Talented Cobbo on the way to Brisbane

By Jordan Gerrans

Speedy Rockhampton gelding Cobbo has earnt himself a trip to the big smoke on the back of his third win in his last four starts at Thangool on Monday afternoon.

Prepared by the husband-and-wife training team of Michael and Christine Dore at Callaghan Park in Central Queensland, Cobbo carried 62kg to blitz his rivals by more than a length in Benchmark 60 company over 800 metres.

The triumph on Monday was Cobbo’s eighth of his career, from just 28 attempts, and his third victory since early November of last year.

Cobbo’s other recent wins came at Thangool in late January as well as a leading performance on his home track at Rockhampton on Melbourne Cup day of 2025 over 1200 metres.

The Dores, who are both in their early 70s, are quickly scouring through the racing calendar to find a suitable event for Cobbo in Brisbane over the coming weeks.

They are considering targeting a Saturday No Metro Wins event or a midweek contest over the sprint trip.

“If we were to find the right race, he'll get down in the weights in Brisbane because he's won eight races,” co-trainer Michael said.

“It'd be interesting to give him a go down there. 

"Raul Silvera Olivera, who rides him for us, always said he'd be very competitive in Brisbane. 

“We haven't bothered to travel him that far yet because he's still learning his trade.”

While it was only hand-timed, Michael believes Cobbo broke his own track record over 800 metres at Thangool on Monday, scoring in 43.38 seconds.

It was his third win at the venue from just five attempts. 

Now racing as a five-year-old, co-trainer Christine - who was a jockey before going into training - believes Cobbo has shown enough development in recent months to deserve a shot in the city.

“He's matured a lot and he's happy to go down there, he'll stand at the races no worries compared to what he previously was like,” Christine said.

“So, I think if ever he's going to travel to town, this is probably his prep to do it. 

“I've just got to find the right race. 

“He can race up to 1200 metres, but I think 800 to 1000 metres is probably his go. 

“I think he'd probably be a better Doomben horse than Eagle Farm, although he's raced here at Rockhampton with the long straight to win and be placed. 

"Raul has really taught him to settle.”

Cobbo could have easily put four wins in a line if he was not rolled late at Rockhampton in the middle of February over 1050 metres and had to settle for second.  

The Dore team are full-of-praise for the effort and focus Uruguayan hoop Silvera Olivera has put in to get Cobbo’s mind on the job.

The 35-year-old jockey has been a revelation in Central Queensland since he relocated to the city, headlined by claiming the local feature Rockhampton Cup last year aboard Logan Street Lion. 

It is fair to say the Dore stable had some troubles getting trackwork riders to partner Cobbo in the early stages of his career, but the veteran training partnership declared Silvera Olivera’s endeavours were a turning point.

“He's wonderful and he really made this horse,” Michael said.

“They got on so well together right from the kick-off and it's been good ever since.

“He really gets on well with him.”

With a number of country runs already under the belt of Cobbo, bush race series such as the Battle Of The Bush and Country Stampede are also options looking into 2026.

While training partnerships have become all the rage in recent times, the Dores were one of the original teams when they were first introduced.

Michael and Christine trained in their own right earlier in their racing careers before transitioning into a partnership around 2014.

Many decades ago, Christine rode as Christine McCarroll alongside trailblazing female hoop Pam O'Neill in the period of time following ladies being introduced to the riding ranks. 

Christine’s father Norm McCarroll trained in Brisbane at Deagon for many years with success.

The Dore stable train a small team of usually around a handful in CQ.