Polished Copper wins the Cup, Thirsty the camel steals the show

The Advertiser

11-07-2025

Port Stephens cameleer Emily Parrott left the competition in a cloud of red dust when she won the Jundah Camel Races Cup.
She was riding Polished Copper, a camel she owns and trains at Oakfield Ranch with her husband Luke. Stablemates Geoffrey and Foxy Lady were hot on Polished Copper's hooves, while Barry finished third.
But it was the lovable Thirsty who won over the crowd last weekend.
The Parrotts are following the inaugural Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail through Outback Australia, stopping off at four camel races along the way. It's a month-long celebration of camel racing, storytelling, music, desert flowers, markets and community designed to bring tourist dollars to tiny outback towns.
The camel train is in Birdsville this week, then heads to the Bedourie Camel Races (July 12), the Boulia Camel Races (July 18 to 20), and the Winton Camel Races (July 26).
Parrott also won the recent Marree Camel Cup on Polished Copper.
"We're going all right," she said.
"It's been nice to see the camels perform well, even though we weren't able to get them as fit as we'd like them to be as our paddocks were flooded.
"At Marree we got first, second and third in the Cup, and first and second in the Plate, while at Jundah we got first, second, third and fourth in the Cup."
And Thirsty? What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in personality.
"He's been a little bit underwhelming on the track," Parrott said, laughing.
"He's been stopping at the crowd for pats. He's there to get a photo with everyone and take them on rides."
So popular is Thirsty that he was invited to Birdsville Hotel on Wednesday for a beer with the locals.
Parrott is a second-generation cameleer who's been racing camels since she was 14, having grown up with them at Anna Bay with her father, Rod Sansom, a renowned animal trainer.
"When I started riding there was only me and another lady, and we raced against all these other fellas. Now it's mostly female jockeys," she said.
"The reception from the people has been outstanding, Jundah especially - the town just goes above and beyond to make you feel special, and we can't thank them enough.
"We also won the dog race at Marree, my son Cooper came second in the high jump at Jundah, and we came third in the sheep mustering.
"We've been all-rounders, and the team has been having a hoot competing in all sorts of different events."
Port Stephens cameleer Emily Parrott left the competition in a cloud of red dust when she won the Jundah Camel Races Cup.
She was riding Polished Copper, a camel she owns and trains at Oakfield Ranch with her husband Luke. Stablemates Geoffrey and Foxy Lady were hot on Polished Copper's hooves, while Barry finished third.
But it was the lovable Thirsty who won over the crowd last weekend.
The Parrotts are following the inaugural Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail through Outback Australia, stopping off at four camel races along the way. It's a month-long celebration of camel racing, storytelling, music, desert flowers, markets and community designed to bring tourist dollars to tiny outback towns.
The camel train is in Birdsville this week, then heads to the Bedourie Camel Races (July 12), the Boulia Camel Races (July 18 to 20), and the Winton Camel Races (July 26).
Parrott also won the recent Marree Camel Cup on Polished Copper.
"We're going all right," she said.
"It's been nice to see the camels perform well, even though we weren't able to get them as fit as we'd like them to be as our paddocks were flooded.
"At Marree we got first, second and third in the Cup, and first and second in the Plate, while at Jundah we got first, second, third and fourth in the Cup."
And Thirsty? What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in personality.
"He's been a little bit underwhelming on the track," Parrott said, laughing.
"He's been stopping at the crowd for pats. He's there to get a photo with everyone and take them on rides."
So popular is Thirsty that he was invited to Birdsville Hotel on Wednesday for a beer with the locals.
Parrott is a second-generation cameleer who's been racing camels since she was 14, having grown up with them at Anna Bay with her father, Rod Sansom, a renowned animal trainer.
"When I started riding there was only me and another lady, and we raced against all these other fellas. Now it's mostly female jockeys," she said.
"The reception from the people has been outstanding, Jundah especially - the town just goes above and beyond to make you feel special, and we can't thank them enough.
"We also won the dog race at Marree, my son Cooper came second in the high jump at Jundah, and we came third in the sheep mustering.
