Kelly Schweida's summer carnival assault

By Jordan Gerrans

It was a 2025 winter campaign to remember for Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida and he is eager to keep the good times rolling in Queensland's Summer Racing Carnival.

The Eagle Farm mentor already has his eyes on Magic Millions day early next year with impressive youngster Scartoon who was a smart Caloundra winner late last month. 

As the summer carnival heads to Eagle Farm this Saturday, the 67-year-old boasts a strong team in the feature events. 

The Schweida stables assault this Saturday is headlined by El Morzillo who goes in search of a position in the 2026 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap in The Gateway.

The Gateway champion on Saturday collects a golden ticket into next year’s Group 1 Stradbroke at Eagle Farm.

Long-time Brisbane conditioner Schweida backed The Gateway as a concept and declared his grey mare was ready to perform well after two runs this preparation. 

“It is a good idea,” Schweida said of direct entry into the Stradbroke Handicap. 

“El Morzillo's first run this prep was a bit disappointing but when I looked at the sectionals, they ran home quick.

“It was an ok run, being first-up and she has a poor record first-up.

“The other day, she was a victim of a bad barrier and she had to go back to last and was three-wide. She is trucking along nice.”

El Morzillo is a galloper who has always shown plenty of promise after claiming the rich Inglis Sprint at Flemington in March of this year. 

Schweida has multiple Group 1 victories on his resume, but the winter of 2025 will go down as one of the greatest of his training tenure.

While his victories were not at the highest level, they came thick and fast over the lucrative carnival.

It was the most black-type victories he had ever recorded across a carnival.

Sunrays (Listed Bill Carter Stakes and Listed Show A Heart), Miss Joelene (Listed Tattersall’s Gold Crown), Vodka Martini (Listed Lightning Handicap) and Metalart (Group 3 W.J Healy Stakes) all struck black-type gold over the carnival.

Schweida – who hails from Townsville in North Queensland – hopes the winter run can continue over the summer carnival. 

“We just timed our run a little bit that way,” he said of the winter winning spree.

“I think we won six or seven black-type races over the carnival, so we had a pretty good carnival with not a big string of horses.

“That is the way we have planned it towards the summer now, we put a lot of these horses out during July and August.

“I went on a couple of weeks holiday. They are starting to warm up now for the summer.”

El Morzillo is the headline act in the $300,000 The Gateway but Schweida has plenty of other firepower in his barn for this Saturday and beyond. 

He presents with Metalart and Vodka Martini in the Listed Bribie Handicap over 1000 metres while Miss Joelene heads to the Tails Stakes which is also run at Listed level over 1500 metres.

The barn has already shown they are in form after Grafterburners claimed the $160,000 Pierata Plate on Saturday afternoon at Doomben. 

The three-year-old colt is unbeaten in his two runs this preparation and Schweida will now target him towards the Listed Gold Edition Plate on the 20^th of this month before more than likely contesting the Magic Millions Sunlight early in 2026. 

If Grafterburners does not go to the Sunlight, the trainer says the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate could also be an option. 

“He was going to win ok and then Cejay Graham had to stop riding him and straighten him, but him being a colt – he half pulled up,” the Brisbane trainer said of Saturday’s win in the Pierata Plate. 

“He then got going again.

“I wouldn’t like it over again but he hadn’t run for a month and he is a little colt who can put on weight quick.

“He was second-up, his time was good.

“I think the second horse Damien had a little bit of form here in Brisbane and in Sydney.”

Following Saturday, Miss Joelene is likely to target The Wave at the Gold Coast on the 10^th of January – a race she won last year – before going towards the Subzero race on Magic Millions day. 

Scartoon is already bound for the 2YO Classic on Magic Millions day and Schweida says he still has a bit more firepower to unleash in his two-year-old brigade before the ‘grand final’ in the middle of January.