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Potiris family come together for Cairns Cup bid

27 August 2021

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118654609-10158045752098477-5123227661271411093-n.jpgBy Jordan Gerrans

Just seven months into her time at the Pease Park stables, Lauren Guernier already feels a part of the Potiris family.

On an early Tuesday morning just days out from the 2021 Cairns Cup, the aspirant apprentice jockey gives stayer Play Me Now his final spin around the Innisfail track before Saturday’s $150,000 2100-metre feature.

At the stables of Stephen and Maria Potiris at Innisfail, it is a family operation that gets the gallopers ready for race day.

It is not just Maria and her father Stephen who work with the horses – it is also all their extended family – including Maria’s mother and sister, as well as her uncle.

The Gordonvale-based Guernier is a newcomer to the Potiris team, starting as a track work rider earlier this year, with aims of eventually taking out an apprentiship.

“You feel like you are part of the family, it is great,” Guernier said.

“Everyone gets in and does what they need to and everyone is really friendly.

“You feel just like a big part of the family.”

Guernier has been riding for the best part of a decade before starting out her journey to hopefully become a jockey, learning on pony club horses, at a trail riding school as well as being involved in camp drafting and show jumping.

In the small FNQ town, with a rich racing history, Stephen is the leading trainer with the biggest team of gallopers on the Cassowary Coast.

Stephen has become the bush Cup king in FNQ in recent years, racking up Mareeba, Gordonvale and Laura Cups, among others over the years.

It is not just the country Cups he has won – Stephen is a Cairns Amateurs Cup winner back in 2014 with Junee Boy.

Stephen’s name is in the race book and gets all the plaudits – as is Maria’s now that she has taken out her own licence over the last year – but the experienced trainer says he could not do it alone.

Maria affectionately refers to her old man as the “Cups King” of the north.

It is a family effort for the Potiris’ – as well as the valued contribution of track work riders Krystin Allender, who trains a small team of horses herself, and Guernier.

“We are lucky we have the girls here, they are part of the family,” Stephen said.

“Lauren has been with us since January and Krystin, another track work rider, has been here for a while with us.

“And, of course my daughter Maria, who holds her own licence and we have all our horses together, and my wife, she is a big part of the establishment here behind the scenes – you do not see her much at the races but she is always around the stables doing her part.

“My other daughter, Anthoula, she does her part as well.”

d738806c-9ff9-44ff-84ba-563450e3a9eb.jpgStephen’s daughter Maria grew up around the stables and after helping her father out for years, eventually taking out her own licence with the pair having 14 in work between them in 2021.

Maria has four winners to her name so far, as well as juggling full-time work, and says she learnt much of knowledge from Stephen, a stalwart of the FNQ racing industry.

“It is good, it is a little different, but it is great to be a family orientated team,” Maria said.

“We do all the hard work ourselves behind the scenes.

“I am following in Dad’s footsteps now and I hope I can be half as good as him.

“I always stepped back and watched Dad, seeing how he trains his horses and he always helps me.

“We always talk about the horses when we are at home at the dinner table or when I am on my lunch break at work, I will ring him up and ask about the horses.”

Before taking out her own trainers licence just over a year ago, Maria would often look after the team of horses when her father was on holidays or taking a runner to Brisbane.

Stephen always has a strong stayer or two in his barn, with Rocco and Yankee Tango flying the flag for the light blue colours in recent years, before Play Me Now arrived on the scene.

The son of Bernardini ran a massive race in the Townsville Cup earlier this month, beaten a half-length after sitting up on the speed for much of the 2000metre journey.

As Stephen notes, Play Me Now will stay all day – winning up to 2500 metres earlier in his career in Melbourne.

Maria describes Play Me Now as a gentleman around the stables, while Stephen says he is “all class” – both expecting him to run a nice race in Saturday’s Cairns Cup at Cannon Park.

“He did super in the Townsville Cup, the horse has plenty of ability, as being a Moonee Valley winner shows,” Stephen said.

“He has mixed it with some good horses down south.

“I took him to Cairns last week for a little jump-out, just to tick him over, he is coming along good.”

Play Me Now is raced by a group of owners from around North Queensland, including former NQ Cowboys hooker Aaron Payne and other rugby league identities from Townsville.

While she is the newest member of the Potiris team, Guernier will have the final touch of their stable star before he jumps in Saturday’s Cup – a galloper she refers to as a “gentleman” to ride in the mornings.

Guernier also works as the clerk of the course on big race days and says she will give Play Me Now a little pat behind the gates if she gets the opportunity.

“You do get really, really excited for a big race like this but when they are going into the barriers, then you go the other way and get nervous,” Guernier said.

“Your heart starts racing and you are just hoping everything goes well and once they have jumped; you literally hold your breath until he goes over the finish line safely.

“It is amazing.”