Latest news with #wintercarnival
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Qld winter carnival wagering hopes ‘washed away' by Group 1 Derby day weather
Queensland winter carnival wagering turnover copped a $20m black hole because of the Group 1 Queensland Derby day washout, however Racing Queensland insists there were still positive wagering pointers. Racing Queensland CEO Lachlan Murray said that overall winter carnival turnover had dipped from $384m to $357m (a seven per cent decline) but on a per race basis it was a 2.7 per cent drop-off seeing as not as many races were staged this year. Group 1 Queensland Derby Day on May 31 was a drama for wagering numbers with the second half of the card rescheduled due to bad weather conditions, including the Fred Best Classic being moved to a Wednesday midweek affair at Doomben. 'On the wagering front, our hopes of eclipsing last year's numbers washed away, quite literally, when we had to reschedule the second half of the Queensland Derby Day card to midweek and a Super Saturday in conjunction with the Oaks,' Murray said. 'We dropped $20 million in forecast turnover on those days alone. 'When we normalise the activity, stripping out Derby Day and Oaks Day, this year's Carnival was narrowly up on last year's carnival. 'On a per race basis, we were up 1.5 per cent so we're starting to see a few green shoots which we're hoping will hold during the new racing season.' The Derby Day situation wasn't ideal for wagering and weather is out of the control of racing authorities. However there were reasons for positivity. Wagering turnover on Caloundra Cup Day ($31.1m) was the biggest improver of the carnival as it was up 37.4 per cent, admittedly with an extra race than the year before. After many feature Sunshine Coast race meetings in recent years have been hit by bad weather, the sun finally shone on the day and the crowd of more than 6000 was up more than 50 per cent. Murray pledged that RQ would review the performance of the winter carnival. 'The final month of the carnival was also our best from an attendance standpoint – the Ipswich Cup and Caloundra Cup both eclipsed last year's figures – which showed that people were happy to vote with their feet when the sun came out,' Murray said. 'There's a lot to be positive about, but we always want it to be bigger and better, so we will review what worked and what didn't and we will look to make next year's carnival even better. 'Overall, it was another exciting and strong edition of the Queensland winter carnival.' The strongest wagering in the winter carnival was on Stradbroke Day ($55.2m), Queensland Oaks Day ($51.4m), Doomben Cup Day ($44.7m), Doomben 10,000 Day ($39m) and Tatt's Tiara Day ($37.7m).
The Australian
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Kyle Wilson-Taylor steps up for double with trainer Chris Waller at Eagle Farm
The big boys have left town, now it's Kyle Wilson-Taylor's time to shine. With the Queensland winter carnival well and truly over and the star southern jockeys either back home or on holidays, Wilson-Taylor collected a double with a couple of textbook rides on the Chris Waller-trained $11 chances Yet He Moves and Caboche. • 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! Wilson-Taylor steered gelding Yet He Moves to victory in a Benchmark 78 Handicap over a mile before winning on Caboche in an open handicap at the same distance in the next race. 'The carnival is gone and the city jocks have gone home so that gives us a crack now,' Wilson-Taylor said. 'Chris (Waller) had a chat to me during the carnival and said once it goes, I'll be straight back in there. 'It's great to get these opportunities and even better to make the most of them. 'It helps when you draw good gates and have really well-prepared horses. 'I galloped him (Caboche) on Tuesday and he's one of my favourite horses.' Five-year-old gelding Yet He Moves flew down the outside in the straight to beat home Just Flying ($6) and $81 outsider Connecticut. Asked about the son of Adelaide going into the race without a trial after last running in early May over 1835m at Eagle Farm, Wilson-Taylor said: 'You never discount Mr Waller, he's the best trainer in the country for a reason. 'This horse is forward and just needs that sort of variety. He loves to switch off early and present at the right time and it all worked out for me today. 'I probably got there a bit soon and he switched off late but it's good signs going forward. 'Chris has been a really good supporter of mine in recent times and I've been doing a bit of work there and getting the results.' Caboche defeated $2.50 favourite Chica Mojito for a Waller quinella, with the Jack Bruce-trained This'llbetheone ($9.50) in third. There was a sad postscript to Caboche's victory, with the Chris and Corey-Munce-trained gelding Brookhaven being humanely euthanised on the track after breaking down entering the straight.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Ben Dorries hands out his awards from the 2025 Queensland winter carnival
