Rockhampton's day to remember at Eagle Farm

By Tony McMahon

It was a momentous day for a group of Rockhampton racing stakeholders on Saturday when they shared in the spoils of a trio of feature wins at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.

All three winners, Master Jamie, Sweet Dolly and Alpine Edge are owned fully or in part by well-known Rocky racing identities, while the trio were graduates of Magic Millions Gold Coast Sales.

Leading the charge was the mercurial racehorse Master Jamie, who in a defiant characteristic front running display, won the 1400-metre $250,000 The Gateway by a nose from Stampe.

In doing so, the Graeme Green-trained sprinter dispelled disbelievers of his capacity to run out 1400 metres and became an automatic qualifier for the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap run over the same distance next winter.

Furthermore, in taking out the $145,000 first prize money, Master Jamie became the highest winning racehorse career trained entirely from Callaghan Park with his haul now $517,475.

He is raced by trainer Green with former Rockhampton Jockey Club committee member Ron White and his wife Bev.

A son of Poet’s Voice and the Flying Spur mare Verkko, the four-year-old was yet another bargain buy fetched from the Magic Millions March Yearling Sales, this time in 2018 when offered by Aquis Farm.

Saturday’s winning rider - Melbourne Cup winner Michael Rodd - also has a strong Central Queensland connection being married to Cara (née Aspinall), daughter of Rockhampton’s Vince and Judy.

Graeme Green was overcome by Master Jamie’s career best win – his 13^th from 22 starts – unable to hold back tears post-race.

“He is just an incredible horse, his recovery rate after the race was amazing and on Saturday night, he cleaned out his feed bin,” Green said.

“I have dropped him off at Oakwood Farm today (Sunday) to spell now before coming back to Rocky to get ready for the Stradbroke - it’s all just amazing.”

Just 80 minutes earlier on Saturday, there were more euphoric scenes when Rocky filly Sweet Dolly – a Justin Stanley mount - turned what looked certain defeat into victory.

Trained at Callaghan Park by the very popular Kevin Hansen, Sweet Dolly became spellbound taking stage fright over the final 200 metres, veering out sharply in the $125,000 1000-metre Listed Calaway Gal for 2YO Fillies.

Racing somewhat erratically, Stanley believes the inexperienced filly took fright at the infield race display screen, costing herself momentum and many lengths in the process.

Despite this, Sweet Dolly having only her second race start after a runaway Townsville win on November 28, went on to score by three quarters of a length from Caulfield winner Fake Love.

After the race, Stanley told jubilant connections that if not for her waywardness, he believed Sweet Dolly - raced by the Capricorn Coast’s Michelle Walker - could have won by five lengths.

By winning, Sweet Dolly proved Kevin Hansen’s reported pre-race assessment that she will be hard to beat spot-on.

A daughter of the former champion and Rockhampton-owned Real Saga, Sweet Dolly was another giveaway buy, sold for just $1500 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.

It is believed than an unsuccessful offer of $180,000 was made on Sweet Dolly after her Townsville winning debut but after Saturday’s win - which carried Listed status - she would be hot property potentially in a much higher six figure range.

Sweet Dolly will now be spelled at her doting owners’ property while Hansen and his wife Donna will also take a well-earned Christmas break.

Capping off a stellar day for the Central Queensland town, former Rockhampton Jockey Club chairman Bill Ouston and his wife Di are part-owners of Saturday’s Listed Phelan Ready Stakes winner Alpine Edge from the Toby and Trent Edmonds stable.

The couple can now look forward to having a serious $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic contender at the Gold Coast on January 16. 

Alpine Edge was a $160,000 Magic Millions purchase but his value would have multiplied appreciably after Saturday’s snazzy win.