NARROMINE based Ricky Blewitt registered his third successive jockeys’ title when he again topped the leader board of the NSW Approved Jockey’s Association Premiership while winning his way around the picnic circuits last season. Securing this title with 49 wins (including one dead-heat) Ricky has been labelled in some quarters as “the everywhere man” taking rides anywhere and everywhere he can around the state.
The 39-year-old had a 2017-18 winning strike rate of 30 per cent from his 162 rides, and for earnings of $177,586. Ricky finished the season with three rides at the Wean Picnics in the north of the state last month where he won two races including the Wean Picnic Cup aboard Track Flash.
Trained at Moree by Peter Sinclair, Track Flash is a seven-year-old gelding by champion Australian sire Lonhro, and who has now won 10 races. The Moruya based Maddison Wright was second in the approved riders list with 24 wins.
Champion Dubbo based bush hoop Greg Ryan took out the NSW country jockeys’ premiership title with 135 wins, his rides earning $2.34 million in earnings. Port Macquarie based apprentice Ceejay Graham was the leading country apprentice last season.
These jockeys, leading trainers, a number of race clubs and prominent industry participants will be soon honoured at the annual Racing NSW Provincial and Country Racing Awards in Sydney on Friday evening September 28.
Farmer’s race day
WHILE many businesses are rallying to the plight of farmers in drought, the Mudgee Race Club (MRC) and their valued supporters and sponsors are combining to shout our farmers and their families a day at the races this Sunday September 2. According to the MRC’s secretary Colleen Walker: “call it a mental health day, and it is our way of showing the farmers we care.”
“On the day we (MRC, sponsors and supporters) will be treating our farmers with a seafood lunch, cold meats, salads and much more,” she said.
“We have been working with the council, bush fire brigades, CWA and many organizations to create a special day for our farmers and the community.”
While many businesses are rallying to the plight of farmers in drought, the Mudgee Race Club is combining with other businesses to shout our farmers and their families a day at the races this Sunday September 2.
It is like bringing the farmers of the sea, to the farmers of the bush, said Colleen. “We really want the farmers to come and spend an afternoon with us,” she said. Entertainment and country music will be trackside courtesy of Paul Costa and Mudgee’s Jess Holland, along with numerous kids’ activities and giveaways.
Vale Fred Cowell
HOW appropriate it was for long time racing industry participant Irene Cowell to prepare her first official winner as a trainer when Uncle Sam won at her home track of Gosford last month. The four-year-old I Am Invincible gelding was among the horses transferred into Irene’s name following the death - through illness, of her long-time training husband, Fred Cowell.
Aged 78 Fred had been based at Gosford for over 30 years. Fred along with Irene at his side, prepared numerous successful horses, but more recently his best was four times stakes winning Casino Prince gelding Mighty Lucky, who has won nine races and over $852,000.
Bettabet Red (by Casino Prince) who won the Muswellbrook and Krambach Cups, and triple winner Sojournist (by Stratum) would also count among other of his recent competitive horses. As well as buying youngsters at the Sydney sales from time to time, I would see the Cowells regularly at the annual Dubbo Yearling Sale, always looking for a “cheapie” and which invariably would usually win races for them.
From this sale the pair purchased and raced several youngsters by Vain Karioi (who stood at the Slack-Smith family’s Lucernevale Stud, near Dubbo), and among these included two stakes winners Just A Printer (seven races including a Group 1) and Top Comedian (11 wins).
Infrastructure goes bush
SURPLUS training and racing infrastructure from the Australian Turf Club’s (ATC) city tracks has been donated to several country NSW race clubs as part of the ATC’s charity and community engagement program. Four horse walkers will leave Sydney this week to be used by country trainers at Mudgee Race Club (two) and one each to the Dubbo Turf Club and the Goulburn and District Racing Club. Another recent ATC donation of 1000 metres of running rail went to the Gunnedah Jockey Club.
Brief Truce passes
STOCKWELL Thoroughbreds announced the passing, following a short illness, of outstanding US-bred stallion Brief Truce at his Victorian home recently. The 29-year-old bay was a outstanding track performer when prepared in Ireland by the famous Dermot Weld, and a galloper who developed into a champion European three-year-old miler.
The stallion originally shuttled between Coolmore Stud in Ireland, to Woodlands Stud (now Godolphin) at Denman, before he was purchased by Gestut Sohrenhof in Switzerland and the Becker family’s Independent Stallions in Victoria. By the Riverman sire Irish River, Brief Truce sired 51 stakes winners with his best Australian season being in 2001 when he was represented with Group 1 winners True Jewels, and Diatribe.