Thompsons branching out to Barcaldine with Bungarribee Lad

By Jordan Gerrans

Bungarribee Lad has already posted six wins for his owners and breeders – the Thompson family of Barcaldine – but if he was to claim his seventh this Saturday, it would mean the world to the Central West clan. 

The five-year-old is prepared by Sunshine Coast trainer Liam Birchley and is making the long trip out to Barcaldine – via Rockhampton – for the annual feature Pat Ogden Memorial Tree Of Knowledge race this Saturday.

The $30,000 event – to be hosted on a TAB meeting for the regional club – is an annual highlight for the local industry.

For Birchley to send a provincial level galloper out West for the event, it took some doing.

The trainer went to school with Bungarribee Lad’s part-owner and breeder – Roy Thompson – who has long been desperate for his horse to race in front of his extended friends and family at Barcaldine.

The Thompsons are a big and well-known family in the area.

“Roy’s mother is getting on in age and she cannot travel too far,” Birchley said.

“Roy grew up in Barcaldine and his mother still lives out there as well as three sisters.

“One of Roy’s dreams was to let her see the horse race and obviously for a race like this – it would mean a lot for them to win it, if that was possible.

“I actually went to college with Roy when I was a teenager out at Longreach, we have been mates for a long time and I know the family extremely well.”

The ownership group of the galloper is made up of Rebecca Thompson, Roy Thompson, Rachael Hopper and Elliott Thompson.

Roy grew up in the bush but now resides in Central Queensland.

That is how the galloper eventually made it out to where he was bred this week.

Birchley had a runner at Rockhampton on Thursday - She'sgotaccess who ran second - so Bungarribee Lad went up alongside his stable mate.

Roy picked up the horse from Callaghan Park before making the long journey to Barcaldine for the show-piece mile race.

The historic Tree of Knowledge is famous for being the birthplace of the Australian Labour movement and Saturday’s race day coincides with Monday’s Labour Day public holiday. 

Bungarribee Lad ran a smart second over 1300 metres at Rockhampton in the middle of last month in Benchmark 70 grade.

The son of Bagger Vance enjoyed an unique upbringing, Birchley says.

“This horse is the last foal the stallion ever had,” Birchley said.

“He was actually raised on a Brahman stud and he was the only race horse there, being brought up by Brahman bulls.

“That is how his name came about, with the property being called Bungarribee.”

Talented CQ apprentice rider Brooke Johnson won aboard Bungarribee Lad at Callaghan Park in the first month of 2024 and has been booked for Saturday’s assignment.

Johnson has an excellent strike-rate when she heads out west to Barcaldine, collecting six victories and five minor placings from 22 career rides so far.

The Birchley-prepared gelding is yet to win past 1400 metres and will begin from the widest alley on Saturday.

“He has never run at a mile before so that obviously is a query especially with the weight,” Birchley said.

“From what I have seen it is a worthwhile risk for the sake of everything else, I was happy to do it.

“It is a well-recognized race out in that area, the Tree Of Knowledge, it would be great to win it.”

Birchley was a multiple runner-up in the Brisbane metropolitan trainers premiership earlier in his career. 

The Pat Ogden Memorial Tree of Knowledge race will double as a heat of the annual Outback Racing Showcase series for 2024.

The series commences with two heats this Saturday with one held at Barcaldine and the other at Gregory Downs.

Gregory Downs Jockey Club spokesperson Sue Clarke says the North West locals are looking forward to the six event program on Saturday.

“We're very excited to have another race meeting at Gregory,” Clarke said.

“I think the nominations are quite good.”

The Outback Racing Showcase series consists of six heats over the next month before a $30,000 Final at McKinlay in late June.

The annual ORS is a popular series in the bush.

To be eligible to compete in the Final, a horse must have earned points in a minimum of one of the six heats and a horse must have competed in a minimum of three events at country level in Queensland over the last year.