By Tony McMahon
The Rockhampton racing industry is gearing for a huge week with the clock well and truly ticking away towards the Capricornia Yearling Sale Racing Carnival.
This incorporates two days of TAB Callaghan Park race meetings offering approximately $700,000 in prize money, QTIS incentives and trophies spanning Friday and Saturday.
It wraps up on Sunday at the Robert Schwarten Pavilion, Rockhampton Showground when just over 120 young thoroughbreds will be auctioned at the Capricornia Yearling Sale.
The carnival will inject a massive financial boost to the Rockhampton economy with vendors and buyers alone arriving from as far afield as Taree, NSW and Mareeba, Far North Queensland.
Furthermore, there is a wide spread diversification geographically of trainers, jockeys, owners and horses coming for the two days of racing that has attracted 233 entries.
Among the racing hubs outside of Rockhampton and Central Queensland represented with likely starters are Brisbane, Gold Coast, Darling Downs, Sunshine Coast, Roma, Townsville and Mackay.
Spearheading the feature races are Saturday’s $150,000 Capricornia Yearling Sale 2YO Classic over 1200 metres and the corresponding feature Classic for 3&4YO’s with $100,000 in prize money.
Rockhampton Jockey Club chairman Rob Carr is naturally extremely happy with the respond for all sectors of the three days carnival.
“Couldn’t be happier really. The response is exactly what the club was hoping for. It is a unique event for a race club to convene a yearling sale. The CYS has been up and running under one format or another for about 30 years now. I am certain it is the only one of its type in Queensland and possibly Australia where the yearling sale is convened by the race club. We are very fortunate to have such a professional team as Magic Millions as selling agents. The spin-off is all great for Rocky in general," Carr said.
He went on to say that visiting industry stakeholders would see massive changes under way to certain facilities at Callaghan Park racecourse particularly the saddling enclosure.
“The race starters now enter the mounting enclosure via a covered tunnel between both viewing stands. As well the new winners and place getters circle at Callaghan Park will be up and running on Friday but it won’t be finalised. It is shaping up pretty well and is based on the concept in place at Moonee Valley. Those Callaghan Park complexes will be refreshed when the building and landscaping works are completed," Carr said.
Friday’s meeting comprises an eight-race card with 130 nominations and fields should be sizeable when declared on Wednesday morning.
Race winning candidates for the 2YO Classic include Rockhampton’s I’m Bluey (trained by Clinton Taylor), Jamie McConachy’s Sunnycoast and Ricky Vale’s dual victor Track Tale.
Toowoomba’s Ringer’s Reward (Kevin Kemp) which has raced well in strong Brisbane company and Townsville’s This Girl’s Ready (Georgie Holt), both winners, will add to the Classic riddle.
As well there are six other individual place getters entered in the Classic which is restricted to graduates from Rockhampton’s 2022 CYS.
The Clinton Taylor-trained Divine Purpose and Nick Walsh’s Just Super dominate the local challengers in the 3&4YO Classic, which has 13 individual winners among the entries.