Cairns races: Our Chiquilla out to defy odds in Newmarket
It was not even an option for Cairns trainer Scott Cooper and the connections of Our Chiquilla a week ago but the veteran mare will have the opportunity of a lifetime when she lines up in Saturday’s $75,000 Cairns Newmarket.
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It was not even an option for Cairns trainer Scott Cooper and the connections of Our Chiquilla a week ago but the veteran mare will have the opportunity of a lifetime when she lines up in Saturday’s $75,000 Cairns Newmarket (1400m) at Cannon Park.
“We never thought of going to the Newmarket,” Cooper said.
“There’s actually a race next Saturday – a Class 6 over 1250m – that we were aiming towards, but because she won at Innisfail last week, it made her ineligible.
“So that’s why she’s gone in the Newmarket – because there was no other option for her.”
But, for an eight-year-old mare that has defying the odds as part of her nature, it’s not a bad place to be.
Our Chiquilla started her racing career under Darren Weir in Victoria and was relocated to Maryann Brosnan’s Gold Coast stables, following Weir’s four-year suspension from racing in 2019, before arriving in Cairns about 18 months ago.
“One of my owners bought her on her form in Melbourne but Maryann Brosnan had her down south and gave her three starts and she didn’t really do anything,” Cooper said.
“He was hoping that I could get her back to her form that she had in Victoria, which I think I’ve done.”
The horse has been flying since returning from a spell in May, beaten by 1.2 lengths and 0.9 of a length in her first two starts this preparation, before winning three of her past four outings – and coming second by 0.4 lengths in the race she didn’t win.
Cooper said it was a remarkable return to form for the veteran, after she arrived at his stables with a torn muscle in her hindquarters.
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“She turned up here from down south and there was something not right with her,” Cooper said.
“She only had the three starts (in southeast Queensland) and was supposedly race fit, but she was sore, so we just tipped her out and started with a fresh horse.”
Our Chiquilla was only a Class 4 horse when she won the Open Handicap (1100m) at Atherton Turf Club on June 21, and backed it up in the Class 6 Plate (1210m) at Mareeba seven days later.
She enters Saturday’s Newmarket coming off a win in the Open Handicap (1200m) at Innisfail Turf Club last weekend.
“It’s a step up but she was competitive in Melbourne,” Cooper said.
“She’s placed at Sandown two or three times over 1400m, she ran second at Moonee Valley over 1500m, so it’s a big ask for her – now that she’s eight as well, and the other thing is she’s the only mare in the race, the rest of them are geldings – but you’ve got to be in it to win it.
“I’ve only had one runner in a Newmarket, he ran midfield, so with a bit of luck, she could win it for us.”
Our Chiquilla has had a different jockey for each of her recent wins – Krysten Swaffer at Atherton, Stephen Wilson at Mareeba and Lacey Morrison at Innisfail – and Cooper is hoping that trend continues when Townsville Cup-winning jockey Scott Sheargold takes the sit on Saturday.
“Because it was a late decision, Lacey already had a ride, Krysten already had a ride, Stephen already had a ride, so I had to find someone that could ride, and ride 54kg,” he said.
“Scott was available so I put him on. He’s been riding some good winners, his confidence should be high.”
Saga to roll on with in-form hoop in the saddle
Cairns trainer Fred Wieland has turned to Townsville Cup-winning jockey Scott Sheargold to get El Of A Saga back in the winners’ circle.
The five-year-old mare has been a consistent performer since returning from a spell in June, with one win, two seconds and a fourth from her four starts at Townsville this campaign.
After breaking an almost 10-month drought with Emily Cass in the saddle in the Ladies Bracelet (1300m) at Cluden Park last month, El Of A Saga was pipped at the post when beaten by 0.4 lengths by the Graeme Green-trained Taraki in the Belle of the Burdekin (1400m) on August 6 with Shane Pawsey in the hot seat.
Wieland has turned to the experience of Sheargold to find that extra stride out of the troubling mare, as they chase the riches at Cannon Park on Saturday.
Sheargold will partner El Of A Saga in the $50,000 Belle of the Daintree Fillies and Mares Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1500m on Cairns Newmarket Day.
Sheargold said the day’s forecasted showers could play in his favour.
“She won the Ladies Bracelet here in Townsville and she will be a decent chance if they get a bit of moisture in the track up there,” he said.
Cairns Jockey Club ready for late influx
Cairns Jockey Club officials are hopeful the early easing of restrictions will give fans more confidence to flock to Cannon Park for the Cairns Cup Ladies Day on Saturday.
The first day of the annual racing carnival is headlined by the Cairns Newmarket, and with the Queensland government announcing an early end to restrictions in SEQ, Cairns and Yarrabah, it will allow for more patrons to visit CJC.
General manager John Cameron said a large number of people had already transferred their entries to the second day of the carnival – the Cairns Cup on Saturday week – soon after the restrictions were first announced.
