Healy’s Betoota Cup dynasty rolls on

By Glenn Davis

South Australian trainer Kym Healy hopes to add another Betoota Cup victory to his bulging trophy room with a two-pronged attack on Saturday.

Healy etched his name in Betoota Cup history by becoming the first trainer to win three straight Betoota Cups in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

He made it four Betoota Cup wins seven years later with Cashing Up in 2019 and is the defending champion following last year’s win with Equal Balance.

Healy hopes his love affair with the Betoota Cup will continue when he saddles Equal Balance again and Grinzinger Bishop, who finished third to his stablemate in last year’s race.

The Betoota Cup forms part of the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival, alongside next week’s Birdsville Cup and the Bedourie Cup.

Healy is based in South Australia and travels regularly to the Northern Territory for the Darwin Cup carnival before returning home via Birdsville during the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival.

Healy has been training for 22 years and once raced camels for a living for more than a decade.

Equal Balance is now 12 and is having his first start since finishing a distant sixth in the Tennant Creek Cup over 1600 metres on May 16.

Grinzinger Bishop is coming off a last-start win in a 1600 metre Benchmark race at Alice Springs on August 8.

“I reckon I’ve been going to Betoota for the last 15 years,” Healy said.

“I used to race camels in Darwin a long time ago, but I no longer do that and use them for people to ride on the beaches at Victor Harbour.”

Healy rated Grinzinger Bishop as the pick of his pair, as Equal Balance is in the twilight of his career.

“Grinzinger Bishop won well at Alice Springs last start, while we were on our way home, so he’s got to be a chance again,” Healy said.

“Equal Balance didn’t like the track at Tennant Creek last time as the track was very wet.

“I had several good chances that day, but a lot of them got rolled, but I still managed to win two races.

“I think Grinzinger Bishop is the better of the two, as old Equal Balance is headed for retirement.

“A mate of mine at Birdsville is going to use him to muster cattle and I’ll leave him at Birdsville after he runs in the Bedourie Cup.”