Montenegro Man gives McConachy another Cairns feature

By Glenn Davis

Veteran Rockhampton sprinter Montenegro Man may have delayed retirement after giving trainer Jamie McConachy his first Cairns Newmarket on Saturday.

The nine-year-old, ridden by in-form jockey Justin Huxtable, held on to give McConachy another North Queensland feature with a narrow victory over the fast-finishing Speed Legend.

McConachy had planned to retire Montenegro Man after last month’s Mackay Newmarket, but he earned a reprieve when an unlucky fourth to Outback Action.

“The Mackay Newmarket was supposed to be his last run, but he had no luck and it was such a good run we decided to give him one more go in Cairns,” McConachy said.

“It was a great ride from Justin and the plan we had devised with him before the race was followed to the letter.

“I don’t want to rush into a decision to retire him now so I’ll just give him a week in the paddock before thinking more about it.

“It could be that he goes back up north for the Cairns Amateurs and if he does that’ll definitely be his last run.”

The 63-year-old McConachy has a small team of six horses in work and his Cairns Newmarket win added to his list of North Queensland trophies.

“I ran second with Friendly Dragon in the Cairns Newmarket a few years ago but that is my first win,” McConachy said.

“I’ve won a Townsville Guineas with City Mission and the Townsville and Cairns Cups with Chivadahlii.”

McConachy has spent most of his training life in Rockhampton, apart from a brief stint during the North Queensland floods several years ago.

McConachy was born in Toowoomba before moving to Central Queensland where he started working in the mines at Blackwater driving a grader.

“I was born in Toowoomba and both dad and my grandfather were both very successful trainers there,” he said.

McConachy’s father, the late Jim McConachy and his grandfather Jim senior, were both highly successful trainers at Toowoomba on Queensland’s famous Darling Downs.

His father won the 1983 Toowoomba Cup with Sherona while his grandfather also won the Toowoomba Cup in 1951 with Daasrae who also claimed the Ipswich Cup the same year.

Meanwhile, rookie Townsville trainer Rhein Sewell couldn’t have wished for a better start to his training career when Vadamos Queen won the Belle Of The Daintree.

Rhein is the grandson of North Queensland legend Errol Sewell - a five-time Townsville Cup-winning trainer - who retired at the end of last season.

Vadamos Queen was young Rhein's second starter and his first winner when she strolled home by nearly three lengths.