Filly to watch after surprise win

The filly was strong on the line and looked like further distance will be a big help for her.

Jockey Taylor Marshall guides Sunny St Cloud back to the Ipswich enclosure after the winning ride. Picture: Cordell Richardson

TURF CHAT

BRISBANE trainer Lawrie Mayfield-Smith collected his second Ipswich winner in as many months after Sunny St Cloud saluted on Wednesday.

Mayfield-Smith has been training in Queensland for a few decades with the good race mare Sonata arguably being his best charge over that time.

Sonata was Group 1 Oaks placed and won a Group 3 Tattersalls Cup as a three-year-old in the mid-1990s.

Sunny St Cloud is a three-year-old filly as well. She surprised at just her second race start last week at $21.

The win followed a sixth at the Sunshine Coast at her first race start in June of this year.

The filly was strong on the line and looked like further distance will be a big help for her as she easily won by a couple of lengths with Taylor Marshall in the saddle.

'King' Byrne double

JOCKEY Jim Byrne has been referred to as the King of the Ipswich racecourse having won three Ipswich Cups and premierships which number into double figures, including apprentice titles.

Byrne was at it again last Wednesday, collecting a winning double for Brisbane trainers Chris Anderson and Tony Gollan.

Anderson's Boom Boom Epic saluted as did Kathmandu for the Gollan stable to give Byrne his riding double moving him to 13 season wins.

Tony Gollan also moved to 13 season wins after Unlikely Story gave him a winning double with Brad Stewart in the saddle.

Prizemoney growing

THE recent increases in prizemoney in southern states is set to continue in the Autumn after the Racing Victoria (RV) announcement of a special conditions race next year.

The All-Star Mile race on March 16 will have entries determined by public vote with RV reserving four wildcards to make up the field of 14.

After the success of the Everest and Kosciusko feature races in Sydney, along with the increased prizes for the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, and Cox Plate, RV are attempting to lure Australia's best racehorse Winx to the newly proposed event.

And why not? The superstar mare has won 29 straight, attracting thousands of people back to the racetrack for a glimpse of the Chris Waller trained marvel.

The continued increases in southern prizemoney has Queensland owners enviously looking on although the recent increases in the sunshine state have been significant and welcome.

These increases were granted by the Queensland state government from November 1. The past few meetings at Ipswich have evidenced that rise.

On Wednesday alone, a total of $230,000 was taken home. Judging by the responses from successful connections, that increase has been gratefully received.

Cute home victory

ONE of the winning trainers pleased with the $16,800 first prize under the new stakes level was Ipswich trainer Garry Smith.

Real Cute gave Garry his second winner at Ipswich after Rideonabigjetplane won in April. There have been a few winners on other tracks for him since commencing training at a Bundamba base in 2017.

Real Cute wore the colours of Daunting Lad - the best performed Ipswich trained galloper (by Bill Naoum) of the past couple of decades, Group 1 placed in the BTC Cup.

Next meetings

The next race meeting at Ipswich is on Wednesday, then Friday, November 30.

In December, there are a couple of well booked Friday meetings on 14th, 21st, and 28th as well as Wednesday 5th.