Greys to shine at Teddy Bears Picnic

By Ross Stanley

The annual Teddy Bears Picnic Family Raceday, to be held this Saturday, August 2 at Eagle Farm, includes very welcome appearances by four-legged workers with grey hair and a “racehorse” that is very easy to steer. 

The BRC's popular venture on the lawn is well timed. It is the start of a new thoroughbred season. On 1 August, yearlings become two-year-olds and they can start racing in the spring. There are three experiences at the fun-filled race day that cater for the racetrack debut for toddlers and older children. 

Firstly, the unique thrill of watching the competing horses in full flight will probably be indelibly memorable. Because candidates still have to canter past the new building near the 600m mark at Eagle Farm as they head to the start, families on the outside fence will get a good look at the runners as they pass by during their preliminaries.

Secondly, the young participants will get the chance to taste race riding, courtesy of the mechanical horse that Racing Queensland’s mentors use to educate apprentices and track riders. Highly experienced RQ staff will be right on the spot to give pointers and control the speed of the “steed”.

Thirdly, one of the best opportunities to pat horses is provided by the placid greys that efficiently partner the Clerks of the Course as they play a range of safety roles. When their usual duties allow between some of the races, Bill Niemann and his team will come up to the rail near the Picnic precinct.

Racegoers will also see them as they escort the nervy gallopers around to the barriers. These horses often wear red ear muffs that block out noises. This gear is removed at the barrier. Ear muffs of a different colour are kept on for the entire race. 

In the unlikely event that a horse escapes from its barrier stall and runs riderless around the course, the Clerks’ difficult task is made easier if patrons maintain silence as it passes. Many horses on the verge of being recaptured get stirred up and spurred on by thoughtless noise-making. 

“The young horses always look for a friend. They are easier to recapture than the older ones,” explained Niemann. 

Niemann has versatility in his credentials, having mustered cattle, been a race day farrier, trained racehorses and competed in campdrafts and rodeos. His workplaces have embraced the Northern Territory, South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers of NSW.

The greys, including those owned by the BRC, are domiciled at his Boonah property. The mainstays are Tom, Rusty, Dusty and Swartzy. 

Niemann’s father Mannie, who was killed in a horse accident in 1961 when Bill was eight years old, was a Brisbane Clerk of the Course. In 1959-60, his fellow redcoat was Alan Wildermuth, a close relative of the late Doug Bougoure and his trainer son Danny. 

There are four more Clerks in the BRC’s current team. 

Dennis Whitmore sported race day silk from 1989 to 2014. His last race ride at Eagle Farm was in the 2010 BRC Sires Produce Stakes on Mundi Gully, a rank outsider that was not disgraced. The duo had gained a spot in the 2010 Magic Millions Classic after Julie Green’s charge had saluted in a $100,000 MM Plate at Mackay. 

Mandy Radecker, who was the first female to claim a Brisbane Apprentice Premiership in 2007-08, has energetically contributed to the thoroughbred world after a successful riding career that included an indentureship with the legendary Pat Duff. 

The household name in Deagon served as Michael Lakey’s stable foreman. She was the winner in the Horsemanship category at the 2021 Godolphin Australian Stud and Stable Awards. Furthermore, Mandy and Enterprise Jack collected the Eventing Champion title in the Queensland Off-The-Track Leaderboard at the 2023 Equestrian Queensland Annual Awards.

Radecker is not one to shy away from a challenge. She has rehabilitated racehorses with problems. Despite the fact that she broke a C2 vertebrae in her neck and cracked a hip in an Eagle Farm fall, she has prevailed as a horse-breaker. 

Mary Inns was presented with her first pony at age eight in Somerset in England. She relished the demands of Mounted Games, the fast-paced action series involving manoeuvring around barrels or flags on poles, quick baton handovers, swift vaulting or mounting, and high-speed galloping against rival teams. 

The Beerwah-based Inns, a Sunshine Coast trackwork rider and a Corbould Park barrier attendant, also rode in Hunts in her homeland.

Alana Lowrie is well qualified. She has been a Clerk of the Course and Starter for the South Australian Jockey Club in in Adelaide. 

Earlier squads included the skillful former jockeys Rickie Leisfield, Brad Richardson, Kevin Bohl and Brad Pratt.

This Saturday, racecourse admission includes access to the Members Reserve. This offering means that families can get very close to the exciting zone where the first five placegetters are unsaddled, jockeys report to connections and winners celebrate. 

It is interesting to observe the pre-race preparations when the trainers and stablehands put on the horses’ gear.

The cups on blinkers prevent the horse from seeing distractions beside or behind them. The focus is then forward looking.

A large bell will ring about twenty minutes before starting time. That is the signal for runners to head up for the identification inspection and entry to the mounting yard. Punters line the fence around the parade ring so they can assess the horses’ fitness and temperament.

Race viewing is easy because Eagle Farm has massive infield television screens.

Other attractions at the Picnic include Best Dressed contests for children. The theme is Raceday Attire and entry is by digital format. There will also be a Disco, Sit Down Games, a Craft Zone, Face Painting, Pony Rides, Jumping Castles and a Rock-Climbing Wall.