It's that time of year when racing writer Ben Dorries hands out his version of The Oscars. Our man has identified the best Queensland winter performers and also gone off Broadway for some of the carnival's most quirky and colourful moments. â– â– â– â– â– BEST ACTOR Humble hobby trainer Craig Cousins gets the Tom Cruise award for being the winter carnival's leading man. His home-bred hero The Inflictor may not have won the Stradbroke Handicap. But the story of the truck driving trainer with a handful of horses, one of which qualified for the $3m Stradbroke, will go down in carnival folklore. Cousins trains from stables out the back of his mum's house and he enjoyed every moment of Stradbroke week, even buying himself a new suit for the occasion. After The Inflictor won a Listed race, he went out of his way to thank the media and everyone else for the wonderful magic carpet ride he had been on. A real character and a gentleman. â– â– â– â– â– BEST NEW TALENT When Cool Archie won a couple of two-year-old races at the start of the carnival, it didn't really turn the dial. And there were a few sniggers when Chris Munce nominated the Group 1 JJ Atkins as the winter goal for his young colt. After all, racegoers in these parts are used to local heroes being overrun by big names like Waller and Cummings when they come to town. But he who laughs last, laughs longest. Munce and his son Corey, along with prominent owner Max Whitby, were celebrating when Cool Archie won five straight including the JJ Atkins. Unless Sydney bias kicks in, the sensational youngster should be a lock for Australian 2YO of the year honours. What a run, what a horse â�ï¸� Cool Archie takes out the G1 Ladbrokes JJ Atkins for Team Munce & Martin Harley ðŸ'� — Ladbrokes Australia (@ladbrokescomau) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST PICTURE When Antino scored the Hollindale Stakes and the Group 1 Doomben Cup by as far as you could kick your hat. Wins the best picture gong as there were literally no other horses in the finish picture on either occasion. Tony Gollan collects training premierships and big races for fun – but this was his crowning moment. Antino can be a quirky horse and turning him from a sprinter-miler into a middle distance/stayer was a magical effort that David Copperfield would have been proud of. Queensland's champion trainer will have plenty of spring fun with Antino, who is the second betting pick in the Cox Plate behind Via Sistina. In case you missed it! Antino was a brilliant winner of the Group One Doomben Cup this morning... 🤯 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 24, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST CASTING Young Queensland jockey Angela Jones as a marquee winter carnival performer. The jockey who grew up in outback Queensland might not have won a Group 1, although she did get within a whisker when Zarastro led until the shadows of the post in the Kingsford Smith Cup. But she won five feature races, including for Gai Waterhouse and for the royal blue of Godolphin, and she more than held her own against the big name southern jockeys who ventured north. Won four straight races on Floozie and it wasn't her fault the mare was a beaten favourite in the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara. Should win the Brisbane jockeys' premiership. We will look back at the 2025 winter carnival as being the making of her on the big stage. Floozie brains them in the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes! ðŸ'¥ @tonygollan — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST PERFORMANCE While Antino and Cool Archie both had claims, the gong goes to Joliestar. The mare's truly incredible triumph in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup had to be seen to be believed. On a day where it was close to impossible to make too much ground from back, Chris Waller 's glamour girl came from so far off them to win that it looked like she had been shot out of a cannon. There was a freeze-frame of the race with 100m or so to go posted on social media, and you deadset would have bet $101 about Joliestar winning. It might not have been a vintage field, but the manner of her win suggested a big spring carnival and potentially redemption in The Everest is coming. An EPIC finish in the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup sees Joliestar nab them right on the line to take her third Group 1! 