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Award goes to … Queensland winter carnival best performers and horses to follow

It’s Queensland racing’s version of The Oscars as Ben Dorries and Trenton Akers dish out the gongs and identify some left-field horses to follow from the winter carnival.

Ben Dorries and Trenton Akers
5 min read
July 10, 2024 - 4:00PM
Luke Nolen gave a reminder of his talent when he won the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup on I Wish I Win, while Bella Nipotina and Warmonger (insets) were also stars of the Queensland winter carnival. Main Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography
Luke Nolen gave a reminder of his talent when he won the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup on I Wish I Win, while Bella Nipotina and Warmonger (insets) were also stars of the Queensland winter carnival. Main Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

The Queensland winter carnival has just about been run and won and there’s been some significant spring pointers.

There’s been a heap of magic moments and racing writers Ben Dorries and Trenton Akers delve into their bag of tricks to hand out racing’s version of The Oscars.

THE TERMINATOR

Luke Nolen returned with a vengeance, and sporting some scary facial hair, to score the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup on I Wish I Win after being controversially speared from the ride in the Doomben 10,000 when James McDonald rode. “Taken it to heart is an understatement!”, his wife Alicia posted on Facebook in response to the decision. “Completely shattered, disappointed and totally blind sighted (sic) after doing all his work.” But cool hand Luke was calm in a crisis. When McDonald was away, he regained the ride and didn’t miss a beat under searing pressure and with just about every eyeball in Australian racing on him. Bravo.

• ‘Character building': Nolen gets last laugh on I Wish I Win

THE ROCK STAR

Not many horses get better after start 50, but Bella Nipotina is the exception. Ciaron Maher’s mare came to Queensland in the hope of running in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 and maybe the Tattersall’s Tiara all things going well. Going well was an understatement. She won the 10,000 and the Tiara and also ponied up in the Kingsford Smith Cup and Stradbroke Handicap, where she ran second both times, marking one of the best winter carnivals seen by a single horse. The knockers said she could only win on a heavy track and she wouldn’t run 1400m. Wrong, wrong. Now the $9 equal second favourite for The Everest. Special mention to James McDonald, who rode at five winter carnival meetings and scored 16 winners from 35 rides, a 46 per cent winning strike rate. Incredible.

• History awaits Bella Nipotina in The Everest

BEST NEW TALENT

The sky is the limit for the boy in blue Broadsiding. The James Cummings-trained young colt demolished his Group 1 JJ Atkins rivals and won by as far as you could kick your hat. He has claims of being the best two-year-old of his generation and is rightly favourite for a host of spring features including the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas, while he is right in the market for the Cox Plate as well. There’s few things better in racing than seeing a gun three-year-old in a Cox Plate, so here’s hoping.

• ‘He is special': Broadsiding lays claim to our champion two-year-old

BEST PICTURE

There hasn’t been an easier Group 1 win than Warmonger in the Queensland Derby in many moons. The owners of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr staying machine have a lovely winning photo to hang on their wall after his 10-length demolition job. There’s no other horse in the picture. Some would question the form of the Queensland Derby as a spring pointer, but the dominance of his win must be taken seriously, with the three-year-old set to be a player in some major races including potentially the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

• Melbourne Cup on Warmonger radar after 10-length Derby romp

BEST CASTING

Zac Lloyd in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. With Stefi Magnetica’s likely Stradbroke rider Rachel King getting married overseas, Bjorn Baker’s crew turned to Lloyd to ride the filly at 50kg. He produced a gun steer which showed why he is being hailed as the best young rider of his crop, scoring his first Group 1. It also put to bed any wobbles from last year’s Cox Plate when the occasion may have got to him aboard Militarize. Honourable mention goes to Ryan Maloney who picked up a pair of carnival Group 1s including shocking everyone when scoring on $101 filly Socks Nation in the Queensland Oaks.

• Stefi's Stradbroke heroics hand Lloyd his Group 1 moment

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mick Bell. Jungle Edge’s larrikin former trainer started work for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr just before the Queensland carnival and was sent north as the stable’s travelling front man. He immediately headed to a local Op Shop to purchase some more suits so he looked grouse on TV. He also revealed his outstanding musical talents and you’ve simply got to watch his rendition of April Sun In Cuba. It’s next level outstanding. CHECK IT OUT HERE

‘Can train … and can sing’: Mick Bell has a hard rock edge. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography
‘Can train … and can sing’: Mick Bell has a hard rock edge. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

FIREMAN SAM AWARD

When our ex-News Corp and Racenet colleague Nathan Exelby took the reins as CEO at the Ipswich Turf Club, he thought he could be putting out a few fires in his new job. But not fair dinkum ones. A major electrical fire in the grandstands put the Ipswich Cup meeting in jeopardy until the Ipswich Turf Club team went into overdrive ahead of the club’s showpiece day. With Sydney races called off that day, plenty of extra eyes were on Ipswich. It was a baptism of fire for our man (literally) and one he handled with aplomb.

• Ipswich Cup given all clear despite grandstand fire

Nathan Exelby has a baptism of fire (literally) as the new CEO of the Ipswich Turf Club. Picture: Tara Croser
Nathan Exelby has a baptism of fire (literally) as the new CEO of the Ipswich Turf Club. Picture: Tara Croser

BEN AND TRENTON’S FIVE LEFT FIELD HORSES TO FOLLOW FROM THE CARNIVAL

1. BUBBLE ROCK – Connections are set to keep the American mare in work for another season, which Tony Gollan is sure to be thrilled about. The champion trainer has grand plans for her after her big performance in the Tattersall’s Tiara and is set to take her south during the spring for a crack at the big time.

2. ADELAIDE RIVER – Don’t give up on this Lloyd Williams-owned import. Came to Australia with a big wrap and could only just get a pass mark in his first two Australian starts. He’s got more ability than that and will be better for having the runs in the Queensland sun, look for him to bounce back to his old European form in the spring.

3. ZOUNA – Got much closer to the 2yo star colt Broadsiding than anything else did in the winter carnival. Ran a huge race for second in the Sires’ before being controversially scratched on vets advice heading into the Group 1 JJ Atkins. Lawrie Mayfield-Smith craves his first Group 1 win and this colt could win one. Broadsiding form is good form.

4. BRUTAL BOWLER – This colt is better than what he showed in the Sires’ where he got lost in the ruck on a choppy track. Look for him to come back bigger and stronger as a three-year-old who can deliver on his obvious potential.

5. FREEDOM RALLY – Looked like scoring a Stradbroke Handicap start but a slot deal couldn’t be inked. Won a consolation race on Stradbroke day in record time, despite hitting a flat spot in his run like he often does. Has won almost half of his 15 career starts and Gollan will have some fun with him in the spring. Was only 2½ lengths off I Wish I Win in the Kingsford Smith Cup.

NOTE: The final meeting of the winter carnival will be raced on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, with the Winx Guineas/Glasshouse Handicap and Caloundra Cup rescheduled after last Saturday’s rain.

Originally published as Award goes to … Queensland winter carnival best performers and horses to follow

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/horse-racing/award-goes-to-queensland-winter-carnivals-best-performers-and-horses-to-follow/news-story/9452fdf11456ff3552ffe2a898e94523