Trainer Tanya Parry bracing for big weekend for her stable

By Jordan Gerrans

Spare a thought for veteran Julia Creek trainer Tanya Parry ahead of a massive weekend for her stable.

The stalwart of country racing in Queensland has 37 horses accepted to race over Friday and Saturday of this week, spread out across the two-day Oak Park meeting as well as Stamford on Saturday afternoon.

It has created a logistical nightmare for Parry and the team behind her, having to travel to and from Julia Creek, Oak Park and Stamford.

A previous winner of the North West Queensland Trainer of the Year prize, Parry on Thursday morning explained how she was going to manage it all, transporting her team of horses across three race meetings over two days in two different racing zones of Queensland.

“I am just trying to work out how to get to two places, we are just working it out,” Parry said.

“I will go to Oak Park on Friday morning, race, and then come back on Friday night to Julia Creek and then head to Stamford on Saturday morning.

“My daughter will stay at Oak Park on Friday night and then she will look after them on Saturday.

“It is a big number of horses for us to race this many over two days but we usually have lots of horses wherever we travel too.”

The Parry yard have 12 accepted for Friday at Oak Park, only six for the second day at Oak Park before a huge 19 runners at Stamford. 

Some of Parry's runners are emergencies and may not get a start, but all up she has 37 accepted to race across 15 different events over the next couple of days. 

After having her gallopers washed out last weekend at Mount Isa, Parry, who has around 40 horses in work at her barn, is hopeful the rain stays away over the next couple of days so they can all go around.

A club like Stamford would be unlikely to be able to hold their meeting if not for a dedicated trainer like Parry, with her team consisting of 19 of the 41 runners accepted – with a minimum of three runners in each of the five non-TAB races.

It is trainers like Parry who keep country racing in the Sunshine State ticking over every weekend on the non-TAB circuit.

It is a 325km trip between Julia Creek and Stamford while from Oak Park Race Club to Julia Creek, it is over 500 kms. 

With almost 40 horses accepted to race before Saturday night, the experienced trainer could not put her finger on her best chance of the lot, but is hopeful of picking up a few winners along the way.

“Myola Milly goes well and will be a good chance,” the long-time Julia Creek trainer said.

“We had a few troubles with her as she had a tongue tie on and she wouldn’t jump and she would be 20 lengths from the last horse and then she would fly home to just get beaten.

“We have taken the tongue tie off her in her last start and she flew home again and I think she will be a good chance at Oak Park if she decides to get up there and go again.

“She was one of the main reasons I was going to Oak Park and I think Craiglea Altona will be a good chance on Saturday but I think the one of Ricky Ludwig’s will be very hard to beat in that race.”

The annual Oak Park Race Club weekend is one most in the north Queensland racing community circle on their calendar each and every year.

The Oak Park Races are held each year at Oak Park Station, situated off the road which joins the Lynd Junction and Hughenden, approximately 80kms south of the Lynd Junction in Far North Queensland.

Like Oak Park, Stamford is also a once a year racing venue.