FNQ MAIL: Best jockeys in Australia descend on Cairns
Cairns Post racing writer Jordan Gerrans reviews the week’s racing in FNQ Mail, including a special victory for the Piccone family at Cannon Park on Tuesday.
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Cairns Post racing writer Jordan Gerrans reviews the week’s racing in FNQ Mail, including a special victory for the Piccone family at Cannon Park on Tuesday.
CRISIS AVERTED
The Chris Whiteley suspension was about to leave one large local question: who was going to ride Stephen Massingham’s horses across carnival?
Massingham will have big chances in the Townsville and Cairns Cups, as well as the Cleveland Bay Handicap and Cairns Newmarket.
With Whiteley getting a stay of proceedings and his ban put on hold, he is able to ride across the NQ carnival.
If he did not, it would have caused a musical chairs of hoops.
CARNIVAL HOPES
The carnival really starts to heat up this week with a stack of FNQ horses heading to the sugar city for the Mackay Cup, Newmarket and the 3YO Guineas this Friday.
Townsville trainer Alby Molino has a Cairns-owned horse ready for the 2000m big one.
In the $65,000 Newmarket, Tolga’s Janel Ryan has one chance while Lawrence Reys also has a hopeful.
Trevor Rowe, Ryan and Alex Malliff will also be out to claim the Magic Millions Whitsunday 3YO Guineas.
It is going to be interesting to see how many southern trainers continue to come north from Rockhampton and Mackay in the next month.
BIG DOGS IN TOWN
A crew of the top jockeys in Australia have been in FNQ over the last week or so.
Prolific Sydney rider James McDonald has been out trying to catch a fish or two, as he deals with a suspension back home.
McDonald has been joined by Luke Dittman and Andrew Mallyon.
The lads could have dropped in at Cannon Park on Tuesday and booted home a winner or two, but it looks like they had bigger fish to fry.
Sydney race caller Darren Flindell was also an onlooker at CJC on Tuesday, just fitting in the crowd and watching the races while in town.
“It is one of my favourite holiday places in Australia,” Flindell said.
SPECIAL VICTORY
There was a fitting winner in the fifth event at Cairns on Tuesday.
The race was named the Lou Piccone Memorial Ratings Band 0–55 Handicap (1250m) and was won by Roth’N’Bell, trained by Ray Moller, who has Piccones in the connections.
Townsville hoop Pietro Romeo, who rode Roth’N’Bell, knew the significance of the race for the family.
“Ray mentioned to me that the race was named in a memorial, I was really keen to win it for them and we got the right run,” Romeo said.
The bay gelding won well, also, to collect his third victory of his career.
JOCKEY HANDED BAN
Townsville hoop Scott Sheargold copped a suspension from Tuesday’s meeting.
He pleaded guilty to careless riding that near the 400m he permitted Extraction to shift in under riding when insufficiently clear of Urban Myth, ridden by Marnu Potgieter, which had to be checked and lost its rightful running.
Sheargold’s license to race was suspended for nine days to start at midnight August 4, up to and including August 13.
Originally published as FNQ MAIL: Best jockeys in Australia descend on Cairns