Jockey John Keating to thrive on annual Birdsville "holiday"

By Jordan Gerrans

Regular Simpson Desert Racing Carnival visitor John Keating has his eye in after nabbing a Betoota victory on Saturday and will head to Birdsville this week chasing more winners.  

The 52-year-old journeyman has many city winners to his name in Melbourne and has been an annual fixture at the popular bush Queensland series of meetings over the last few years.

Keating calls Victoria home and first rode at the iconic Birdsville meeting back in 2012.

While many participants only head to Birdsville, the veteran rider was on hand early in the piece and was rewarded as Mr Evans - for Toowoomba horseman Kevin Sims - was a dominant winner at Betoota in Benchmark 45 grade on Saturday. 

The five-year-old gelding is accepted for races on both days of Birdsville’s popular carnival and Keating believes Mr Evans can continue his winning ways.

Sims and Keating have long been friends but it was their first time combining to win a race together at Betoota.

They often camp at a similar area in Birdsville for the annual carnival.

“It was a good day at Betoota and good, competitive racing” Keating said.

“It was a frustrating day for me as I had not had a winner until the last race but to ride a winner for Toowoomba trainer Kevin Sims was quite good.

“Kevin and I have been friends for a number of years through this circuit and it was good to finally get a winner for him.

“The way Mr Evans won on Saturday, he won with a lot of strength at Betoota and I was really happy how he went to the line.

“I think he can give a similar effort this weekend at Birdsville.”

Sims is a popular man at Birdsville this week after taking out a washing machine for many of the fellow campers to clean the dust out of their clothes.

Birdsville Race Club vice president Gary Brook is expecting a big week for the regional area.

“The weather's brilliant, it's warm - great weather,” Brook said.

“The crowds are just starting to roll in. The track's been set up and everything's just starting to come together.

“And, a few of the horses have started to roll in.”

Keating has a couple of second-placed finishes in the Birdsville Cup on his resume, including Magnossiva for Kym Healy back in 2022.

Going so close in the famous race a few times is what fuels Keating’s annual pilgrimage from the southern state.

While he chases the Cup, friendship and camaraderie of the carnival also appeals to the hoop.

“I look forward to this trip every year and once I head home, I am already thinking about what I will do different again next year or something different I will bring up,” Keating said.

“I look forward to the trip all year.

“It is a community here, with people from all over Australia who come to race here. We only congregate at this time of year and we all get on well together and there is no animosity between anyone.

“There is no one getting angry at someone else because they trained a heap of winners and they missed out – everyone understands the travel it takes to get here.

“We are all happy for that person to get a winner and understand the hard yards it takes to race horses on this circuit.”

The experienced jockey says he treats the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival as a ‘working holiday’ every year.

According to Racing And Sports’ statistics, Keating has six winners and 21 minor place finishes from 46 rides over the years at Birdsville. 

In search of that elusive Birdsville Cup in 2024, the team of Keating and Healy are sweating on a few scratchings to sneak into the final field.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Keating’s ride Equal Balance is third emergency.

“That is one of the main reasons I keep coming back,” the jockey said of his Birdsville Cup search.

“To run second twice, it just eats at you and you just have to come back and try and win it. I would dearly love to win the Birdsville Cup.

“It is not about the prize money or anything, it is more just to tick one off my list.”

Equal Balance was beaten by a touch over two lengths in last Saturday’s Betoota Cup as the favourite.

Keating thinks the veteran 10-year-old from the South Australian Healy team will be competitive if he can get a run in the $50,000 event over a mile.

“He will go well, he was a little bit keen the other day at Betoota in the Cup,” Keating said.

“Kym specifically picks out horses for this carnival because he knows they will be firing.

“He has done this trip more times than me and I think all his horses will go super well.”

Keating identified Pompeii Empire as his best ride over the two days of racing, with the gelding drawing well in the Open Handicap over 1200 metres.

He has a big book of rides across Friday and Saturday's events.