IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports that country Cups king Payteevee has been forced out of northern racing by big weights and is likely to contest the Tasmanian carnival in the new year.
Butts also questions whether the Townsville Amateur Cup should be reduced in distance at the last minute to attract a better field and reveals that Victorian jockey Mark Pegus could be out of the spring from injuries suffered in a fall at Cairns.
Here is the Butts’ column:
COUNTRY CUPS KING PAYTEEVEE TO CONTEST TASMANIAN CARNIVAL
MACKAY trainer John Manzelmann continued his dominance of major Cup races in North Queensland when his iron horse, Payteevee, took out the Cairns Cup on Sunday.
It was not unexpected following his runaway win in the Townsville Cup two weeks previous and he was a firm short priced favourite throughout betting.
His winning margin however was not so great this time and he had to fight off a determined bid by Landrotto in the straight.
But immediate plans for the vastly improved stayer are not finalised, according to connections.
Aware that he is now likely to be weighted out of the two remaining major cup races this winter, the Townsville and Cairns Amateur Cups, connections are devising a plan to send the horse to Tasmania for a spell.
He will then be prepared for races over the Tasmanian racing carnival in the New Year, said a spokesman for the owners.
The two-day Cairns cup meeting must go down as probably the best in years. There was a huge crowd of partygoers on Sunday and while the numbers were down a shade on Sunday, there was still a crowd that would be the envy of most race clubs in the state.
IS IT TOO LATE TO CHANGE DISTANCE OF TOWNSVILLE AMATEUR CUP?
THE next major event in the north is the Townsville Amateur Cup on Saturday week.
And seriously the club should look at a change of distance for the Cup.
Only eight runners faced the starter in Cairns, the smallest field but one over the entire two days.
There is a dearth of stayers this year and if the Townsville race could be changed to 1600m (as it used to be) I am certain there would be a bigger entry.
Is it really too late?
PEGUS LIKELY TO MISS MOST OF THE SPRING AFTER BAD FALL IN CAIRNS
THE only downside to a gala two days at Cannon Park was the unfortunate injury suffered by visiting jockey Mark Pegus who broke an arm in a fall from Basinzky on Saturday.
“I thought the horse had broken its leg – but in fact he just slipped, knuckled over, and I was hit by another horse from behind. I was really very lucky” Pegus said
He was conveyed to Cairns Base Hospital and later discharged.
“I will have surgery to the arm when I get back to Melbourne and I reckon I will be out for most of the spring,” he said.
EWAN GEARING FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TWO-DAY MEETING NEXT MONTH
THE annual Ewan two-day grass-fed meeting is on again next month and horses will be paddocked on Sunday August 24.
Club president David Woodhouse reports the Hillgrove paddock had withstood the drought and said: “It is as good as it has been for the past three or four years.”
He said water was not a problem.
Water is not a problem at the Ewan racecourse either after the club has just spent $200,000 on tanks and water supply in recent months providing added capacity of 600,000 litres.
“We did it all ourselves without any outside financial assistance.
“There will never be an issue with water during my time as president,” Woodhouse quipped.
He also reports that the track itself has been raised and levelled and that it is being regularly irrigated.
Mr Woodhouse denied suggestions that the committee might revert to corn-fed racing, which has been adopted by Mt Garnet, Oak Park and Einasleigh in recent years.
“This issue is discussed at every meeting. But the committee believes in the old axiom: “If it’s not broken why fix fit it”.
Nominations close on August 27 at 11am
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
