Kym Healy chasing another Betoota Cup

By Glenn Davis

South Australian journeyman Kym Healy has ended his winter pilgrimage to the Top End in Darwin and is hopeful of landing another Betoota Cup on Saturday.

Healy, who once raced camels for a living, will saddle up Equal Balance and Grinzinger Bishop in the 1600 metre Betoota Cup.

The Betoota Cup forms part of the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival alongside next month’s Birdsville and Bedourie Cups.

Healy etched his name in Betoota Cup history by becoming the first to train three straight Betoota Cups in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

He also won the Betoota Cup with Cashing Up in 2019.

Equal Balance is coming off a last start win at Darwin on August 3 while Grinzinger Bishop finished fifth in the same race at his last appearance.

“I took Equal Balance to Darwin for the first time last year and he won up there,” Healy said.

“He then ran third in the Betoota Cup and went to Birdsville and won by nearly eight lengths.

“After Birdsville he went back and won the Bedourie Cup.

“He’s a pretty trough horse but he’s a 10-year-old now.”

Healy would love to quinella the Betoota Cup with five-year-old Grinzinger Bishop who finished second in the Northern Territory Derby at Fannie Bay last year.

“He was a bit disappointing in Darwin this time but he’s had a bit of a freshen up so hopefully he can bounce back,” Healy said.

Healy, who is based in the Adelaide Hills, has been a regular Darwin visitor for the past 10 years and took 12 horses up this year to the Northern Territory capital.

“I took four days to drive up to Darwin and I returned home in three days after driving 3,500 kilometres to get home and now I’m back in Betoota for the Cup,” Healy said.

Healy rates Pretty Blonde’s wins in the Darwin and Alice Springs Cups in 2014 as highlights of his 18-year training career.

While Healy no longer races camels, he’s still actively involved in the camel business at Victor Harbour in South Australia. 

“I raced camels for 10 years but I’m no longer doing that and we just use them for people to ride on the beaches at Victor Harbour,” he said.