Peter Cullen finds his focus in training

By Jordan Gerrans

Stalwart North Queensland hoop Peter Cullen believes his riding days are likely behind him but with a promising juvenile galloper in his barn, he says the future is bright for his training tenure. 

The 63-year-old has been a long-standing fixture in the riding ranks in the north of the Sunshine State for decades. 

The Cullen clan is synonymous with racing in the north, with an array of family members competing as jockeys and trainers over the years. 

Cullen is dual-licenced as a trainer and a jockey but has not ridden in a race since October of 2023.

He was the first person in Queensland to receive his dual licence as both a trainer and jockey.

While he was busy riding trackwork this week, the veteran North Queenslander says training will soon become his sole focus. 

And, with a smart up-and-coming galloper such as Carohvic in his team, there is every reason for the experienced Cullen to feel optimistic about what is ahead.

“I do not believe I will get a jockey’s licence to ride again as I have had a few injuries,” Cullen said.

“I went to the doctor and discussed it this week, he suggested I settle down a bit and I took his opinion to heart.

“I have had a really good innings as a jockey seeing as I have never really had to waste with my weight, compared to other jockeys.

“In my last 15 years of riding, I got really serious with it and I started travelling a bit and it all changed. Since then, we have been going real well.”

Carohvic is yet to miss the top two in a couple of race starts and heads towards Friday’s QTIS 2YO Classic Prelude at Townsville’s Cluden Park over 1000 metres.

The $35,000 event is a steppingstone towards the feature $100,000 2YO Classic at the same venue early next month.

Racing And Sports’ statistics list Cullen with 1,295 career victories in the saddle.

Cluden Park provided the hoop with some of his greatest triumphs, collecting 568 winners at the track.

Since turning his hand to training in recent times, Cullen has collected 17 victories but if his thoughts about Carohvic come to fruition, then that number is likely to increase sharply.

The son of Dubious was a $25,000 purchase and is raced by Cullen’s friend and long-time client Carol Dietrich and her brother Victor Townley.

Local hoop Graham Kliese has stuck with the gelding through his trials and into his first two starts and will jump from the seven alley on Friday. 

“He is a very promising horse and his first two starts have been very good,” Cullen said of Carohvic.

“He went for a 10 day break to freshen up a bit and since then, he has not put a foot wrong. He is going exceptionally well.

“I thought his effort to run second to Nosey Neo was a good one on debut, it showed he was a smart horse as it probably was a bit early for him.

“And, he was pretty much spot on for his second start and Graham was tickled pink with everything he did that day.”

Cullen laughs when reminded that he and Kliese were long-term competitors on North Queensland racetracks over the decades before becoming a team in recent times. 

Kliese has piloted five winners this month already and has a high opinion of Carohvic. 

“He’ll be better over 1200 metres when I don’t have to rouse him out of the gates,” Kliese said. 

“I was just lucky Peter rang me and asked me have you got a two-year-old and I said not really.

“He said I’ve got a little horse do you want to have a ride on him. So, I walked around the corner and saw him and he’s a standout dude. I’ve been a fan ever since.”

The 56-year-old Kliese rides Carohvic in his work and Cullen is keen to stick with the hoop following his first two race starts.

Of Cullen’s 17 career winners as a trainer, five of those came with the now retired Buster Block.

Buster Block finished second in two Mackay Cups as well as finishing a close-up fifth in the Townsville Cup in 2020.

Cullen believes Carohvic has the talent to surpass Buster Block as the best horse he has prepared.

“He will assert himself the way he is going, right through his career,” he said.

“Buster Block was a very nice horse and this little chestnut fella, he is probably three times better than him with the way he is going.

“This fella, he does everything you throw at him and he is still learning to race.

“He has a knack of doing things really quick and he is very smart. We are just waiting to see what we have got with him.”

Following the $100,000 2YO Classic, Cullen is likely to target his promising juvenile towards the Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. 

The QTIS 2YO Classic Prelude is not the only feature event at Townsville’s Cluden Park on Friday.

The $105,000 Northern Jewel QTIS 3YO Handicap will also be contested over 1400 metres with stables represented from across Central and North Queensland.