Barney buckles up for Queensland Cup quest

By Isaac Murphy

Sir Truculent has earned the moniker as the pride of South Australia, with the astounding 38-time winner now revered above all others in his home state.

However, his performances abroad are earning him notoriety around the country, especially in Queensland where he took out the $110,000 Listed Gold Cup earlier this year and is back for the riches of the Group 1 Queensland Cup.

As he did earlier in the year, Adelaide trainer Wally Harkins has handed the reigns to Tony Brett for his Queensland sojourn and couldn’t be happier with where the dog known as Barney is at.

“I sent him up there on the Friday the week before the Super Stayers, similar to what we’d done in the lead-up to his Listed Gold Cup win earlier in the year and I thought he held his own in a serious field,” Harkins said.

“He loomed up to Zipping Niseko like he was going to win at one point and didn’t quite go on with it, I’ve had a whole lot of people saying has he lost his edge at three-and-a-half years old, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“He’s going as well as ever, if you look at his last trip to Queensland he was nowhere first-up, he just needed the run, I can’t wait to see what he can do this week.”

Harkins was given the hometown draw coming up with the red rug, a box the dog’s excelled from in the past and will need to use it to beat the talented Five Star.

“I’ve always said that he’s loved the red because the minute he comes out, he’s looking for the rail," he said.

"When he draws wide it might take him 100 metres to find the fence instead of being able to conserve energy and jump straight on it.

“As much as I expect my dog to improve lengths on his run this week, I think Five Star could do just the same, he looked a little bit lost last week and having raced him at his best in Victoria we know what he’s capable of.

“Not to dismiss the local dogs who’re always tough to beat on their home track, but personally I think he’s (Five Star) the dog to beat in the series so hopefully we can get one up on him before the Final.”

Sir Truculent has been winning staying races for fun at home for the past couple of years, but Harkins loves the challenge of travelling while representing his state.

“We’re very proud wherever he goes, he’s known as the pride of South Australia, but Queensland’s his home away from home, winning the Gold Cup up there and now back for a tilt at his first Group 1 - we love the place,” he said.

“The prizemoney ($75,000) he picked up for the Gold Cup which was only Listed level was incredible and running third, in a four-dog field last week he still earnt more than he would in a Free For All here at home.

“I considered keeping him in Queensland with Tony after his win earlier this year, to capitalise on a few Free For All races and it’s something I’ll definitely consider again after the Queensland Cup.”

The Gold Cup field he beat in February was Group-standard but unfortunately didn’t carry Group status, and Harkins is keen to get the monkey off the back and get the respect he deserves.

“We’ve still got that chip on the shoulder not having won a Group 1 race, we’ve been close on multiple occasions in Victoria but we’re still carrying that stigma of being not quite good enough,” he said.

“I’ve been really pleased to hear through Tony the level of respect he gets up in Queensland because it’s something we just don’t get in Victoria.

“He’s often categorised as one making up the numbers by the Victorians, you’ve only got to look at his results to know he’s much better than that.”

Approaching 100 starts with almost $300,000 in the bank, retirement is still the furthest thing from Harkins' mind, and the dog is as spritely as ever.

“If you saw the way he bounced around a day or two after a 700-metre run, you’d have no idea how old he was, he’s had a fantastic run with injury and that’s why we’re solely concentrated on winning races, not what comes next,” he said.

“I never put him behind a lure during the week and I think that’s something that’s helped his longevity; some trainers trial and trial where I’d rather race him into fitness.

“They don’t win races but having the fastest trial time, it’s all about knowing your dog and I’ve got a good grasp on what Barney needs.”