Jockey Morrison remembers riding with Homann a few decades ago and is pleased to be able to deliver her stable one of the biggest achievements in her career so far.
“It is great for Nicole, everyone is putting in the effort and it is great to get some results,” Morrison said.
“We work together well, Nicole takes on board my advice after riding track work for her.
“He is a pretty easy horse to manage, Nicole knows what she is doing, she has been in the industry for a long time now.
“She was a good rider when she was younger, she was actually a senior apprentice jockey when I was just starting out.
“We have been friends for a long time and since I have started riding work for her, we have become closer friends again.”
Only a tiny field of five assembled for the Mareeba heat - run over 1210 metres as an Open Handicap - with Evil Eye Mac finishing ahead of the Georgie Holt-trained Hit Snooze.
Mareeba Turf Club President Alex Malliff described a BOTB slot as a “dream come true” for any country trainer.
“We really tried to pump up the day here at Mareeba to be all about the Battle of the Bush,” Malliff said.
“The concept of country gallopers going to the city to take on the best of the best of the other country gallopers, it is exciting.
“These concepts bring us all together in the country areas, we all go through the same things in the bush, the travel and the hard times.
“To race for that prize money, it is a big bonus for all of us.”
Malliff, who is also a local trainer in Mareeba, believes concepts like the BOTB are drawing new audiences into the racing industry.
“Everybody in our game is excited about the Battle of the Bush but I am trying to bring in get people outside of the racing game to get involved, too,” he said.
“Country towns like Mareeba, there is a real equine feel around the town and we have been promoting it via our Facebook and the local paper.
“People are coming up to me and asking, 'what is the Battle of the Bush?' - they see it and want to understand what it is all about.
“And once they know about it, they get excited about it, as well.”
Three heats were contested this weekend, at Mareeba, Cloncurry and Goondiwindi, with Cloncurry’s heat claimed by trainer Steven Royes and Kapset.
At Goondiwindi, David Reynolds’ Rather Salubrious bolted in by more than two lengths in a dominant showing.
Following Saturday’s three qualifiers, there is only three more slots left for the 2021 BOTB final.
Click here to read more on the Battle of the Bush series.