Former bush champion's connections playing it cool despite broken record

By Jordan Gerrans

In the days before social media and the internet, a grand old galloper from the Queensland bush was all the talk.

Through towns such as Monto, Eidsvold, Thangool and over to the coast at Gladstone and Rockhampton, anyone even with half an interest in racing knew all about Walk Cool.

He was known for lumping big weights across regional areas in the Sunshine State and racing like a front-running greyhound does these days – pinging to the rails and going for home on a tight circuit.

Up until earlier this month, Walk Cool held the Australian modern day record for most victories in a thoroughbred racing career at 51.

The ever-popular Fab’s Cowboy has stalked Walk Cool over the last few years and he eventually equalled and went past him with back-to-back triumphs at Mount Isa.

Whenever ‘Cowboy’ wins, social media, websites and radio stations dedicated to racing are always stacked with the latest news and chatter around the champion iron horse of the bush.  

Those that watched Walk Cool through his stunning career in the late 1980s and through into the 90s says that while it was a different era, the former record holder was just as admired.

“He certainly was popular and Charlie Sinclair who trained him, he was a popular man,” revered bush racing identity Graham Rewald said.

“He was a very good horse.”

A family member of Walk Cool’s trainer Charlie Sinclair agreed with those sentiments.

“Around the local country racing circuit, everyone knew him,” they said.

Sinclair trained and owned the great Walk Cool before he passed away.

He rode his prolific galloper in track work himself up until well past his 80th birthday. 

Charlie bred Walk Cool from a mare he owned Coolmoss and he was by King Of The Walk, who was a local stallion owned by Jack Murray from Eidsvold. 

It took Walk Cool 133 starts to earn those 51 victories.

He placed 46 times as well. 

In the saddle on 83 occasions of the 133 was former jockey Peter Rewald.

According to Peter, Sinclair and Walk Cool were recognised wherever they travelled.

“Everyone knew Charlie as a grazier and that,” Peter said.

Walk Cool had already strung together a double figure number of victories before Peter rode him successfully for the first time on race day.

Popular former hoop Lyall Appo got the job on the galloper before Peter did, scoring at Bundaberg in June of 1989 over the sprint trip at his first opportunity.

Appo had three more rides on Walk Cool, grabbing two more victories at Eidsvold and Gayndah.

Sinclair did not train his pride and joy at a race track, he prepared him at his property which was between Monto and Eidsvold.

They were good times when the Appo and Sinclair team would return home following a winning day at the track.

“When we would come home from the races at 'Bundy' or Gayndah, Saturday night’s in Eidsvold – I was the king,” Appo said with a laugh.

“Charlie was a big-time station owner and he shouted everyone.”

As the winners pile up, the weight from the handicappers' soon follow.

As Fab’s Cowboy has endured over the last few years, it can be tough carrying well over 60kgs to win races consistently.

As Fab’s Cowboy aims to go to 53 victories for his career this Saturday at Moranbah, he has been handed 65kg which will be offset by the four kilogram claim of apprentice hoop Mel Campbell.

As a senior jockey in 1995, Peter Rewald rode Walk Cool to victory at Thangool with an impost of 65.5kg.

He won a Tara Cup carrying 66.5kg in 1992.

“He was quiet as a horse, he was really good,” Peter said.

“And, he could really carry weight. He really liked them tight tracks, I think he only won the one race at 'Rocky'.

“He could rail like a greyhound while carrying the weight.”

Peter began consistently riding Walk Cool in early 1990 and they were close to inseparable until he eventually ran his last race in August of 1995.

They developed a close bond and it was a relationship Peter cherishes to this day as he is long retired from the saddle himself.

“Charlie and I just clicked, as soon as he put me on him – he never took me off him again,” Peter said.

“I might not have ridden him one Saturday as I was going to another race meeting or something but as the following week, he put me back on that next Saturday when we were back together.

“He was a really good horse to me and when you are winning, everyone else wants to put you on as well so it did my riding career no harm, that’s for sure.”

Walk Cool was never stabled at a race track like the majority of horses are these days as he was prepared out of Sinclair’s property.

The Sinclair family still live in the area around where Walk Cool was trained between Monto and Eidsvold.
“He used to train the horse out of this big paddock in his property,” Appo recalls.

“I couldn’t believe how well he would perform and he would hardly see a race track, just being out at his property.

“Charlie was an old station owner and in them days, all the stations had race horses and they would take them to these country meetings.

“He would bring him into Eidsvold or Monto and I would gallop him every now and again but he was mostly at the paddock.”

The way Walk Cool prepared for his assignments is certainly similar to the way current record holder Fab’s Cowboy is also trained during the week.

The Johnson family who condition Fab’s Cowboy work him over the sand surface at their Barcaldine property in the mornings instead of going into their local track.

The 59-year-old Appo only rode Walk Cool in his early days as a race horse but his strength stood out to him.

“He was tough as nails,” Appo said.

“He was honest, he was a big brown horse.”

The Sinclair family always referred to their champion galloper as ‘Colty’ which was a stable name handed to him before he eventually become a gelding.

After Sinclair’s passing, Mark Hutton eventually took over the training duties for Walk Cool in his later years.

Hutton is still heavily involved in the sport through the Monto Race Club.

According to Peter, the team never really considered shooting for higher honours in the city with their regional champion – they were happy ticking along around their local area.

“He was just a bush trainer that liked the bush,” Peter said.

“People don’t train nowadays the way he did back then but it was normal all those years ago. All the country people had horses.”

Walk Cool raced at many of the tracks Fab’s Cowboy frequents. 

Fab’s Cowboy will be out to make it 53 victories on Saturday afternoon when he starts in an Open Handicap over 1000 metres on the sand at Moranbah.