Makaylah Fenwick rides the rainbow to pot of QOTT gold

By Andrew Smith

She may hail from the Newcastle area but Makaylah Fenwick has clearly been feeling right at home in the Queensland showjumping arena in the last six months.

The 17-year-old and retired thoroughbred Rainbow Man claimed victory in the Queensland Off-The-Track Cup Final at yesterday’s Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo and Showjumping Day on the Gold Coast.

It backed up her win onboard Grace And Glory in the 2024 QOTT Program Showjumping Showcase 1.20m class at the Ekka in August.

The dynamic horse-and-rider team had held out strong competition from Louise Day and Amoretti, who finished second, with Natalie Siiankoski and A Golden Alibi coming in third.

Eighteen competitors lined up to chase their share of the increased $75,000 prizemoney in Sunday’s final, after earning their spots through three qualifiers held in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Fenwick and Rainbow Man had booked their place in the final via the Sydney Summer Classic qualifier early in December.

The teenager was lost for words post-event when asked how she felt about the win.

“I actually don’t know what I feel to be honest - I can’t even explain how I feel, it’s incredible and it’s amazing,” Fenwick said.

“Winning this class has been amazing and a fantastic experience.

“I’d just like to say a big thank you to Racing Queensland, Magic Millions and Queensland Off-The-Track for running such an amazing event.”

Rainbow Man is an eight-year-old gelding, by Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom.

He was purchased by Newcastle trainer Paul Perry  at the 2018 Magic Millions Yearling Sale for $80,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft.

The gelding had 17 starts through his career on the track, notching just three placings before having his last race in New South Wales in 2021.

But Rainbow Man has now found a new lease on life under the tutelage of Fenwick, who acquired him off Perry two years ago.

“When I first got Rainbow, we did a bit of flat work at the start and we slowly got into the jumping,” Fenwick said.

“He was a bit clumsy at the start, he couldn’t even get over a cross rail, he couldn’t do that to save his life.

“But we just kept on persisting and kept on doing it, practicing, practicing, practicing and he eventually just got the hang of it and he loves it now.

“We’ve had our ups and downs but we’ve been working together pretty good recently, putting in the hard work and getting what I want out of him.”

RQ Senior Animal Care Manager Kim Duffy said Rainbow Man’s win was a prime example of the versatility and athleticism that retired thoroughbreds can demonstrate in their post-racing careers.

‘It’s really important to support the equestrian community who takes care of our retired racehorses for the remainder of their post racing lives,” she said.

“While they’re in racing, their careers and their performances are on the track and they live for another decade or two off the track.

“It’s really important to transition them into a second career and we’ve seen them here in the showjumping sport today.”

The QOTT Cup Final had been run for the second time after a successful inaugural event in 2024.

Ms Duffy thanked Magic Millions for their support with attention already turning to the 2026 QOTT Cup Final.

“Queensland Off-The-Track is incredibly proud to partner with Magic Millions - it’s one of our premium event partnerships and it also compliments our event sponsorship program which supports competitions of all disciplines across a range of equestrian and horse sport activities for all levels of horse and rider combinations,” she said.

“It’s really important to create events such as these not only to stimulate demand for retired racehorses in second careers such as showjumping, but also to incentivise riders to take on a retired thoroughbred to compete at events such as this.”