HE HAS raced more than 3000 horses in Queensland and has nearly 300 wins under his belt, and Cairns racehorse trainer Trevor Rowe now has his eyes set on the inaugural UBET Northern Crowns Series.
Will there be a horse worthy of wearing one of the rich UBET Northern Crowns after the running of the inaugural series?
An exciting new concept, the UBET Queensland Northern Crowns Series is part of the forthcoming North Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, and will see horses from the north competing with heavy hitters from Brisbane and beyond.
At stake for owners and trainers is two crowns (stayers and sprinters) carrying a mega $350,000 bonus pool, on top of nearly $2 million in prize money across seven thrilling race days.
And to add a little more lure onto the hook for owners and trainers from afar, Racing Queensland has boosted prize money for supporting races on all of the programs.
How does it work?
All up, 10 races across the seven meetings are nominated as UBET Queensland Northern Crowns Series races, five each in the sprinter and stayer categories.
A bonus of $150,000 will be awarded to the connections of a horse that wins any three of the five nominated UBET Queensland Northern Crowns staying races across the program. And if one of the races happens to be the FNQ Amateurs Cup (September 8), the bonus grows to a very juicy $200,000.
A bonus of $100,000 will also be awarded to connections of a horse that wins three of the five nominated Queensland Northern Crown sprint races. And if one of the three races includes the FNQ Amateurs Open Sprint, the bonus is bumped up to $150,000.
Any Queensland Northern Crowns bonuses won will be shared between owner/s (80 per cent) and trainer (20 per cent).
The man behind the horse
In his lengthy career Cairns-based trainer and former butcher Trevor Rowe has raced more than 3,000 horses in country Queensland, for nearly 300 wins, and prize money over $3 million.
What are your thoughts on the UBET Northern Crowns Series?
It’s a great concept. Any promotion we get in North Queensland to benefit the owners is a good thing. The Battle of the Bush series they just had was fantastic. I’m looking forward to the carnival.
With a lot of extra prize money up for grabs, are you expecting tougher fields?
For sure. Up here in Cairns and Townsville we often get Brisbane horses coming up chasing the [Cairns and Townsville] Cups and the Cleveland Bay Handicap. If they’re going to bring horses up for those races they might as well bring one or two of the lower grade horses, so it’s hard to win up here at carnival time. But in saying that, if you’re not in it, you can’t win it.
You know the Cairns track intimately. Is there any home ground advantage?
No I don’t really believe so. If you’ve got a good horse and jockey they’ll race on any track. The only question mark is how the travelling horses travel, but in this day and age, with purpose-built floats and rehydration thingos, most travel well in winter.
Your winters are mild, but do horses race any differently in the cooler months up north?
They don’t do anything differently, but winter time up here is probably the ideal temperature to race horses because it’s not hot and humid, and the horses just do well. From May right through to the end of September are the best months to race horses in the north.
The Cairns Newmarket is on August 4 and the Cairns Cup on August 11. Where do you see yourself?
I’ve got horses I would hope could go in the Cup. Stable Surprize will probably end up in the Cup, and I’ve got a couple of options for the Newmarket: Man Around Town and Great Pretender.
How many horses are you training?
I’ve got about 20.
Do you have a soft spot for a few?
Yeah, Man Around Town and Minnie Street. Man Around Town is a lovable rogue and he’s been very good to me. I’ve won 10 races with him, and he was unlucky in the Battle of the Bush final, he ran about seventh but was only beaten by 1.7 lengths and had no luck in running. I’ve got another one called Minnie Street: she’s a sprinter and a family horse. We got her when she was a baby and named her Minnie Street after where me and my brothers grew up. Two of my brothers have since passed away, so I’ve got a soft spot for her. She’s not the best in the stable, but she’s still one of the favourites.
What do you miss about being a butcher?
I used to really love interacting with customers in the little family butcher shop. You’d hear all the stories, just like at the hairdresser, and you’d see the kids come into the shop as a baby, then a 10-year-old, then they’re at university and then maybe they’re having their own kids. I miss that. What I don’t miss are the hours.
Make a date
Friday July 6 - Rockhampton Newmarket
Saturday July 7 - Rockhampton Cup Day
Saturday July 14 - Mackay Cup Day
Saturday July 28 - Townsville Cup Day
Saturday August 4 - Cairns Newmarket
Saturday August 11 - Cairns Cup Day
Saturday September 8 - FNQ Amateurs Cup Day
For more information about the UBET Queensland Northern Crowns Series head here.
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