BRISBANE stables will not have things all their way at the Queensland Country Life-supported meeting at Doomben on August 10.
While the likes of Chris Anderson/Robert Heathcote, Tony Gollan, Kelly Schweida and Chris Munce will make their presence felt, some out-of-towners are intent on doing their best to turn back the big city tide on the nine-race card.
In the opening event, the TAB Open (2200m), Mackay's John Manzelmann dominates with numbers after accepting with Golden Mane, to be ridden by Michael Murphy, Calypso Bay (Ron Stewart) and Zoffany Rocket (Hannah English).
The Ray White Queeensland Country Highway (1350m) has an even greater "bush" presence through The Tax Accountant, Cavellton and Steelz Time (Rockhampton), Baker's Dozen and Sfliza (Mackay), Bobby Axelrod (Beaudesert), Sugar Babe (Gatton), Stella's Dream (Nanango), Little Drummer Boy (Gympie) and Run Pam Run (Dalby).
Rockhampton-based Tom Button has Mad Irish Tycoon in the Aqwa Constructions 3YO (1200m) and Brian Laherty, who trains out of Nanango, has Machu Picchu against the Mackay-trained Starante and Warwick's Abb Roy.
Fomo (Adrian Coombe, Rockhampton) and dual acceptor The Tax Accountant (Tom Button, Rockhampton) are in the Gollan Racing (1200m) and in the Munce Racing Handicap (1630m) the city slickers will confront stablemates Shiranda and Sensation Ally from John Manzelmann's stable in Mackay. Steelz Time (Coombe) is also in an earlier race.
The surface at Doomben was rated in the Good 4 range on Thursday morning.
Alan Welburn
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
