Winning Queensland track combination shines

THE dominant trainer and jockey of the past half decade at Ipswich made their intentions clear for the new season at the latest Metropolitan Wednesday meeting.

LEADING RUN: Jockey Jim Byrne guides Baby Boomer home at Ipswich racetrack. Picture: Cordell Richardson

TURF CHAT

THE dominant trainer and jockey of the past half decade at Ipswich both made their intentions clear for the new season at the latest Metropolitan Wednesday meeting.

It was a big nine race card after 165 nominations were received and 122 acceptances to race.

On a good 4 rated track in superb racing conditions, jockey Jim Byrne immediately took the lead in a chase for a ninth career Ipswich Premiership title.

After the now retired Jeff Lloyd interrupted Byrne's run by winning the title in each of the past two seasons, order was restored with Byrne shooting to the top of the jockey's list with a winning treble.

Byrne had wins aboard Cuzco for Peter and Will Hulbert, and the Tony Gollan trained pair Baby Boomer and Hollaback Girl.

The two wins for Gollan made him a clear leader of the trainer's list after the first day of the season. Gollan has collected five consecutive Ipswich Trainer's Premierships and it would be a brave person to back against a sixth edition come 31 July of 2020.

All three of these gallopers were having their first start at Ipswich and Hollaback Girl was the only one of the three to have won a race.

Hollaback Girl was having only her fourth career start for a second win while Cuzco and Baby Boomer collected two of the five maiden races up for grabs on the day.

The elevated prize money for the Metropolitan Wednesday race meet attracted many creating the nine race card.

There was a healthy $27,500 on offer for maiden races and $35,000 for higher class races.

Adding in the QTIS prizes on offer, more than $300,000 was up for grabs last week across the day of racing.

All three winners for Byrne were well backed with Cuzco starting odds on at $1.55 and Baby Boomer and Hollaback Girl both at $2.50 favourite in the betting markets.

All in all, it was a favourite backer's day with six at the top of the market saluting.

The longest priced winner was $5.50. This was the price for two gallopers being Mocking for trainer Jackie Crompton and apprentice rider Zoe White, and Zymatic for Lennie Wheeler and Michael Cahill.

Dramatic Zymatic

FORMER Ipswich Premier Jockey Michael Cahill had an early season win aboard Zymatic in the Happy Retirement George Sawyers Maiden last Wednesday.

George Sawyers was on hand for the race as jockeys presented him with a memento after 21 years of service as the jockey room attendant.

Zymatic caught the eye of onlookers as the massive gelding paraded during the presentation. Zymatic then went on to win easily with his more than 18 hands of mass being well handled by jockey Cahill.

Despite four unplaced career starts including three runs finishing last, Zymatic was a different galloper fresh up this time around and lived up to his recent winning trial at the Gold Coast.

Cahill, who had a superb Queensland Winter Carnival, looks to be taking the same form into the new season.

Next meetings

The next Ipswich meeting is on Friday, followed by meetings on Wednesday, August 21 and Friday, August 30.

Originally published as Winning Queensland track combination shines