Queensland racecaller David Fowler advocates to rename BTC Sprint after local champion Bernborough

Radio TAB’s popular presenter and racecaller David Fowler is behind a push to rename a Queensland sprint race after champion racehorse, Bernborough.

There’s a push north of the border to have one of Brisbane’s feature sprints renamed after legendary Queensland champion Bernborough.

Radio TAB’s popular presenter and racecaller David Fowler is advocating for the Group 3 BRC Sprint, run at Doomben in late May, to be called the Bernborough Sprint to honour the “Toowoomba Tornado” who took Australian racing by storm in 1946 with 15 consecutive wins.

There is a Listed race named after Bernborough at Eagle Farm in December but Fowler’s idea has merit as not enough is done to acknowledge the great champions of yesteryear.

But why not take the Bernborough idea a step further and rename one of Brisbane’s winter carnival Group 1 sprints - perhaps the Kingsford Smith Cup to the Bernborough Cup?

Remarkably, none of the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees from 2001, Phar Lap, Tulloch, Carbine, Kingston Town and Bernborough have a Group 1 named after them.

Bernborough is one of the five original horses inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I’ve often written that Racing NSW and Australian Turf Club officials should seize the opportunity to acknowledge the historical significance of these all-time great racehorses who earned their stripes in Sydney racing.

There are a number of Sydney’s Group 1 races that could be rebranded to ensure these Hall of Famers are rightly recognised and remembered.

Some suggestions include the Phar Lap Rosehill Guineas, Carbine All Aged Stakes, Kingston Town Randwick Guineas, Bernborough Canterbury Stakes and the Tulloch Ranvet Stakes.

Phar Lap’s first Group 1 win was in the 1929 Rosehill Guineas and Carbine was a two-time All Aged Stakes winner (1889-90).

Kingston Town was trained at Randwick where he scored many of his greatest wins, Bernborough’s name can replace the Canterbury Stakes which is a misnomer as it is run at Randwick anyway, and Tulloch thrashed the older horses in the 1958 Rawson (now Ranvet) Stakes during his incredible three-year-old season.

■■■

For the first time, the Wyong Cup Carnival will be held over three feature race dates in the new season starting Sunday, August 18, with the Ladies Day meeting featuring the Wyong Cup Prelude and Mona Lisa Stakes Prelude.

Benaud and Dylan Gibbons were victorious in the 2023 Wyong Gold Cup. Picture: Bradley Photos

The winner of the Cup Prelude is then exempt from ballot for the $250,000 Wyong Gold Cup on Friday, September 6, the third day of the carnival. This race also has Big Dance eligibility.

Wyong Race Club’s Greg Purcell revealed the $200,000 Mona Lisa Stakes won’t be run on Cup Day but instead is the headline race for the Sunday, September 1 meeting. The Mona Lisa Prelude winner is exempt from ballot for this race.

Also, standby for confirmation from Racing NSW that Wyong will be given a stand-alone meeting with a big-money feature race on January 11 next year to coincide with the Magic Millions raceday on the Gold Coast.

■■■

The name of Sunset Red, a first starter at Tamworth on Friday, will revive memories of one of the most popular champions in Australian racing history, the “Goondwindi Grey” Gunsynd.

Sunset Red is a well-bred two-year-old filly by boom young stallion The Autumn Sun and is trained by Tracey Bartley.

She shares her name with Sunset Red, a grey stallion by Sunset Hue out of Woodie Wonder, and winner of the 1973 McKell Cup.

The Sunset Red of more than 50 years ago was a full brother to the great Gunsynd, winner of nine Group 1 races including the 1972 Cox Plate.

Gunsynd is the only horse to win all four Group 1 1600m handicaps in the same season – Epsom, Toorak, George Adams (now Champions Mile) and Doncaster Mile in 1971-72.

■■■

I found a winner!

I Found You takes Race 1 at Randwick Kensington with ease!@aus_turf_club@[e-mail]/fCilHtFnwC

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 12, 2024

Trainer Peter Snowden has decided to send boom two-year-old filly I Found You to Flemington rather than Royal Randwick on Saturday.

I Found You, a $1.3 million Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchase, won her debut on the Kensington track by a widening margin of nearly four lengths.

She is superbly bred by champion sire I Am Invincible out of Listen Here, the celebrated broodmare of Snowden’s Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win and brilliant sprinter Deep Field.

Originally published as Queensland racecaller David Fowler advocates to rename BTC Sprint after local champion Bernborough