FNQ owner: Best horse I have ever owned
A Cairns bookmaker and motel owner has owned dozens of horses over the decades but in the “modern era”, he has never had one like a recent Doomben winner.
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Cairns bookmaker and motel owner Brian Jorgensen has owned dozens of horses over the decades but, in the modern era, he has never had one like Inquiry.
The devastating Inquiry claimed Saturday’s Listed Spear Chief at Doomben and will now chase the riches of the upcoming central and north Queensland carnivals.
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Jorgensen watched his stable star fly to a win at Lake Tinaroo, riding the son of Exceed and Excel home “hands and heels”, he says, from his couch.
Under his ownership, Inquiry has won six of eight starts.
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In the early 1980s, the FNQ businessman had a small share in Torbek, who won Victorian group races, but he thinks Inquiry is the best-quality horse he has had shares in since then.
“In more modern times … certainly he would be my best horse,” Jorgensen said.
A long lunch with a close mate not long ago led to the purchase of Inquiry, who is also part-owned by Jorgensen’s son, Chris, a fellow local bookmaker and horse owner.
“A friend of mine in Cairns, Winton Veall, we often have lunch together, and one day we cracked a plan to buy one or two horses together in an online auction,” he said.
“That turned into a $200,000 spree online, eventually buying five horses instead of the two originally planned, with Inquiry being $30,000, and we have quickly recouped that amount and gone past that.”
Jorgensen owns the City Sheridan, Cairns Rainbow Resort and the Cairns Southside International and employs 18 staff across his trio of motels.
Inquiry won races in Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville with regular trainer Jared Wehlow before being gifted to Gold Coast trainer John Smerdon to chase money in the southeast.
Top jockey Ryan Wiggins, who has ridden Inquiry in four recent races, allowed him to stride freely in front and run his rivals into the ground on Saturday in town.
“Up there he went straight to Open company,” Wiggins said.
“He didn’t have any weight his first start but then he got to 60 really quickly, and it made no difference to him.
“He still put them to the sword. His wins were good up there. I said if they brought him down here over the 1350m, he would run them into the ground.
“He’s probably been waiting for a race like that, where he could drop down in weight. He did a good job today because it’s a lot better company than he’s been racing against.”
The Rockhampton Newmarket and possibly other feature sprints up north, such as the Cleveland Bay Handicap and the Cairns Newmarket, will be next for the five-year-old chestnut gelding.
Smerdon said Inquiry was a very easy horse to train and that he’s been a good buy for connections.
Jorgensen will have Derulo go around in his colours on Saturday at Cluden Park.
INQUIRY
– Inquiry started life with James Cummings and Godolphin before going to Cody Morgan and then Wehlow, before Smerdon had him for his three starts in southeast Queensland.
– Previously with Cody Morgan in country NSW, the gelding was judged not up to Sydney standard but was getting big weights in the bush, forcing a sale to FNQ owners.
– Wiggins rides regularly for Wehlow when he travels to Central Queensland meetings, and told connections Inquiry would be worth trying in the south.
– On Saturday, Inquiry stopped the clock in a slick 1m 18.42s for the 1350m and, despite running along in front, his sprint home of 34.48s was sharp enough to give his pursuers no hope of reeling him in.
Originally published as FNQ owner: Best horse I have ever owned
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