Champion Bling It On to stand in Queensland

By Jordan Gerrans

The impressive QBRED bonuses on offer and Bling It On’s outstanding racing record in Brisbane is behind the decision to stand the former star pacer in Queensland for the upcoming breeding season.

The six-time Group 1 winner retired following his stunning career with well over $1 million in prize money to his name.

Cobbitty Equine Farm earlier this month announced Bling It On will be standing in Queensland this season.

Leading reinsman Luke McCarthy, who also runs Cobbitty Equine Farm, says QBRED bonuses and his retired pacer's Queensland success earlier in his career made it an easy decision to make.

QBRED is an incentive scheme delivering over $3 million in additional returns for breeders and owners of harness horses bred and racing in Queensland. 

“The QBRED system, the way Racing Queensland has put on the bonuses, it is very enticing for breeders when you look at races like the TRIAD and all that,” McCarthy said.

“A lot of western districts breeders bred to Bling It On and a lot of guys like to get a QBRED as they spend a lot of the winter in Queensland, we thought he would be well suited to that.”

Some of harness racing’s biggest stars have been QBRED-registered, including Blacks A Fake, Be  Good Johnny, Forever Gold, Majestic Mach, Leo’s   Best, Bettor Promise, Bettorthanspecial, Catcha   Lefty, Colt Thirty One and Smart As Camm Be.

McCarthy has previously declared the 2017 Hunter Cup as Bling It On’s greatest moment on the track and there were plenty of memorable victories in the Sunshine State as well.

On top of his six Group 1s, which included the 2014 Queensland Derby, Bling It On also collected another dozen Group level races.

“He raced so well in Queensland at Albion Park, he won the Nursey Pace as a two-year-old, he won the Futurity and the Queensland Derby as a three-year-old, the Redcliffe and Gold Coast derbies,” McCarthy said.

“He came back as a five-year-old and won the Group 1 Gold Coast Cup, which is what it was called back then.

“He did a lot of racing in Queensland and at Albion Park and Queenslanders really knew him well and he has showed that he handled the track.

“We thought he would be well suited up here and we thought we would give him a crack at it.”

Cobbitty Equine Farm says his progeny have hit the track running with three individual winners already recorded.