Unbeaten North Queensland youngster set to face toughest task yet

By Jordan Gerrans

Unbeaten youngster Beau Rain faces the toughest task of his emerging career on Saturday at Mackay but top North Queensland rider Bonnie Thomson is optimistic the gelding might be the real deal.

Prepared by renowned two-year-old master Bill Kenning, Beau Rain has an unblemished record after a trio of trips to the races, with all three coming at Townsville’s Cluden Park.

The son of Sidestep makes his first journey away this Saturday, heading to Mackay’s Ooralea facility. 

The speedy youngster will put his unbeaten record on the line in the QTIS Jewel Qualifier 2YO Plate.

Thomson has been on board in each of Beau Rain’s public outings – three race wins and a strong trial performance – and the experienced hoop thinks the Kenning team have a juvenile on the rise.

“I like the horse, I think he has got a bright future,” Thomson said.

“There is just something about him.

“All of the three starts he has had so far, he has just toyed with them.

“He has that natural ability and knows when he needs to push his button and go.”

Thomson and Beau Rain did enough to get past stable mate Roweiner's Dance in the concluding stages on Tuesday afternoon at Cluden Park and the young gelding will now face a quick back-up on Saturday.

“He did it quite easily in the end,” she said.

“He has plenty of natural ability.”

All three victories have come over 1000 metres and Thomson has no concerns with the extra 100 metres for the Mackay contest.

Commencing from gate eight, the Townsville-based hoop believes it will be a tactical affair and is hopeful of jumping well and getting Beau Rain across to land in the box seat.

The brown gelding has faced small fields in his last two outings and Thomson believes Saturday will give connections a guide of where they can head with Beau Rain.

“This one will really test his ability,” she said.

“He has to back-up from Tuesday and he needs to travel for the first time, they both are questions he needs to answer.

“It will be a tester for him as he has not had to travel before.”

Beau Rain is one of three in the field for Saturday’s QTIS Jewel Qualifier that are not a QTIS eligible horse.

Staged on March 18, $2 million Queensland Jewel Raceday will be hosted at the Brisbane Racing Club for the first time this year.

It will once again be headlined by the $500,000 2YO QTIS Jewel and 3YO QTIS Jewel.

In the lead-up to March 18, qualifier races will be held across Queensland commencing in Townsville on February 21 before visiting Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns and Brisbane on the ‘Journey to the Jewel.’

The Thomson and Kenning connection have been prolific with babies in recent seasons.

They combined to win the feature juvenile North Queensland race – the Pallarenda Stakes - with Flinders Hiway in 2017 as well as winning four races in the two-year-old season of Lady Yendor back in 2019.

“Bill can strike a good two-year-old and I have got a pretty good strike-rate with him and his young ones,” she said.

The dual-licensed Thomson now prepares a daughter of Flinders Hiway - Salika Diva – who won her maiden event at Cairns earlier this year.

As well as her riding pursuits, Thomson has also been in-form in the training ranks of late.

She has registered four winners from her last 10 starters.

Thomson will send Boomalina to Atherton this Saturday for a Benchmark 60 event over 1000 metres.