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Fire King ready for QTIS Northern Jewel

18 May 2022

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By Garry Dell

Perseverance is an admirable trait in the racing game and when it pays off it makes life easier and worthwhile.

Just ask Mackay trainer Olivia Cairns and her partner Matthew O'Connell to recall the tale behind what it took to buy "iron horse" Fire King, one of the highly-fancied starters in the $105,000 Northern Jewel QTIS 3YO Handicap over 1300 metres at Cluden Park Townsville on Friday.

Equal top weight with 61kgs, Fire King will be lining up for his 24th career start and his 16th of the season with regular rider Ryan Wiggins in the saddle from an ideal barrier draw.

O'Connell was keen on buying the son of Worthy Cause as a yearling because his dam is also the mother of Last Chance, who Cairns trained to win several races at Townsville and Mackay and he recently won successive races in Brisbane.

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A mobile lender with the ANZ Bank, O'Connell watched the colt passed in for $19,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions and a similar amount at the following Rockhampton yearling sale.

However, he happened to be at Clear Mountain Stud a couple of months later and learned that the colt was still for sale, having been broken in and given a brief pre-training program.

So he nabbed him for $33,000 and brought stable clients Brad and Mel Bates from Bowen and miner Peter Henderson from Moranbah into an ownership partnership.

To date, Fire King has earned prize money of more than $190,000 and Friday's first prize of $60,000 would put the icing on the cake.

Olivia, 42, the son of a former jockey John rode successfully for several years in the north until a serious race fall ended her career and she turned her hand to training.

As well as winning most of Townsville's major features when training at Cluden she was thrice Townsville premiership trainer.

Cairns is quietly confident of Fire King's chances.

"He's a tough customer although he's not over big," Cairns said.

"He’s only about 15.2 hands and looks more like a pony up against the likes of Isis Carmella and Palencia.

"But, he doesn't that and he's got such a big heart and will-to-win usually carrying big weights.

"We had thought about giving him a try in Brisbane but then realised he would probably be overpowered by the giants down there.

"Unfortunately in one way he's paying the penalty for his consistency by getting the big weights up here but that's the way it goes.

"All things being equal and with a clear run on Friday I reckon he'll be right in the finish."

Cairns considers the equal top weight filly Isis Carmella and the unbeaten Yes Dream her main dangers but doesn't discount Palencia who has again been draw out at 11 in the field of 16.

Fire King will be Cairns' only runner on Friday but she hopes to win the Battle Of The Bush qualifier at Home Hill on Saturday with Ammoudi Bay.

Fire King
Olivia Cairns Next Racing
Tyler Leslight Next Racing
Ryan Wiggins Next Racing