can win her first Group 1 on Saturday at Eagle Farm. And that's not even mentioning the $1.8m cheque which will be shared among connections of the winning horse. 'We're just pinching ourselves that we're even here really,' syndicate member Jim Matthews said at the Breakfast at the Stars at Eagle Farm on a chilly Brisbane morning on Tuesday. 'It's a dream just to have a runner in a Group 1. Whatever he does on the weekend is a bonus but we think he'll run well. 'It's the biggest race in Queensland. It's crazy to even think about it.' The Bond 007 members are good mates from way back, having played and coached together for the Moreton Bay AFL club (formerly Caboolture Lions) some 20 years ago. Just like The Inflictor's trainer Craig Cousins, they're Aussie battlers riding a wave of emotion built on a passion for horse racing and a love of the punt. 'We all played footy together 15 or 20 years ago and everyone was into a punt on a Saturday,' Matthews said. 'Over time we said 'why don't we chip in and get into horse racing?' 'We started with seven in the syndicate which is why we called it Bond 007.' Asked about the wild celebrations if The Inflictor can win the biggest race of his career, syndicate leader Shane Pleming joked that it could be a heart-stopping affair. 'I don't know what will happen. One of us already has a heart problem but the rest of us, we might all drop dead in the stands,' Pleming said with a laugh. 'But look, he's a stunning horse and he keeps getting better. It's easy to train a good horse and Craig has done a great job because he looks magnificent. 'We're right in it because they're all talking about the favourite (War Machine) but we ran just as good a time carrying 61.5kg and he carried only 56.5kg on the same day at Doomben (on May 24).' Hobby trainer and truck driver Cousins, who only has three horses in work, would deliver one of the great Stradbroke stories if he can win on Saturday. 'He's just a decent bloke,' syndicate member John Jeffrey said. 'He's a battler and happy to admit it but he does a good job because the horse always looks well and he races well. 'It'd be a fairytale, there's no doubt about it. Two years ago we were out at the Sunny Coast, up in Toowoomba, out at Gatton, all the provincial tracks and now we're in a Group 1.'
