Quothquan ready for the Townsville Cup

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba hobby trainer John Dann is hoping for a change in barrier fortunes to deliver him a Townsville Cup win at his first attempt with Quothquan at Cluden Park on Saturday.

Dann has never had a Townsville Cup starter and has only been to Townsville once before when he sent The Tenor north for the Townsville Lightning in 2021.

The Tenor ran in the Townsville and Cairns Lightnings before being moved on to Tolga trainer Sharlee Hoffman.

Named after a Scottish lighthouse, Quothquan drew a horror barrier of 10 when an eye-catching third to the Ricky Vale-trained Logan Street Lion in the Rockhampton Cup last month.

He then drew the outside barrier of 12 in the Mackay Cup when stepping up to 2000 metres for the first time.

He finished fourth to the Aiden Nunn-trained Hype in the Mackay Cup on July 26.

“Barriers killed him in the Rocky and Mackay Cups,” Dann said.

“He’s never drawn an alley but his two runs up there have been good without winning and he’s been very consistent.

“He’s turned into a bit of a non-winner because of his bad draws so hopefully he can draw well this time.”

The 64-year-old Dann has been training horses for more than four decades but only keeps a small stable due to his workload running a spare parts trucking business.

‘I’ve been in business since I was a kid and I’ve got a staff of around 35,” he said.

“Training is more of a hobby and I like to keep around six in work. 

"But, I’ve only for three in work at the moment and they’re all homebreds.”

Dann was hoping to saddle his first Group 1 starter during the Queensland Racing Carnival, but his talented mare Adiella was scratched two days before the Tatt’s Tiara at Eagle Farm.

“She banged her leg somehow and then got an infection two days before the race so we had to scratch her,” he said.

“She would have been my first Group 1 starter.”

Dann gives himself a good shot of claiming his maiden Townsville Cup following a decision to remove blinkers this campaign from Quothquan who is a son of Rothesay.

“He used to race in blinkers, but I took them off for his last three runs and he's been racing well without them,” he said.

Dann rates Rockhampton Cup-winner Logan Street Lion, who finished third in the Mackay Cup, and the Bill Kenning-trained Beau Rain as the main threats to Quothquan.