Tuvalu’s secret weapon in Queensland ahead of Group 1 tilt

Respected Queensland trainer Darren Bell, who lost his training business after a strangles outbreak, is helping to prepare Tuvalu for Saturday’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup.

Darren Bell with Lindsey Smith’s Group 1 contender Tuvalu after arriving in Toowoomba. Picture: Supplied

Seven years after the heartbreaking decision to quit training after a strangles outbreak grounded his stable for several months, Darren Bell has emerged as the secret weapon behind Victorian galloper Tuvalu’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup quest.

The popular Bell trained at Deagon, an outer northern suburb of Brisbane, but handed in his license in 2017 after the financial ruin caused by having a horse in his stable contracting strangles, a highly contagious bacterial disease.

As a result, stewards shut down his entire operation and the growing costs and debts associated with the stable shutdown proved insurmountable for his training business.

In the time since, Bell moved to Victoria and worked for Lindsay Park and then also worked for trainer Tom Dabernig at Warrnambool after Dabernig left Lindsay Park.

It was there that Bell developed a friendship with trainer Lindsey Smith who now has Group 1 winner and last start Wangoom Handicap champion Tuvalu racing in Saturday’s $1m Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.

Build him a statue! 👑

G1 winner Tuvalu carries 61.5kg to win the Wangoom Handicap 🔥 @[e-mail]/cNByI6MtBR

— Racing.com (@Racing) May 1, 2024

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Tuvalu jetted into Queensland on Tuesday night, landing 15 minutes down the road from where Bell has now returned to training in Toowoomba.

It was a simple choice for Smith to leave Tuvalu in Bell’s capable hands as he prepares out of Toowoomba, 90 minutes west of Brisbane, to try to win an elite Group 1 race at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

“I got to know Lindsey quite well as when I was at Warrnambool, we were in the adjoining stable,” Bell said.

“Also, one of the owners of Tuvalu (Bill Andrews) has a couple of horses with me and I’ve known Bill for a couple of decades.

“I have got small yards and stables in Toowoomba that appealed to Lindsey as well, and Tuvalu has already done all his work in preparation for Saturday’s Group 1.

“I guess the other thing is that when you are based at Warrnambool, like Tuvalu is, it is nothing to travel a couple of hours to a race meeting.”

Tuvalu scores the Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool. Picture: Racing Photos

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While Bell only has a small role to play ahead of Tuvalu’s Group 1 tilt, he is building his own stable from the ground up.

Starting from ground zero in a racing sense, Bell has 12 horses and is hoping to build up the quality and the quantity of his team.

“I have got past being bitter from what happened in 2017, but I still shake my head at it and what it cost me at the time,” Bell said.

“You never get that back.

“Going away to work in Victoria was a great experience, and it got me back on my feet financially.

“But returning to training is not like stepping back in where I left off, it’s like starting all over again to be honest.

“One of the main things I have noticed in returning to training in Queensland is that the standard has risen in the time I was away from it.”

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Tuvalu has strong form on soft and heavy tracks and there is rain expected in Brisbane at the end of the week, including the potential of up to 20mm on race day.

In latest betting markets, Tuvalu is $19 chance to win the Kingsford Smith.

Originally published as Tuvalu’s secret weapon in Queensland ahead of Group 1 tilt