Master Jamie makes it back-to-back Rockhampton Cups

By Tony McMahon

Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park race course spontaneously erupted on Saturday with racegoers from all walks of life screaming and cheering when their local hero Master Jamie did the parochial crowd proud.

Just a minute or so before you could have heard a pin drop as anticipation of what hopefully would take place before their eyes, ushered in silence.

“Hope springs eternal’ and it did just that.

The quiet hush changed in an instant 300 metres from the finish of this horse race.

That’s when under Les Tilley’s desperate riding with Master Jamie’s big heart kicking in, it became apparent that the bold front running idol was being his defiant self and was in for the fight.

Fight, Master Jamie did in his war horse like fashion, digging deep under top weight of 59.5kg to stave off his Brisbane and Gold Coast challengers to win consecutive $150,000 Rockhampton Cups. 

City slicker, the Barry Lockwood-trained Sunfall got the closest, beaten 0.58 lengths, while Gold Coaster Indian Dreamer was a length back in third.

Master Jamie joined an elite band of multiple winners of the Rockhampton Cup since its inception in 1918.  

Parmspec (1920 and 21), Beau Drum (1960 and 61), Hectique (1969 and 70) and most recently Riva Rebel (2002 and 03) are back-to-backers.

However, their double-headers fall short of triple Rockhampton Cup winners Rich dór (1962, 63 and 68) while Hectique won consecutively in (1969, 70 and 71) on the sand track over 2000 metres.

Master Jamie is the only dual Rockhampton Cup winner on the turf tack run over 1600 metres and it would be akin to treason to suggest he could not win the 2024 Cup.

Graeme Green, by this time after a lapse of minutes, had made his way through the throng to the winner’s stall to greet Master Jamie and his ecstatic jockey Tilley who was standing high in the irons and waving his whip to the crowd.

Besieged by hand shakers and back slappers, Green an emotional man was understandingly lost for words.

“I can’t put into words how I feel," Green said. 

Some 24 hours later, Green could.

“This horse (Master Jamie) has done so much for us and means the world to me and what he has done for my family is amazing. He has cemented for us an indelible friendship with the other part owners in him, Ron and Bev White, who have had horses with me for a long time. They are like parent figures to my wife Julie and me and like grandparents to our children. Master Jamie is an unbelievable horse," Green said.

Astute and refreshingly modest, Green has always downplayed his role in purchasing Master Jamie for just $10,000 from Magic Millions on March 2, 2018, training him to become the winner of near million dollar status.

Now, Master Jamie is an 18-time winner and with 20 placings he has won $935,525 in prize money.

It was Tilley’s third Rockhampton Cup win, apart from Master Jamie’s wins, he also won on Mamselle Corday in 2018.

Just when you would have thought Cup day could not have gotten any better for Green it did when RJC CEO Ian Mill awarded him the $5,000 cash bonus for being the most successful carnival local trainer.

Green admitted to a quiet night on Saturday at home with family enjoying a “few scotches”.

No celebrations for Tilley as he flew back to Brisbane on Saturday night and rode a winning double at Grafton less than 24 hours after his Rockhampton Cup day to remember.

Family ties and memories came to the fore when “Junior” won the $100,000 Rockhampton Newmarket for three generations of Brisbane’s Wakefield racing clan last Friday.

“Junior” is the stable name for trainer Brain Wakefield’s pet and ultra talented racehorse Roman Aureus, the $12 winner of the feature sprint.

In a thrilling finish, Roman Aureus swamped defiant and luckless favourite Princess Tenko with Palladas close-up in third position.

Indeed, a family affair, Roman Aureus was bred by Brian and wife Natalie who are also the managing owners of a syndicate of 20 who race the gelding.

Roman Aureus returned to the winner’s stall to be greeted by Natalie and son and Brian (Jnr) and daughter Erin, who both strap the Newmarket victor.

Roman Aureus’ dam was purchased as a yearling for $10,000 by Brian’s father, the late popular Brisbane trainer and jockey Brian Wakefield senior, to kick start his son’s training career.

“She showed so much promise winning a jump-out by eight lengths but regrettably never got to the races as she was unsound," Natalie Wakefield explained.

However, in the breeding barn Praia Vermelha has been a golden producer through not only Roman Aureus, a nine time winner of $544,575 in stakes, but also his full brother Denarius.

The latter was a multiple Brisbane winner for the Wakefields amassing $338,800 in prize money.

Jubilant family members and others from the ownership group besieged Roman Aureus as hoop Georgina Cartwright unsaddled him with Brian Wakefield taking his hat off and gesturing it as a form of salute to “Junior”.

“He is such a beautiful horse. This was the first time we have ever travelled him away and he handled it typically with ease," Brian Wakefield explained.

The Rockhampton Newmarket win was the second for Brain Wakefield as he also won the race 14 years previously with Frosty in 2009, ridden by Scott Seamer the 2001 Melbourne Cup winning rider of Ethereal.

The Roman Aureus win brought up a double for the stable as its only other starter last Friday, Cannon Hill won the maiden handicap over 1200 metres.

Double family celebrations there also, as Cannon Hill is also part-owned by the Wakefield’s and Frank Godwin.