Inconsistent galloper turns tables to become carnival star

By Jordan Gerrans

Neodium’s back-to-back triumphs in the Birdsville Cup headlined the 2024 Simpson Desert Racing Carnival but there was a galloper who flew under the radar that arguably may have been the biggest star of the popular outback carnival.

The Simpson Desert Racing Carnival consists of three consecutive weeks of racing with meetings at Betoota, the iconic two-day Birdsville race programs and the finale at Bedourie.

The Philip Cole-prepared Turnstar collected a rare treble of victories, winning races at all three bush venues.

While the lower-graded sprint events did not carry the same prize money and status of the revered Birdsville Cup, Turnstar’s efforts throughout August and September were full of merit.

“It takes a tough horse to do that,” Cole said.

“Some horses go better than others doing it like that.”

While it is not unheard of for a horse to win at all three Simpson Desert Racing Carnival meetings over the decades, it is an unusual occurrence.

Turnstar was dominant in all three of his victories in Queensland, combining to score by almost 20 lengths.

The gelding’s demolition job on Birdsville Cup day was the strongest of his three efforts, blitzing the field to win by almost nine lengths.

The son of Star Turn had won just four races from 40 starts before arriving in the Sunshine State for the annual carnival.

As Darwin horseman Cole notes, Turnstar’s efforts to back-up three weeks in a row and win on all three occasions completely flipped the script from his usual pattern of racing in the Northern Territory.

“He raced quite well but the field sizes out there this year made it a little easier for him,” the visiting trainer said.

“It surprised me the way he backed up and ran well three weeks in a row as back in Darwin, he had been very inconsistent with his form.

“He would win one in Darwin and then get beaten in his next five or six and then would win again.

“He never would run two consistent races in a row before this.

“He started favourite almost every start out there and a lot of people thought he would win but I was telling them that I was not going to be backing him (laughs).”

The galloper was ridden by three different female apprentice hoops in the victories: Kelsey Lenton, Dakota Gillett and Erin Molloy.

The six-year-old was prepared by the Freedman and Hawkes’ camps earlier in his career before he headed to the Top End of Australia with Cole.

Cole believes Turnstar enjoyed the nature of racing during the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival.

“Generally in Darwin we do not work them too much anyway,” he said.

“But, out there, with racing week in, week out and a little bit of travelling between towns, we did not ride them at all.

“They just had a bit of a jump around in the rolls and that was it.

“It was a credit to him and all my horses out there this year, they all ate up after every race day and they just thrived in the trip out there.”

As well as Turnstar’s three victories, the Cole team picked up three more winners for the carnival with Awen scoring at Betoota, Preconi getting the money at Birdsville and Star Magnum picking up a win at Bedourie.

The barn also picked up a Darwin winner during their trip away with Ny Kee winning last Saturday. 

Cole admits that he thought his travelling team may have had a little more success than six winners overall but he was pleased with the way they performed.

“We really enjoy getting away,” he said.

“There is a lot of planning involved and there is three days of driving from Darwin to get there.”

Turnstar has remained in Queensland following the carnival and is likely to now do his racing around the Charleville area after being transferred to a new trainer.