Gold ‘N’ Glamorous swapping racetrack for Royal Queensland Show

Headline photo: Adam Gardini/Winning Edge Communications

By Andrew Smith

Gold ‘N’ Glamorous already turns heads on the racecourse with her unique coat colour but the filly will be able to show off in a different arena this Monday at the Ekka.

The Palomino filly, who has a genetic gold coat and white mane and tail, will strut her stuff in the Thoroughbred Led Class – Filly, 3 Years Old category in the Main Arena as part of Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day.

It will be a slight change in scenery for the 3YO who kicked off her racing career on the Gold Coast in January, with races at Ipswich, Rockhampton and Doomben following.

Trained by Toby and Trent Edmonds, Gold ‘N’ Glamorous is also owned by an all-female syndicate, including Toowoomba trainer Maddy Sears and motor racing legend Alan Jones' wife Amanda Butler-Davis.

Part owner Holly Penfold explained how the idea of temporarily switching the track for the Royal Queensland Show competition came about.

“Maddy Sears has competed since she was knee high in showing, and she and her mum Leigh were very successful in showing,” Penfold said.

“Because obviously the horse is so stunning, I said if you guys want to do the showing of her, I’m happy to make sure everything lines up that she’s in the stables, she’s fit and has a good coat and everything and I’ll bring her.

“Leigh is going to prep her up on Monday morning and Maddy is going to lead her in.”

Penfold will herself be competing in the Queensland Off-The-Track Program Showjumping Showcase on the back of One Inch Punch.

She believes exposing Gold ‘N’ Glamorous to a vastly different environment away from a racecourse will help the filly when she does eventually retire.

“She’s been to one show already a couple of weeks ago just for practice,” Penfold said.

“Obviously it is hard but it is so good for them if the opportunity is there that people are able to take them out to different atmospheres while they are still racing.

“It’s a really good experience for them and gets them used to so many different things.

“That’s where I guess a lot of them struggle when they’re retired – it will be ‘oh ok here you go, go to a show,’ and a lot of them are just mind blown.

“She’s not going to go anywhere; I’m going to keep her when she is finished racing whether she’s used as a broodmare or I jump her or anything like that.

“But she’s already going to have all of these experiences under her belt and it’s not going to be anything new for her at all.”

After a disappointing last-placed finish at Doomben on August 2, Gold ‘N’ Glamorous is due to return to racing in Beaudesert in a couple of weeks’ time.

Before that though, there is a competition to win on Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day that will have plenty on offer for spectators.

“It’ll be quite special on Monday - if people are able to see the whole day, they’ll know that it’s only Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds there and that they’re doing the Led classes, the Ridden show classes and that they will be jumping,” Penfold said.

“It will be good for people to watch that and go ‘ok well all of these horses have been bred to race and here they are doing three different activities.’

“Instead of going I don’t know what this breed is, or what this one is at a normal show, it’s just black and white - everything here was bred to race but now they’re doing this.

Click here to read more about the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day.