Randwick inside mail: Barbara Joseph eyes more success in Big Dance as 50th milestone looms

In 50 years as a trainer, Barbara Joseph has accumulated countless cups among her more than 1000 winners. But there’s room for a Big Dance trophy with one of her Randwick runners on Saturday.

One of the undisputed queens of the sport of kings is days away from reaching an epic milestone that will take her to “50 not out”.

Barbara Joseph, aka the Queen of Bombala, will see off another racing season with a couple of live chances at Royal Randwick on Saturday, the same venue as her memorable Doncaster win in 1989 with Merimbula Bay.

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“Mum had her first starter at Bombala on the fifth of October in 1975,’’ son Paul Jones said.

“It’s name was Howitt Park, hence her property at Bombala is named that.”

It won.

Howitt Park was to become the first of more than 1000 winners trained by Joseph from Bong Bong to Fannie Bay in Darwin, granting Joseph her “Cups Queen” status.

“We’ve lost count of the number of cups she has won, either on her own or in the partnership, because for a while there she was winning every cup.

“She’s won the Bombala Cup so many times, Cooma Cups, I think she won five, six or seven Bega Cups.

“She’s got a big, beautiful trophy cabinet of all the notable trophies that she’s won, a Snake Gully Cup, she won that a few times, Wagga Cup, she won that in 2000 and again not long after.”

Barbara Joseph is closing in on her 50th anniversary as a trainer, her Big Dance prospect Super Helpful is a runner at Randwick on Saturday (top right) and Joseph with jockey Darren Beadman after a win in 1996. Main picture: Jonathan Ng

Then there’s all the Canberra Cups, the Darwin Cup and of course the spoils of Merimbula Bay’s Doncaster.

Overcrowded as it may be, Joseph would be only too happy to accommodate space for The Big Dance silverware should Team J J R’s 2023 Big Dance placegetter Super Helpful rise to the occasion on the first Tuesday of November.

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The $20,000 yearling whose earnings are within sight of $1m is back at HQ on Saturday, two weeks after his forgettable, and forgivable, failure there.

“He stood there and stepped back when they jumped and missed the start by four,’’ Jones said.

“We gave him a 400m jumpout the Wednesday after and he pinged the lids. Billy Owen rode him for me in the jumpout and said he won’t be missing it next time.”

Jones, meanwhile, is bullish about the chances of last-start Narrandera winner Cougars in The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1300m).

“Don’t underestimate this horse,’’ Jones warned.

“He is working with our best horses, (Australian Oaks runner-up) Sun ‘N’ Sand and he works with Super Helpful and he probably has the wood on them when he sits in front of them.”

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BEST BET

CIGAR FLICK (race 8) hasn’t won since June 29 last year at Eagle Farm when Tommy Berry rode her as was the case in her last two at Randwick and Rosehill where horse and rider can count themselves as unlucky. Fair to say, that this “niece” and stablemate of Fangirl is a magnet for bad luck but she is a genuine black-type performer. All in all, she is too good to be priced at $12.

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BEST VALUE

VERY SEWREEL (race 6) is a daughter of Sewreel who won the Oaks Prelude in NZ when Murray Baker had her. Sewreel crossed the Tasman and had four runs our side of the ditch (for son Bjorn) including a third on the Belle Of The Turf. Her Snitzel daughter Very Sewreel was runner-up in the Tassie Oaks for Tulloch Lodge and her debut run for (Bjorn) Baker here two weeks ago had so much merit, most of it hidden. Talented type.

EXTRAORDINAIRE 😱😱

Tom Sherry takes the short way home and gets up on the 80-1 shot to finish the day at Randwick!

Anyone get the quaddie? 😅😅@[e-mail]/U53QbKApVP

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) July 12, 2025

EARLY QUADDIE

RACE 3: 6, 7, 8

RACE 4: 1, 2, 3, 8

RACE 5: 1, 2

RACE 6: 5, 9

QUADDIE

RACE 7: 4, 6, 7, 11

RACE 8: 4

RACE 9: 4, 10, 18

RACE 10: 3, 5, 6, 9

PRICE CHECK

RUBY FLYER (race 5) went off at $51 first-up at Rosehill on July 5 and beat one home but there is a good reason why he was $19 (on Friday morning) for this. First of all, he ran through the line with a bit of purpose there when resuming so we can suggest he has come back in good nick. Next off, he is a second-up winner, a Randwick winner and best of all, his numbers at the mile are four wins and two thirds from seven goes. Gets in nicely now with the 3kg off.

Estadio Mestalla is the star player in the Listed Winter Stakes and wins at big odds! ⚽️❄️

That's separate doubles to @PrideRacing and @djgibbons22 at Rosehill today! 🙌@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/eWBClKpNP6

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 5, 2025

SECTIONAL STARS

KINGSTON CHARM (race 2) was bred by Cathy Hains, the daughter of Kingston Town’s owner/breeder David. As her name suggests, Kingston Charm is from one of the great families of the Stud Book that include Melbourne Cup winner, Kingston Rule. As for Kingston Charm, she is more a miler than a two-miler and provided the track plays fair on the weekend, she will be launching her bid hard and fast as was the case when an unlucky second in the July 12 Midway here.

• Untapped talent chasing another win at Randwick on Saturday

RANTAN (race 9) is one of two runners at HQ on Saturday for the Hall of Famer, Ron Quinton. Now if they both happened to win, Quinton would have trained exactly 100 winners at Royal Randwick. God knows how many winners he rode here/there! As for Rantan, she has been racing without much luck this preparation but we know from all the way back to her 900m debut win at Newcastle that she has a booming finish when clear.

TRIAL POINTERS

SHAGGY (race 1) is fast! Very fast! Remember he ran 45 seconds to win his 800m debut by almost six lengths. Hard to know what this exorbitant rail placement means on the day but surely barrier one, first use of the track, with an 11m rail out, can only boost Shaggy’s already undeniable winning prospects. Won a Beaumont heat on July 9 – nicely.

Zoinks! Shaggy leads all the way to win the Pierro Plate and races into TAB Golden Slipper contention for Allan Kehoe!@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/a233Smg15g

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 15, 2025

STARMAN (race 7) may not be every punter’s cup of tea. To be fair to the horse, he is somewhere in between a non-winner and perennially unlucky. If you consider that he has placed five times in 11 Randwick runs then he is probably worth a look at $4 the place and $18 the win for the brave ones.

Originally published as Randwick inside mail: Barbara Joseph eyes more success in Big Dance as 50th milestone looms