Cloncurry scrubbed up nicely for its spring race meet on the weekend.
The Black Toyota fashions on the field was impressive as usual and there was also eye-catching action on the track throughout the meet’s five race card which included the drawcard event, the Cloncurry Cup.
In Race 1 the Murt and Co QTIS Class 2 Plate over 1000m trainer Bob Burow’s favourite Tempesta Rosta with Aaron Spradau aboard winning by a length and a half from Ace Lightning with Scripts finishing third.
Race 2 was the Joe and Pauline Bakhash Memorial Class 6 Plate which was also run over the one kilometre dash distance.
It saw a victory for another favourite with the Jay Morris-trained Le Chef justifying his $1.30 starting price and giving Aaron Spradau his second straight win as a jockey.
Le Chef finished three lengths clear of Safdie with Sugar Ray Red another nine lengths well back in third.
Dan Ballard is rarely too far from the winner’s enclosure and he had his first victory of the day in Race 3 the Thynne and Macartney Class B Handicap over the slightly longer 1200m distance.
Dan Ballard is rarely too far from the winner’s enclosure and he had his first victory of the day in Race 3
Ballard saddled up Tanya Parry’s Who Am I to deny another favourite Alik, winning by half a length with Parry’s Oakfield Sunset back in third with Dan’s dad Keith aboard.
Dan Ballard made it two in a row by taking out Race 4 the Sparrow Harrison Snr Memorial 0-60 Handicap over 1400 metres.
This time he rode Last Side for mum Denise Ballard to win by over a length.
Going Grey finished second with Video Show a further length back in third.
Race 5 was the final race of the day but it was the big one, the Brodie Hardware Cloncurry Cup Open Handicap over 1400m, a race that also served as one of the 16 qualifier races for the Country Cups Challenge in Doomben on December 1.
And the crowd made plenty of noise as Loud Enough won it for trainer Steven Royes with Jason Babarovich aboard at a price of $11.
Loud Enough was a comfortable three lengths clear in the end of Good Job Bro.
Mandalong Pass was a further length back in third.
Racing returns to Mount Isa this weekend and Cloncurry’s final meet for 2018 is on November 3.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
