By Tony McMahon
As the proverb goes “any publicity is good publicity” but in the racing industry the best publicity is winning publicity.
Rockhampton’s Capricornia Yearling Sales first staged in 1988 and on-again next Sunday at the Rockhampton Showgrounds, has endured and prospered over all those years through winning publicity.
For me it is rather eerie as during those 31 years as a racing scribe churning out copy about each annual sale, you can almost bet for certain on the eve of the sales up will bob another Rockhampton CYS’s promotional winner.
Right on cue it happened again last Saturday some 2325km away at Morphettville racecourse in Adelaide when Vegas Boulevard won the $100,000 Handicap (1400m).
That same horse entered the Robert Schwarten Pavilion as Lot 27 at the 2014 CYS as a bay Casino Prince-Nomen x Zariz colt on account of Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm, Sandy Hollow, NSW.
Mainly because the colt was not QTIS registered and thereby not eligible for lucrative incentive prize money bonuses in Queensland, he sold at the moderate price of just $6000.
The purchasers were Gracemere’s John Pointon and Prue Howard who prepared the colt for the Magic Millions of Horses in Training Sale (Ready To Run) at the Gold Coast later that year.
It proved to be a worthy investment as Vegas Boulevard was subsequent purchased there by Victorian owner David Strain for $21,000.
It turned out to be a win-win all-round for Pointon and Howard and new owner Stain as Vegas Boulevard has subsequently won six races for prize money totalling $161,510.
Not bad for a colt who paraded rather nervously at Rockhampton that Sunday on April 13, 2014!
The catalogue for the 2019 CYS next Sunday has burgeoned out from an original book of 99 yearlings to that of 109 following the addition of 10 supplementary lots.
The irony is that one of those in Lot 102, is a filly on account of Waylon J Stud, Wamuran who is by the sire of Vegas Boulevard in Casino Prince.
The other nine supplementary lots are sired by Spill The Beans; Sidestep; Written Tycoon; Sidereus; Whittington; Myboycharlie; Charge Forward; Golden Archer and Rothesay.
Last year’s CYS catalogue has already produced 12 individual race winners not to mention numerous placegetters which is unprecedented in the 31 years history of the sales.
It has become a much-lauded talking point in racing and breeding circles and has really focused the light in this year’s CYS catalogue.
Accordingly, next Saturday’s $125,000 CYS 2YO Classic (1200m) at Rockhampton, which incidentally is the richest race run in Queensland on that day, will contain the strongest field on record.
The winner’s egg keeps on boiling as if it is won by a filly the trainer will receive a $5000 cash bonus and the owner a free service for a mare to acclaimed international
Oaklands Stud based stallion Power (GB) valued at $11,000.
As well Racing Queensland have added two conditional QTIS second pay-up vouchers to the prize pool of the winners of the CYS 2YO Classic and the QTIS 2YO Maiden run on Friday.
The Rockhampton Jockey Club has matched this by offering conditional payment vouchers for the CYS 2YO Race Series to the winners of the CYS 2YO Classic and Friday’s 2YO Maiden.
However, these vouchers can only be claimed providing the winning owners of either race purchase a yearling at next Sunday’s Sale.
Those vouchers run into a sizeable amount of money and are so enticing it is likely that the winning owners of each race will reinvest at the Sunday’s sale.
After all, “winners are grinners” and with such incentives the grin is assured of widening.
Entries for the CYS two days of racing at Callaghan Park on Friday and Saturday offering $500,000 close this morning MONDAY at 11am and are expected to be extensive.