Todd Austin out to win Birdsville Cup for jockey Quayde Krogh

By Jordan Gerrans

Quayde Krogh will not be in Birdsville this week but if his old boss is to win the first Cup of 2022 – then the well-travelled hoop deserves just as many plaudits.

Krogh has seen plenty of Australia during his riding career, now based in Canberra, after starting out under the tutelage of leading bush trainer Todd Austin in Barcaldine.

Krogh worked with Austin for 18 months before moving around the country to chase his riding ambitions.

During his time in the Central West, Krogh struck up a close friendship with Austin, a former jockey himself, and they still stay in contact to this day, with the ACT-based hoop helping the Sunshine State horseman land new gallopers for his barn.

So, when Krogh was working for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in Sydney and the champion trainers had a handy gelding for sale – Echo Point – the rider told his old boss to swoop.

Austin did, the son of Sebring winning two of his first four for his new stable, and he is now set for the opening 2022 edition of the Birdsville Cup.

Krogh was booked to make the trip to outback Queensland this week to ride the four-year-old in the $42,000 Cup over a mile, before the dreaded virus struck.

“Quayde told me that the horse would suit me and he has suited us, as he thought he would,” Austin said from Birdsville on Thursday morning.

“Quayde always said following that I owed him a ride in the Birdsville Cup and now that I have given him one, he can’t come (laughs).”

Krogh was accepted to take rides at Birdsville over the two-day carnival before testing positive to COVID-19 and having to pull out over the last day. 

Austin stable hoop Brooke Richardson – who rode Echo Point to a romping six-length victory last start – has been selected to replace Krogh on Monday afternoon.

Krogh credits Austin for kick-starting his career in the saddle.

“He was hugely instrumental for my career and a great horseman,” Krogh said.

The Birdsville Race Club recently announced a bumper trainer bonus prize pool ahead of the iconic race day’s return.

The Club has confirmed a bonus of up to $15,000 for a trainer that wins both April and September editions of the TAB Birdsville Cup.

There is two editions of the Birdsville Cup in 2022 as the race has not been held in each of the last two years.

Austin – who is second on the Queensland Country trainers premiership this season – is already a two-time winner of the popular Cup, claiming the last version in 2019 as well as back in 2013.

Having only won three races in his career, Echo Point is up against seasoned bush middle-distance runners in Monday’s Open Handicap but Austin thinks he is a live chance with his light weight.

He made a mess of a small field at Longreach last month – which included bush legend Fab’s Cowboy - over 1300 metres. 

“He is only a lower class, he comes in as a Class 2 horse, he is not very high rated,” Austin said.

“The horse is after the mile, which we can see with his form.

“There is not many better mile races out here to start him in than this one so this is where we will go.”

As a former jockey, Austin says he always tries to select a horse he would like to ride in a race and if he was to pick one for Monday’s Cup, he would be on John Manzelmann’s Bernie’s Tiger.

Bernie’s Tiger will lug the top-weight after winning Cup races in Ewan and Moranbah last year.

Austin has taken a team of eight gallopers to Birdsville for the two days of racing and believes Blade Man will be a strong chance in the Class 2 Handicap on Monday.

“He does not know good he is yet, he is still a bit silly,” Austin said.

“He is a very busy horse.

“We have brought him for the trip, hopefully it settles him down and he can smell the roses a bit.

“He goes alright.”

London Ruler, who is in the Benchmark 70 Handicap on Monday, will also be hard to beat, the experienced trainer thinks.

“He has done nothing wrong,” he said.

“They have all been racing well and we can only go from there.”

The TAB Birdsville Cup prize money has increased to $42,000, with overall prize money up 12 per cent.