"We've been all-rounders, and the team has been having a hoot competing in all sorts of different events."
Port Stephens cameleer Emily Parrott left the competition in a cloud of red dust when she won the Jundah Camel Races Cup.
She was riding Polished Copper, a camel she owns and trains at Oakfield Ranch with her husband Luke. Stablemates Geoffrey and Foxy Lady were hot on Polished Copper's hooves, while Barry finished third.
But it was the lovable Thirsty who won over the crowd last weekend.
The Parrotts are following the inaugural Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail through Outback Australia, stopping off at four camel races along the way. It's a month-long celebration of camel racing, storytelling, music, desert flowers, markets and community designed to bring tourist dollars to tiny outback towns.
The camel train is in Birdsville this week, then heads to the Bedourie Camel Races (July 12), the Boulia Camel Races (July 18 to 20), and the Winton Camel Races (July 26).
Parrott also won the recent Marree Camel Cup on Polished Copper.
"We're going all right," she said.
"It's been nice to see the camels perform well, even though we weren't able to get them as fit as we'd like them to be as our paddocks were flooded.
"At Marree we got first, second and third in the Cup, and first and second in the Plate, while at Jundah we got first, second, third and fourth in the Cup."
And Thirsty? What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in personality.
"He's been a little bit underwhelming on the track," Parrott said, laughing.
"He's been stopping at the crowd for pats. He's there to get a photo with everyone and take them on rides."
So popular is Thirsty that he was invited to Birdsville Hotel on Wednesday for a beer with the locals.
Parrott is a second-generation cameleer who's been racing camels since she was 14, having grown up with them at Anna Bay with her father, Rod Sansom, a renowned animal trainer.
"When I started riding there was only me and another lady, and we raced against all these other fellas. Now it's mostly female jockeys," she said.
"The reception from the people has been outstanding, Jundah especially - the town just goes above and beyond to make you feel special, and we can't thank them enough.
"We also won the dog race at Marree, my son Cooper came second in the high jump at Jundah, and we came third in the sheep mustering.
"We've been all-rounders, and the team has been having a hoot competing in all sorts of different events."
Port Stephens cameleer Emily Parrott left the competition in a cloud of red dust when she won the Jundah Camel Races Cup.
She was riding Polished Copper, a camel she owns and trains at Oakfield Ranch with her husband Luke. Stablemates Geoffrey and Foxy Lady were hot on Polished Copper's hooves, while Barry finished third.
But it was the lovable Thirsty who won over the crowd last weekend.
The Parrotts are following the inaugural Desert Champions Way: Outback Camel Trail through Outback Australia, stopping off at four camel races along the way. It's a month-long celebration of camel racing, storytelling, music, desert flowers, markets and community designed to bring tourist dollars to tiny outback towns.
The camel train is in Birdsville this week, then heads to the Bedourie Camel Races (July 12), the Boulia Camel Races (July 18 to 20), and the Winton Camel Races (July 26).
Parrott also won the recent Marree Camel Cup on Polished Copper.
"We're going all right," she said.
"It's been nice to see the camels perform well, even though we weren't able to get them as fit as we'd like them to be as our paddocks were flooded.
"At Marree we got first, second and third in the Cup, and first and second in the Plate, while at Jundah we got first, second, third and fourth in the Cup."
And Thirsty? What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in personality.
"He's been a little bit underwhelming on the track," Parrott said, laughing.
"He's been stopping at the crowd for pats. He's there to get a photo with everyone and take them on rides."
So popular is Thirsty that he was invited to Birdsville Hotel on Wednesday for a beer with the locals.
Parrott is a second-generation cameleer who's been racing camels since she was 14, having grown up with them at Anna Bay with her father, Rod Sansom, a renowned animal trainer.
"When I started riding there was only me and another lady, and we raced against all these other fellas. Now it's mostly female jockeys," she said.
"The reception from the people has been outstanding, Jundah especially - the town just goes above and beyond to make you feel special, and we can't thank them enough.
"We also won the dog race at Marree, my son Cooper came second in the high jump at Jundah, and we came third in the sheep mustering.
"We've been all-rounders, and the team has been having a hoot competing in all sorts of different events."