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Tycoon Thunder lands spot in Country Stampede Final

8 November 2021

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Photo credit: Peter Roy

500-8134.jpgBy Jordan Gerrans

The long-term plan has paid off for a prolific North Queensland combination.

Months before qualifiers for the $75,000 Country Stampede commenced, experienced Townsville-based hoop Frank Edwards declared Tycoon Thunder was set to be a major player in the Final, even going as far as to say the sprinter would have won the Battle of the Bush Final if he had been targeted that way.

Astute Atherton Tablelands trainer Ricky Ludwig was of the same opinion.

“We’ll just go through his classes and see where he ends up, but I’m hoping to try for either the Country Stampede later this year or the Battle of the Bush next year,” Ludwig said earlier this year. 

 “So that’s why he’s been going to the bush, to be honest, so all he’s got to do is win a qualifying race and he can go there.”

It took the confident team a little while to get there – running second in an Atherton qualifier in October – but they have finally landed a spot on George Moore Stakes day in December via the northernmost qualifier in the state – Cooktown.

The son of Written Tycoon made it nine victories from 25 starts on Saturday afternoon at Cooktown, getting home by half a length in an Open Handicap over 1000 metres.
“He had to win and win pretty comfortably for me to consider it,” Ludwig said.
“I thought he would win – we didn’t come up to Cooktown to run second – but I wanted him to do it comfortably.
“I got $2.40 about him which was a very good price for a horse that was going to just win.”

In Tycoon Thunder’s 12 starts in Queensland – after beginning his career in Victoria – the five-year-old gelding has won on eight occasions.

In each triumph, it has been the 57-year-old Edwards in the saddle, with the veteran hoop hopeful he can partner his NQ winning machine in the big dance over 1100 metres in the first week of December in Brisbane. 

“The horse has been super impressive every time I have ridden him,” Edwards said.

“Ricky has an incredible strike rate and he really looks after his horses, they are his own horses as he does not train for other people.

“He is astute, he picks the right races for them.”

 

500-8105.jpgLooking ahead to the CS Final in just under a months’ time, Ludwig is cautious that his stable star has had a long preparation.

But he is not going to pass up an opportunity to add to his 86 metropolitan starts - for three wins - as a trainer, which he recorded earlier in his career when he was based at Beaudesert.

“He’s been up for a long, long time,” Ludwig said.
“I got him at the start of the year and since April he’s had 12 starts, which is a lot.

"But he’s had eight wins and deserves to have a crack in the city.

“For some reason he loves Frank and I think Frank loves him.”

Also in Cooktown on Saturday afternoon, FNQ Cups queen Janel Ryan added the Cooktown Cup for 2021 to her bulging trophy cabinet from the last year.

The Ryan stable has claimed Atherton, Innisfail and Cairns Cup’s this year alone and booked a position in the Country Cups Challenge Final as He’s Wow Class took out the 2021 Cooktown Cup by just under a length.

Connections have noted a tilt at the $30,000 Townsville Amateur Cup at Cluden Park later this month is likely the next step for He’s Wow Class.

In other CCC qualifiers across the Sunshine State over the weekend, Bernie’s Tiger – trained by John Manzelmann out of Mackay – claimed his second heat victory of the series, this time getting the money at Moranbah after previously also scoring at Ewan.

Under apprentice hoop Cody Collis, the seven-year-old gelding taught the Moranbah Cup field a lesson, bolting in by 11 lengths in a breathtaking display.

"The horse performed really well and was strong to the line," Collis said.

"You do not see big margins like that in Cup races like that very often."

Similar to Bernie’s Tiger, Piracy claimed his second qualifier over the last few months, grabbing a Chinchilla Country Stampede heat after previously also landing the prize at Tara.

Qualifiers across Queensland will be held this coming weekend at Ingham, Mount Perry and Blackall.