By Tony McMahon
Globe-trotting jockey Martin Harley has provided the Rockhampton Jockey Club with priceless rave comments about Callaghan Park as a race track.
Irishman Harley was not only the toast of Callahan Park and off course punters Australia wide last Sunday but also the RJC hierarchy over his spontaneous comments.
Harley has ridden winners at some of the world’s most prestigious tracks including Royal Ascot, Newmarket, The Curragh, Chantilly, Longchamp, Meydan and Sha Tin.
Harley has ridden at 141 racecourses in 14 countries.
“Callaghan Park is a big spacious track with a beautiful grass galloping surface," Harley said.
"It very much reminds me of the big European tracks.
"It is not unlike Ascot in some ways but it does not have the rises.
"Actually, I rate it closest to the Sha Tin track in Hong Kong."
His comments were vindicated by fast times throughout the eight-race card.
This was highlighted by Harley’s mount Indian Dreamer breaking Rocky Cup winner Vindicated’s 2014 track record for the 1600 metres when he won the Tatt's Cup.
Earlier after winning on Call Me Marilyn, the jockey went ever further in his lavish assessment of the track to part-owner and RJC committee person Bill Ouston.
“This could be the best track I have ridden on in Australia is what Martin told me after I asked him about what he thought of the track," Ouston reported.
Harley relocated to Queensland last November.
He rode five winners on the card on Sunday, where he had six race rides with his first venture north to Rocky.
“Toby and Trent Edmonds were very keen for me to come up. They are good judges so I didn’t need much persuasion. Naturally I am glad I did," Martin said after winning the Tatt's Cup for the pair.
Edmonds and Harley won three races on the eight -race card.
Indian Dreamer’s 2.67 length win in the Cup gained the Sepoy gelding automatic entry into the $150,000 Rockhampton Cup on Saturday week.
Toby Edmonds has previously won a Rockhampton Cup with Chappel Dancer when run over 2000 metres in 1999.
Now 24 years later he will attempt to repeat the dose with Indian Dreamer.
“We bought him as a yearling and he always showed us he could gallop. He was dumb earlier on and a slow maturer but he is right now. We really expected him to race well," Toby Edmonds said.
The trainer plans to bring a team of horses for the two day Newmarket Cup Carnival on July 7 and 8.
“I don’t have a Newmarket horse but I have a Cup horse now," Edmonds said.