Spotlight On: 4YO Constellations

The two biggest stables in Queensland are on a collision course. Again, and again and again. However, despite the weekly battles, the focus is fairly and squarely centred on the Queensland Constellations carnival at Albion Park, the famed Breakfast Creek oval.

It’s the clash of the four-year-olds that has everyone buzzing.

Queensland’s two largest stables possess a pair of studs that will feature prominently in most of the major age group features including the Group 1 $300,000 Rising Sun, $26,000 The Kevin Thomas, $53,000 4YO Championship and then, quite possibly, the $2.1 million TAB Eureka at Menangle in September.

Stakes are high and the attrition rate could be extreme. Let’s take a deeper dive into the major contenders from both camps.

Grant and Trista Dixon, the reigning Australian Trainers of the Year, based at Tamborine, have both Air Express and Charge Ahead aiming towards the above-mentioned features and working out who has top billing within the stable is not easy.

“We can’t split them. JJ (Air Express) is already a Group 1 winner (NSW Breeders Challenge) while Caesar (Charge Ahead) has improved out of sight in the last 12 months, his second placing in the Group1 Chariots of Fire at Menangle is a great example of how far he has come,” Grant Dixon explained.

“Both horses will target most of the features - it’s going to be tough and very competitive but hopefully they both measure up.”

Air Express (Sweet Lou – Ark Elaine), a $32,000 Australian Pacing Gold purchase from Sydney in 2022 has amassed a record of 11 wins from 25 starts to date with his biggest triumph coming via the NSW Breeders Challenge 3YO Final last October in a career best time of 1:51.7.

Dixon knows this family better than anyone else having trained his mother plus all the siblings which transformed into proven feature race stars including Atomic Ark, Arkamigo, Arkareena and Ark De Ville among others.

“He’s taken some sorting out, even now he’s still not perfect but he showed us something very early. We knew he had a motor, but we just had to work with him,” Dixon said.

“Around the stables, he’s very easy to work with and does plenty of hopple work. He’s a good eater without being a big eater, both Jai and Cooper (sons) enjoy pottering around with him.”

On the other side of the barn is Charge Ahead, he’s the opposite of his talented stablemate.

Charge Ahead (Bettors Delight – Cherish The Moment) is a homebred with a record of eight wins from 26 starts to date, but another horse the Dixons know very well, having prepared his mother for solid success on the racetrack before retirement, he hails from a rich pedigree.

“Caesar is very much typical of his breeding. He’s continued to improve with each and every campaign. Early on, he was quite headstrong and hard to hopple so much of his work is galloping,” Dixon said.

“He’s a great eater, a real piggy who would just keep eating if you kept tipping it in his bin. He’s improving all the time, on and off the track.

Surprisingly, these two horses have never worked together, they’re very different in their routines.

Both Air Express and Charge Ahead are raced by Kevin and Kay Seymour.

Meanwhile, across town at Patrick Estate, west of Brisbane, the husband-and-wife team of Pete McMullen and Chantal Turpin - and reigning Albion Park Metropolitan Trainer/Driver of the Year - are also busily plotting and planning their raid on the carnival with The Janitor and Dele Row.

“Naturally, we think a fair bit of both horses and are looking forward to the challenge of the Constellations, it will be a different path for both given Artie (Dele Row) is a QBRED while The Janitor is a former Kiwi pacer,” McMullen said.

“We have The Janitor as our No.1 seed but Dele Row is improving all the time. Both are quite different to one another but similar in other ways.”

The Janitor (Always B Miki – Weka Lass) was purchased privately by Brisbane-based owner Craig Whiteoak as an unraced three-year-old and has built a strong record of 10 wins from 18 starts while amassing more than $100,000.

Sent to Sydney earlier this year to qualify for the Chariots of Fire, The Janitor won two of his three starts at Menangle but was made an emergency for the Group 1 feature.

“He’s a serious horse. He arrived from New Zealand so green and new, but he’s continued to improve all the time. He’s fast and strong while his gate speed (or lack thereof) is improving. If he had the gate speed of Dele Row he’d be flat out dangerous in any race he’d contest,” McMullen said.

“While he’s still far from the finished product, we think the Rising Sun is a great opportunity for him to showcase his skillset. If he won, we’d consider starting him in the Inter Dominion.”

His super consistent stablemate Dele Row has many options to consider.

Dele Row (Art Major – Fullon Boundary Row), a $30,000 Australian Pacing Gold purchase from the Gold Coast sale in 2022 by Taree dairy farmer Doug Johnston has put together a fine record of 13 wins and just as many placings from 32 career starts to date while banking over $215,000.

This season he’s gone from strength to strength, winning seven of his 10 starts - all at Albion Park.

“He’s always been a good horse and contesting the bigger races throughout his career, he’s had some horror draws in some key event which haven’t helped either,” McMullen said.

“His versatility is paramount, obviously he’s become stronger as he’s matured. He has good gate speed; I’ve cut some big miles with him on the front end while he’s come off cover to record some good victories too.”

The stage is set for the 2025 Queensland Constellations, which will climax on July 19.