Green hopeful of Mackay and Eagle Farm double

By Glenn Davis

Rockhampton trainer Graeme Green will leave it to his stable staff to saddle up three starters in Mackay on Friday ahead of an attempt to win the Listed Falvelon with old warrior Master Jamie at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Green chalks up thousands of kilometres each month travelling to various racing centres but decided to float Master Jamie to Brisbane on Thursday while leaving his foreman to make a four-hour trip to Mackay.

Green is hoping a win from Kotabharu in the Benchmark 70 Handicap at Mackay will be an appetiser for his Eagle Farm hope Master Jamie.

Master Jamie, winner of the past two Rockhampton Cups, resumes in the Falvelon over 1200 metres after last starting in the Cleveland Bay Handicap at Townsville in August.

“Master Jamie is nice and fresh and should be competitive first-up in Brisbane,” Green said.

“He’s won the last two Rockhampton Cups and his first target down south will be the QTIS Jewel at the Gold Coast in March.

“After that he’ll come home for the winter races here and I’m thinking about stepping him up to 2000 metres.”

Meanwhile, Green hopes Kotabharu can pick up the expenses for Master Jamie and his trip away by winning at Mackay.

Kotabharu  - a Les Tilley mount – is coming off a first-up Open Handicap win over 1400 metres at Callaghan Park on December 9.

“She’s coming back slightly in trip to 1300 metres but that won’t be a problem,” Green said.

“I thought she was too fresh when she won first-up and she’s still fairly fresh again.

“She doesn’t need a lot of work but it looks a fairly tough race in Mackay.”

Green has made two trips to Brisbane with Kotabharu but she did not figure in the finish at Eagle Farm in 2020 and at Ipswich in 2021.

“At this stage she’ll stay here but if there’s a suitable fillies and mares race at set weights I won’t hesitate having a throw at the stumps with her in Brisbane,” he said.

Kotabharu is a daughter of Hallowed Crown out of the American-bred mare Olivine and was purchased by Green for $22,000 at the Magic Millions QTIS sales.

“We liked her sire so we took a punt buying her as she's out of an imported American dam,” Green said.

“She’s named after one of the biggest ports in the Philippines and she’s got a very strong pedigree on the dam’s side.”