But with the potential crowd sitting at half of those who attended in 2019, and well below the mark currently projected for the Cairns Cup, Cameron was confident a late influx of ticket sales would help boost attendance at Far North Queensland’s biggest annual racing events.
“A lot of people may see this as a positive change,” he said.
“We did a significant amount of transfers to the second day of the carnival, but we’re in a position now where we could get 10 to 20 per cent extra patronage now.
“That would be a good outcome, remembering that two years ago we had five thousand people, and we’re expecting two, two and a half thousand this time.”
The Cairns Cup could attract as many as 4000 people.
The Cairns Newmarket and Belle of the Daintree Fillies and Mares Benchmark 70 HCP are this Saturday’s major races, with strong nominations across both.
Beaten but Brilliant Mind still on Cup path
Cairns trainer Stephen Massingham will press on with Cairns Cup plans for Brilliant Mind, despite no guarantee he’ll get a run in the feature race.
The six-year-old gelding was unlucky to go down by 0.2 lengths after he was pipped at the post by the Janel Ryan-trained Tutelage in the Banana Cup (1800m) at Innisfail Turf Club on Saturday.
“I was hoping he could win on Saturday and his rating would go up a touch and we might get a run (in the Cairns Cup),” Massingham said.
“At this stage, we’re still going to press on and go to the Cup.
“I’m going to throw him in and if he gets a run, he gets a run.”
Massingham said Brilliant Mind ran a good race at Innisfail but Tutelage was just too good for him on the day.
“There wasn’t much in it – Janel’s horse was just a bit stronger than him and out-toughed him the last little bit, but I was happy with his run,” he said.
“I would have preferred to get a bit of cover and have one crack at them but it never eventuated – but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
The annual Cairns Cup racing carnival gets under way with Cairns Newmarket Day on Saturday at Cannon Park, before Cairns Cup Day on Saturday, August 28.
Champion trainer moving on after rough Townsville trot
Atherton Tablelands trainer Roy Chillemi hopes he can be more competitive at the upcoming Cairns racing carnivals as he looks to put a horror Townsville annuals campaign behind him.
The champion trainer had hoped to carry the form that took him to a 16th Cluden Park trainers’ premiership in 2020-21 into the Townsville winter racing carnival earlier this month, but had no such luck over the two days.
From Chillemi’s 10 starters on Townsville Lightning and Townsville Cup days, the best result was Borella’s third in a Benchmark 65 Handicap.
“I had the worst annuals I’ve ever had in Townsville, but I’ll just move on from that,” Chillemi said.
“Sometimes certain things don’t go your way, a bit of track bias and other stuff happens, but prior to that we done really well – I won the premiership in Townsville by a good margin, so obviously we had a good year there.
“It’s just that sometimes things go a bit pear-shaped, but you’ve got to move on, don’t dwell on it and keep moving forward.
“I don’t know what the fields are going to be like in Cairns but I’m sure we’ll be competitive.”
Chillemi picked up a winner at Innisfail’s Banana Industry Race Day on Saturday, with War General saluting in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 900m. It was the four-year-old gelding’s first start in Far North Queensland since arriving at Chillemi’s stables from leading Australian thoroughbred trainer Hawkes Racing two months ago.
War General nosed out Sylvester, trained by Sharlee D’Avila, and the Janel Ryan-trained Cadence to claim victory in a blanket finish.
“It was a bit of a surprise, but it was a nice surprise,” Chillemi said.
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“He’s a good horse around the stables, he likes his food, all that sort of thing, but his first gallops weren’t real good.
“He’s probably a horse that has got to be fit before he can show his best.
“He wasn’t disappointing, I just thought he’d be a bit better than what he was, but as he’s had more gallops he’s slowly gotten better.
“I didn’t know whether he was ready on Saturday or not because his last bit of work was good, but that was the only bit of work that was good. Prior to that it had only been fair work.
“But I wanted to start him there so he’d get a run under his belt before annuals.”
Chillemi said War General pulled up well after his hit out, and would likely head to the Class 2 Handicap (1250m) on Cairns Newmarket Day this Saturday at Cannon Park.
“If he does everything right, that was the whole idea,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t have backed him up 1200m to 1200m, but 900m up to 1200m is a bit different.”
Bet On Love, Vienna Cruise, Grey Missile and Dream Luv are Chillemi’s other chances that are likely to go around on Saturday.
The trainer said this time of the year was a bit like Christmas – only you didn’t know whether you’d be getting any presents.
“I’ve been doing it for years now and everything’s going along good,” he said.
“I know the rules – I’m not going to win everything – but I just want my horses to be right on the day, which we’ll try and get as right as we can, and hopefully they’ll go out and be competitive.”
The last race at Innisfail was abandoned due to poor visibility.
Originally published as Cairns races: Our Chiquilla out to defy odds in Newmarket
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