Record-breaking 12-race TAB card at Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park on Thursday

Check out the incredible statistics that will make Thursday’s meeting the biggest Rockhampton Jockey Club race day since racing started under its tenure in the city on July 22, 1869.

Brisbane jockey Les Tilley has 11 rides at Thursday’s record-breaking meeting at Callaghan Park. Photo: Tony McMahon

In what well may be unprecedented in Australian racing, the Rockhampton Jockey Club on Thursday will stage a mammoth 12-race TAB card at Callaghan Park racecourse stretching over a duration of 6.40 hours.

The first race on the extended morning-afternoon racing program starts at 10.27am, with the 12th and final event run at 5.07pm.

Irrevocably, the meeting on a number of fronts will break all records for an RJC race day since racing commenced under its tenure in the city on July 22, 1869.

Not only will it represent the biggest number of races run on a single card but also the richest the RJC had ever offered in a race day’s prize money, with more than $500,000.

Also, an unparalleled number of 136 horses have been declared as starters.

With such huge numbers, the RJC meeting on Thursday will be the focal point of racing not only throughout Australia but also at overseas betting outlets.

Rockhampton Jockey Club CEO David Aldred upbeat about the Festival of Racing and the Capricornia Yearling Sale in Rockhampton later this week.

RJC CEO David Aldred was chuffed when the 12 races were confirmed through the acceptance declarations of trainers.

“It is a tremendous result for the club and the participants. It augurs well for betting turnover, the lifeblood of the industry, and it is great to see so many prominent southern trainers and jockeys supporting Thursday’s card,” he said.

To put Thursday’s colossal program into perspective, the last RJC TAB race meeting at Callaghan Park on Friday, April 5, consisted of a six-race program with 58 runners.

While midweek racing in Rockhampton is dependent on a regular supply of FIFO Brisbane and SEQ jockeys, those higher up in the metropolitan chain rarely service them at Callaghan Park.

On Thursday, GROUP 1 winning hoops Jim Byrne and Samantha Collett will be in action, as will Brisbane’s leading apprentices Bailey Wheeler and Ms Cejay Graham.

In total, some 25 jockeys will ride, comprising 17 males while the female jockeys’ room will hold eight hoops.

The extraordinary meeting came about through the addition of three feature races from the washed-out April 6 card, as well as another event being scheduled.

Master Jamie and Les Tilley will combine again in the $30,000 Lord Mayor’s Cup. Photo: Tony McMahon

As such, the $168K Capricornia Yearling Sales 2YO Classic (1200m) and its 3 & 4YO counterpart race worth $118K and the $30,000 Lord Mayor’s Cup (1200m) are the centrepins on the program.

Rockhampton’s millionaire war horse Master Jamie contests the Mayor’s Cup under 67.5kg (Les Tilley) as his vital lead-up run for the Rocky Amateurs $775K The Archer (1300m) at Callaghan Park on Sunday, April 28.

The huge prize money on offer has lured visiting horses from outside centres including Brisbane, Toowoomba, Roma, Chinchilla, Nanango, Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Bowen and Townsville.

Some 48 horses, comprising 35.2% of the total 136 declared to run on Thursday, are visitors from outside of Rockhampton.

The busiest jockey will be Brisbane’s Tilley with 11 rides, while local Warwick Satterley holds engagements in 10 of the races.

This Saturday, the Yeppoon Turf Club stages its first race meeting for 2024 and has attracted a very satisfactory 49 entries for the five-race Keppel Park program.