Team Rowe hoping for New Year celebration in Cairns

By Glenn Davis

The father and son training partnership of Trevor and Peter Rowe hope to celebrate the New Year with several winners from a strong team of 13 starters at Cannon Park in Cairns on Monday.

The Rowes trained in their own right before forming a training partnership in November and the new stable has gone from strength to strength.

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone and I couldn’t be happier,” said Trevor Rowe.

“We’ve had at least half a dozen winners together since Peter and I decided to train in partnership.”

The Rowes will have four first starters in the QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden over 950 metres and Trevor has given punters a leg up with his preference for King Canute.

“I think King Canute and Shiho should both run very well in the two-year-old maiden and King Canute is probably the pick,” Rowe said.

“All four of our babies are having their first starts but they all are showing a lot of promise though some are still a little green.”

Rowe is hoping North Queensland’s weather improves before race day with persistent rain falling in the far north for the past two weeks.

“The track should be heavy as it hasn’t stopped raining up here for about two weeks,” he said.

“It’s only been light rain but there’s been very little drying weather.”

A wet track is one of the reasons why Rowe is likely to start dual acceptor Southern Swing in the Class 6 Handicap over 950 metres.

Southern Swing hasn’t raced since finishing fourth to the Mark Dale-trained Modernism in a 1500-metre Class 6 at Cairns on November 13.

“Southern Swing is also in the Open over 1250 metres but if we have a heavy track I’ll start him in the shorter race,” he said.

“He’s going into this first-up and he’ll be better suited over 950 if the track is heavy.”

Trevor Rowe’s best training performance was five winners in a day several years ago but he’s reluctant to say whether Team Rowe can better the feat.

“I trained five winners a few years ago but it’s too hard to say if we can equal that,” he said.

“I’d prefer to say we’re a good chance of getting prize money in every race.”

Rowe is also confident Smart Image can continue his unbeaten run since joining his stable from Brisbane’s premier trainer Tony Gollan in October.

“He’s had three starts for us for three wins and the small field will help him again,” Rowe said.

“He’s won on a soft track three times but he’s yet to win on a heavy.

“I was really appreciative of Lacey Morrison who offered to give up the ride if we wanted to claim but we’re sticking with her.”