Tasha Chambers' 'satisfying' Townsville victory

By Jordan Gerrans​

The time-honoured Pallarenda Stakes in North Queensland is a race Tasha Chambers had long wanted to tick from her bucket list.

The 44-year-old was over the moon to finally put a line through it on Saturday afternoon at Cluden Park.

She was stoked to win the race first and foremost on Saturday.

But, there was a few other reasons for her to be feeling extra satisfied.

The Rockhampton-based participant claimed the feature two-year-old race with a gelding she trained and rode herself as a dual-license holder.

And, she did so with a horse that she has worked with since his earliest days as a yearling.

Age Of Aquarius’ victory in the $35,000 event for unraced babies gave Chambers an all-mighty feeling of fulfilment.

“To produce one early, I was really happy,” Chambers said.

“He came to me from scratch.

“It has been really good to have him from day one and all the way through. It is satisfying.”

Age Of Aquarius is the first yearling Chambers has educated completely herself and taken to the races as a two-year-old.

Age Of Aquarius is a home-bred galloper that is raced by Central Queensland’s Dianne Cooper.

Cooper has enjoyed success with broodmare Miss Pocket Rocket who has also produced city winner Felix The Scat.

Age Of Aquarius is Miss Pocket Rocket’s fourth foal. Chambers has prepared three of the four.

Smart Rubick won a couple of races for Chambers before being retired earlier this year while Miss Piper retired in the middle of 2022 without winning a race from 12 attempts.

After winning strongly on debut, Chambers has big plans for her gelding by Headwater.

“I’m hoping he pulls up well, I’ll get him right and start in a two-year-old handicap in Brisbane in about three weeks’ time, all going well,” she said.

The bay gelding put the writing on the wall with a smart trial in early October before making the long trip from Rockhampton to Cluden Park.

As well as preparing and riding her own horses, Chambers still takes outside rides for other stables.

She describes being a jockey as her passion and says that becoming dual-licensed only came about as she was battling for race day opportunities.

“It was really good as I have actually always wanted to win the Pallarenda,” Chambers said.

“I have ridden a lot of horses in the Northern and Central areas of Queensland and obviously educated them as babies and then half the time the trainers put on a southern jockey for the race.

“I have always wanted to win the Pallarenda, so to win it as a jockey and a trainer at the same time, I was wrapped.

“Riding is what I want to do but unfortunately I needed to start training to give myself more opportunities. You just have to make your own opportunities.”

Chambers trained her first winner back in 2021 and has prepared five other victories since.

Age Of Aquarius’ owner Cooper has long been a supporter of Chambers and the trainer now considers her apart of the family at her stable.

“She is one of my best owners,” Chambers said of Cooper. 

“Dianne has bred all of them herself. I first got a horse from her about 12 months ago and it has gone from there.

“Dianne and her family have done their best to support me the best they can and they help me with everything, even around the stables and my book work as a trainer. They are like family to me.”

Chambers has five in work in her yard and prefers to keep her numbers low.

“I just want to do a good job with a small team, I like to do it all myself,” she said.

Age Of Aquarius scored from the Georgie Holt-trained Dance For Me Randy in the colts and gelding edition of the Pallarenda Stakes on Saturday.

While the leading Townsville stable of Holt could not win the boys race, they did collect the girls event.

Holt ran one-two in the fillies race.

Time To Prophet finished three lengths ahead of stable mate Margot Barbie for Holt.

Holt claimed a winning double on the program as sprinter Bones took out the last of the day, which was an Open Handicap over 1200 metres.