Sears vying for inaugural King of the Mountain crown

By Andrew Smith

Maddy Sears is hoping a home track advantage will play out in her favour ahead of the inaugural King of the Mountain on New Year’s Eve.

The Toowoomba trainer will have a double shot in the $750,000 race on Saturday, with Steady Ready and Yellow Brick securing two of the 12 slots at Clifford Park on Saturday.

The Tony and Maddy Sears training partnership are making their most of their golden opportunity in the all-Queensland race.

“We never really expected that we would get two slots,” Maddy said.

“When we put in for it, Sears Racing put in for one and Jayven See, who’s connected with Steady Ready, put in for one, and both of our applications got selected from the random draw.

“We said if we ever got one slot, we always had Steady Ready in mind to take that slot and when we got the second one there was a lot of talk around and we tossed it up to a few people to see if they were interested.

“Dad and myself and the owner of Yellow Brick all had a bit of a discussion and thought we own the horse, we’ll use it as a first up run before it goes into the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.

“They’re two completely different horses, you’ve got a horse that’s first up, heading into a longer distance prep and Steady Ready who’s a sprinter on the way up.

“Dad and I are confident with our own judgement that these two horses definitely deserve a spot to be in the race.”

Given the Sears stable is right next door to the Toowoomba Turf Club, it’s the close proximity to the track that could provide a crucial edge over the more seasoned gallopers.

“A lot of people talk about it with the Weetwood that it’s a very home track-biased race day and it could be quite similar here,” Ms Sears said.

“We only have to walk the horses out of the barn…they don’t travel, they don’t have to do anything.

“We work on the track every day; the horses go up and down the hill twice a day working.

"A 1200 here is very different to a 1200 anywhere else.

“They’ve got to climb the hill, so I think it’s going to take a very tough horse that maybe gets a little further than 1200 to be able to win the King of the Mountain.

“Maybe the horses that race under lights, that could change things up a little bit - there are factors like that and travel and all that sort of stuff but I definitely think there could be a home track advantage.”

Winning the richest provincial race in Queensland in its first year on their home track also adds some extra motivation for the Sears.

"I dont think I could even describe how that would feel," Maddy said.

“I think it would be extremely overwhelming…it’s going to be extremely prestigious.

“The horse that does win it, they get a Wildcard into the King of the Mountain next year and they also get a Wildcard into a race on Magic Millions day.

“I think it would mean a lot to the Club as well if a local trainer did take it home and I hope I get to experience that feeling on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s super exciting and going to be a great night up here and having two live chances in the race makes it really exciting for the team and everyone involved.”

It’s been a long, hard road to getting the King of the Mountain event off the ground, with the conversations about the concept starting way back in November 2019.

Toowoomba Turf Club CEO Lizzy King is ecstatic the race day is finally here.

“The concept was pitched to the club close to three years ago - it was something that was brought up and then COVID hit and it sort of got put on the back burner for quite some time,” she said.

“Back sort of mid this year we kicked it back into gear so Racing Queensland have been very supportive, 100 per cent all the way through this process with us so we’re so very excited to partner with RQ on this.”

King of the Mountain Committee Member Catherine Kirkwood said that from a racing perspective, it would be a very exciting meeting for the Toowoomba Turf Club.

“We’re showcasing the very best of Queensland horses, Queensland bred, Queensland trained and the very best Queensland jockeys,” Catherine said.

“Along with the Mort & Co King of the Mountain, there will be other subsequent races which include some great QTIS money showcasing our Queensland-bred horses.”

It won’t just be the on-track action that is expected to attract a bumper New Year’s Eve crowd to Clifford Park.

“Post-race we’ve got some great entertainment - we’ve got Robbie Doolan and Jayden Sierra from The Voice, we have GANGgajang and Thirsty Merc and it should be a great night of entertainment,” Catherine said.

“It’s New Year’s Eve so this is the place for the party in Toowoomba.

“Even if you’re not a racing enthusiast, it should be a great night of entertainment.”

Click here for more information on the King of the Mountain.