Tony Brett dominates on Queensland's biggest stage

By Isaac Murphy

Tony Brett needs no introduction in the Queensland training ranks, but despite their Brisbane Cup track record the kennel has managed to go to a new stratosphere in 2021.

The camp have claimed the Group 1 Brisbane Cup with Equalizer and the Group 1 Queensland Cup with Sir Truculent for a clean sweep of the state’s biggest races.

Team Brett and the Brisbane Cup are synonymous, so it came as no surprise Victorian trainer Jason Thompson handed Brett the reigns with Equalizer, especially after the duo teamed up with Black Opium to win last year’s Brisbane Cup.

Equalizer is a rare breed as a sprinter, at one point dropping to the tail of the field before unleashing a savage middle-section and run home to claim the Group 1 in 29.52 seconds.

“This is what you live for as a Queensland trainer, racing for the Brisbane Cup against some of the best dogs in the country and thanks to our connection with Jason (Thompson) we’ve been able to win it two years in a row,” Brett said.

“Equalizer is probably the polar opposite to Black Opium who won last year, she was all about early pace and for him it was about the run home, he did it his own way tonight.

“Watching him in Victoria come from nowhere to get up for wins, you were impressed from afar but having had him in the kennels for three weeks and witnessing three wins you get a whole new appreciation of how special he is.”

With no natural box speed and drawn in the four, Equalizer had to use his race smarts and did everything right going from last to second as he tore down the back.

“He did exactly what he needed to tonight, letting the speed go early and finding the fence he got a lovely run through at the first turn, I couldn’t believe how close he was going down the back,” Brett said.

“Everything went in slow motion for a few seconds when I realised he was going to run away with it, it’s a feeling you can’t describe until you experience it.

“In the end he’s blown them away which is no easy task against the Shima Shines of the world, I can’t wait until next year to hopefully do it all again.”

Selena Zammit’s Music Event was the only one close to matching Equalizer’s run home in a well-deserved runner-up performance.

There were emotional scenes for Western Australian trainer Michael Hine who saw roughie Wise Thunder run a bold third in his maiden Group 1 Final.

Sir Truculent salutes with Maiden Group 1

Brett was already enjoying a cracking night as star stayer Sir Truculent cemented his Queensland legacy, a one act affair in the Group 1 Queensland Cup for the stayers.

Sir Truculent is putting a strong case forward to become an honorary Queenslander, as the Pride of South Australia claimed a clean sweep of Albion Park’s biggest staying races, adding the Queensland Cup to his Listed Gold Cup win for caretaker trainer Tony Brett.

The dog has been a marvel under the watch of trainer Wally Harkins in South Australia cleaning up in Free For All company, but he was always destined for more and has fulfilled his potential with a sizzling 41.58-second dash ahead of Queensland Duo Maggie Moo Moo and Micks Recall.

“I don’t know how this dog continues to fly under the radar, he won the Listed Gold Cup earlier this year, was faultless in his heat last week and they still put him up at a price,” Brett said.

“A big shout out to Wally Harkins who’s trained him his whole career in South Australia and entrusted us with him again, if there’s any duo that deserves to win a race like this it’s Wally and Sir Truculent.

“No-one will be sleeping on him after tonight he was dominant against a Group 1 field and he’s far from finished yet - there’s plenty more in the tank.”

Maggie Moo Moo and Micks Recall were favoured from boxes one and eight with Sir Truculent with the squeeze in box five, but when the South Australian speared out he flipped the race on its head extending away in the middle stages.

“I wasn’t worried about box five, we knew from our experience with him earlier in the year he only stepped better with each run and third up we were confident he’d put himself right on the speed and he did,” Brett said.

“Once you get a dog like him out in front - as good as Maggie Moo Moo and Mick’s Recall are - you aren’t going to run him down, he gets the 700 in his sleep.”

“I say it all the time but these dogs we take on for the carnival we treat them as our own and he’s been an absolute pleasure to be involved with, he’s so laid back at home and gets to the track and flicks the switch.”

I’m Explosive comes of age in Mick Byrne Memorial

Bob Ayres' boutique kennel have been flying of late and new arrival I’m Explosive has only added to the potency of the small team, rattling off her third consecutive win to claim the Mick Byrne Memorial Novice Final.

She was the standout bitch in her heat and produced again on the big stage, with Ayres outlining her swift rise to a feature race winner.

“All credit to the owners, I didn’t know much about the bitch other than she’d had about 10 starts without a win when she came to me, but they insisted she had something about her, and they’ve been spot on,” Ayres said.

“She had a few little niggles when she arrived a few months ago, I took my time getting her healthy and fit and she shocked us all when she came out and won her maiden in quick time at Ipswich.

“Winning in such dominant fashion and with this race approaching it looked like a no brainer to bring her to the Mick Byrne, but she still had to handle Albion Park and has done it like a veteran in her heat and now her final.”

Under normal circumstances, the bitch would have gone through a regular Thursday night Novice which carries less than half the prize money of the Mick Byrne.

“Fantastic for us to have this race on, we’ve basically got the chance to earn $11,000 for winning a Thursday night Novice,” Ayres said.

“I was pretty confident she’d measure up in the Final once she drew box two, she was quickest out in her heat, but I knew she had the strength to come from behind which she had to do tonight.

“We’ll head to the Ipswich Young Guns with her now, we already know she likes the track there and want to keep her in these age races as long as possible.”

Aston Fasnet finds some consolation

Jason Thompson’s superstar sprinter Aston Fastnet was one to watch ahead of last week Group 1 Brisbane Cup heats, coming off a second in the Group 3 Speed Star in Victoria and a flying 29.62 trial.

It wasn’t to be for the dog as he got tangled up behind the speed in his heat, but with kennel mate Equalizer in the Final, Thompson elected to keep the dog in Brisbane and he was absolutely dominant in his Fourth and Fifth Grade contest going 29.62.

“I’ve never seen a trial as quick as his (29.62) first up by an interstate dog, he was going enormous and just didn’t get the luck he needed in his Cup heat,” Brett said.

“Jason said keep him up there and give him another experience away from home this week.

“He begun a lot better and when he burrowed through at that first turn it was times and margins, 12.55 home is flying and with a 29.62 race run we hope to see him back here for the summer carnival.”

Kooringa Lucy carves out Cup-worthy time

Mitch Northfield’s Kooringa Lucy was another hard luck story in last week's Cup heats.

The bitch is desperate for the inside and when she drew box six it was always going to be an uphill battle to qualify, but she showed her class cleaning up in Best 8 company Thursday night.

“It was unfortunate we couldn’t draw a box last week; her run was exceptional despite getting knocked from pillar to post early, but you have to get everything right in Group 1 heats,” Northfield said.

“Small field, much closer to the fence she had a few things in her favour tonight and it showed on the clock (29.56) she’s consistently running around that mark.”