🤩 @cwallerracing @mcacajamez @BrisRacingClub @RaceQLD — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 7, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– ROCKY BALBOA GOLDEN GLOVES The jockeys' room blue between Noel Callow and Kyle Wilson-Taylor was the bust-up of the carnival. It did what many of the actual races could not – get global headlines. The bad blood had been bubbling for a while but at the end of the day it was probably half a storm in a teacup. It won't be long before 'King' Callow has served his ban and returns to the races. Noel Callow has been banned over an altercation with a rival jockey, a penalty which could be reduced if he completes an anger management course, reports @bendorries76. — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 12, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– RISING STAR War Machine was the Stradbroke Handicap favourite from the moment he made a mess of his rivals in the Group 3 BRC Sprint. Some (including me) would say that backing a $3.20 favourite in the Stradbroke is a quick way to the poor house. But War Machine did it comfortably and could be one right out of the box. The late, great Mike Moroney identified him as a must-have horse and he has started to live up to what Moroney always thought he promised. Bring on the spring, as the penny hasn't even dropped yet. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Former Irishman Tom Sherry cracked his first Group 1 when he scored the Tatt's Tiara on Tashi and quickly paid tribute to his long-term partner Danika Losty. Losty has been there through Sherry's darkest times – even when he copped a drug ban as an 18-year-old in his Irish homeland. Sherry arrived in Australia without a job and with his passion for racing wavering, but Losty never lost faith and kept urging him to follow his racing dreams even when he was working on a building site erecting temporary fences. Bravo.
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Racing Queensland set to pay out $1.5 million in prizemoney for abandoned Brisbane Cup meeting
The inaugural Group 1 Brisbane Cup meeting at The Q was supposed to usher in a new dawn for Queensland greyhound racing and put an exclamation mark on a winter carnival to remember. A cause for celebration, optimism and hope at the industry's brand spanking new $90 million state-of-the-art facility. But with the postponement of last Saturday's card after just two races, and the decision on Wednesday night to abandon any hopes of staging this weekend's rescheduled meeting, it will instead go down in infamy. Make no mistake, the fallout from this seismic bungle will be immense. And so it should be. When announcing that the showcase meeting had been abandoned, Racing Queensland (RQ) declared that the $1.49 million in feature prizemoney would be dispersed evenly among the finalists in the respective races. And rightly so given the significant expense and time connections – both locally and interstate – expended to partake in the carnival in good faith. But while RQ now must absorb the astronomical prizemoney expense, it carries no meaningful wagering return to support it. It's essentially dead money that the industry must now wear, along with the embarrassment and public fallout that goes with it. And the owners and trainers aren't immune from the havoc either, many staring down the barrel at their one and only shot of group race glory, now just left to ponder what might have been. • 'These are the facts': Shailer defends Winx favourite scratching A dark void left on the sport's most prestigious honour rolls for 2025, one that was meant to mark an important moment in history. When the post mortem begins on the whole sorry saga it will need to circle back well past the most recent events which led to the Q2 Parklands track being unfit and unsafe for racing. Bubbling away for months has been material concerns about the track surface management at the three-track complex which has largely been shunned by club officials. 'Trainers have been raising concerns week after week but there's been no appetite to listen, let alone acknowledge,' said one leading trainer. 'We could all see where it was heading but they just wanted to keep hiding behind reports and readings and listening to people that quite frankly just aren't up to the job at hand.' As consequential as the loss of the Brisbane Cup meeting is, it may just very well be the circuit-breaker needed for change. Since the Queensland Greyhound Racing Club (QGRC) was brought to life as a merged entity between the now defunct Brisbane GRC and Ipswich GRC, it's been anything but smooth sailing. Constant political infighting and jostling for power and relevance from within the club's corridors has been a constant theme. And that was no better illustrated than during the saga that engulfed the club during the departure of the club's former CEO Peter Gleeson earlier in the year. Then on Monday, it was revealed that highly respected northern NSW track curator Scott Higgins was set to take the reins as the track's new lead curator. It now seems for varying reasons that appointment is now on shaky ground as well. As a greyhound facility and entertainment venue the opportunities at The Q are endless. But for it to realise that potential change is needed. And with Racing Queensland and the Queensland Government demanding answers, you can expect that change to come sooner rather than later.
