By Jordan Gerrans
Bonnie Thomson has had the winning touch in the Pallarenda Stakes in recent years and she believes she might be on track for another this Saturday with an unraced “fire cracker”.
The Townsville-based Thomson has claimed the feature juvenile North Queensland event on three occasions, with one of those being on Flinders Hiway.
The 44-year-old will debut a daughter of Flinders Hiway – who won the race back in 2017 – in the fillies edition of the race at Cluden Park on Saturday afternoon.
The unraced youngster - Salika Diva – has hardly put a foot wrong in her short tenure as a race horse, winning her only trial by just over two lengths earlier this month.
The dual-licensed Thomson will partner her new filly in the 1000 metre scamper on Saturday.
Salika Diva has followed her mother’s path, who also won her only public trial before heading towards the Pallarenda Stakes.
Veteran Townsville trainer Bill Kenning prepared Flinders Hiway in her early races.
“She was a fire cracker – Flinders Hiway – she was, so this one is like her mum,” Thomson said on Thursday morning about Salika Diva.
“Billy got the best out of her as a baby.”
Despite winning the feature event on debut, Flinders Hiway would go on to only win one more race from 18 attempts and go through the hands of three North Queensland trainers.
While she showed immense early promise, Thomson notes that Flinders Hiway was a highly strung filly.
Following Flinders Hiway’s last career race start in August of 2019, the well-travelled rider did not hear about the horse for a couple of years.
“That was until Cairns trainer Peter Rowe tagged me in a post on Facebook about her,” she explained.
“The post was about her foal being for sale so we did a bit of research on her and purchased her through a private sale.
“She was only tiny so no one really wanted her in the early stages.
“We did not pay too much for her.”