Dance’s little brother ready to fly

By Jordan Gerrans

Roweiner's Dance has been an absolute flying machine during his career and the sprinter has been educating his younger brother around the beaches of North Queensland ahead of his debut on Sunday.

Roweiner's Dance’s full brother, Roweiner's Magic, looms as a key contender in the annual Pallarenda Stakes at Cluden Park, which kicks off the two-year-old campaign in the region.

Bred and raced by Townsville’s Bill Kenning and Julie Bell, Roweiner's Dance has notched 16 victories in the north, including track record performances on his home deck.

Trainer Kenning and owner Bell are not counting their chickens before they hatch, but they believe newcomer Roweiner's Magic could aim up quickly as a baby.

After two trials, Roweiner's Magic heads to the $40,000 Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1000 metres on Sunday.

“He has come through his trials 100 percent and we are really happy with him,” veteran horseman Kenning said.

“He's beautiful. He's more attractable than his older brother, actually.

“His older brother won 16 races and he's still around, but this bloke's more of a two-year-old.

“He is more natural than he was even, I think he could have a future.”

Kenning and Bell have been taking the two brothers to the beach together in Townsville to vary their training.

Roweiner's Dance was beaten by stablemate Beau Rain on debut in late 2022 before scoring in six of his next seven race day assignments.

“He was all arms and legs,” Kenning recalls of Roweiner's Dance’s early racing.

“He was a good two-year-old, but he wasn't as natural as this little bloke, so if that's anything to go by, he could be half-handy.

“He's going to be right. He's going to be a two-year-old, if you know what I mean.

“Like the other fella, I don't know how he even won two-year-old races because he was all arms and legs, but this bloke's just a little compact, little nuggety little fella.”

Dance and Magic are full brothers out of Kenning and Bell’s former race mare Roweiner, who was served by stallion Sidestep.

Roweiner, who is now 17 years of age, won nine races over distances ranging from 1300 metres to 2200 metres.

“She’s in foal again to Red Resistance,” Kenning noted of Roweiner. 

“You don't often get too many full brothers that can gallop. We're lucky in this, I think we have here, but you don't often find that many brothers, full brothers that can gallop.

“We've never seen her do anything else, so we're just going to try something different with Red Resistance.

“You might even get something better, you wouldn't know, because Sidestep's not really a boom sire.

“We thought about it, he's a well-bred sire and just kicking off himself this new sire, Red Resistance.

“Old Sidestep's getting on a little bit, so we'll just try something different.

“It's just funny, these two are flying machines, Roweiner's Dance is a 1000 metre horse and this bloke looks like he's the same, but I think this fellow will get over a bit further.

“Roweiner was a dead-seat stayer, so it’s weird.”

Roweiner has had four foals, with only Magic and Dance making an impact at the races. 

The other two were on the smaller side, like their mother.

Magic had an education trial in early September before producing a sharp effort over 850 metres at Cluden Park earlier this month, ahead of his race debut on Sunday.

Top local rider Lacey Morrison has been booked to partner Magic on debut.

Roweiner's Dance is also set to go around at Townsville on Sunday following a recent dominant trial win.

Meanwhile, Kenning celebrated another winner at Cluden Park last Sunday when Stylish Rosie made it two wins on the bounce.

“She won pretty easy the start before at Ewan,” Kenning said.

“It was quite pleasing, often they don't win a maiden and then straight away win a Class 1.

“She had a wide alley and she had a bit against her.

“She won well and she might have a future, too.”