Gold Coast trainer Paul Shailer insists Mister Bianco isn't ready yet for any trips interstate
Shailer has earmarked a potential tilt at The Gateway (1400m) at Eagle Farm in December which offers a golden ticket into next year's Stradbroke Handicap to the winner.
It's the same $300,000 contest that took cult galloper The Inflictor and hobby trainer Craig Cousins on a magic carpet ride to this year's edition of Queensland's premier race.
Mister Bianco ($3.30) is the narrow favourite for a 3YO Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday, slightly ahead of the Richard and Bevan Laming -trained colt Savour The Dream ($3.50).
'He's not ready for Sydney or Melbourne,' Shailer said about Mister Bianco, who was a late scratching from this month's $300,000 Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast after Shailer couldn't find a suitable rider following an injury to Ryan Maloney.
'He's not good enough at the moment so we might as well race for good Saturday prizemoney here (in Brisbane) while we can.
'He'll have a spell and then we'll bring him back for some summer racing.'
Mister Bianco has been flying during a campaign that started in mid-April, winning three of his past four races, including last month's $150,000 TL Cooney (1350m) at Ipswich.
'He's a few runs in and some pros think he should be in the paddock,' Shailer said.
'I'm very mindful of that and I'm certainly looking for reasons for him to show me that he's ready to go to the paddock but he hasn't given me any.
'Until that happens he'll be racing. He's in fantastic order and his work on Tuesday was as good as I've seen from him.'
Co-trainer Richard Laming said he would set a spring plan for Savour The Dream after seeing how the colt performed in his next two runs.
The three-year-old returns to the track on Saturday after finishing 12th in the $1m Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 1 and then 11th in the $750,000 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) in Sydney three weeks later.
'Look, we're not wound down and we're not screwed up so whatever we do, we'll improve on,' Laming said.
'He's going to go up in distance but we're unsure where he'll go. I'll be guided by how he performs over his first couple of runs, whether we go interstate or just give him a short prep and turn him back out.
'Sometimes with three-year-olds, when they do a fair bit of racing and they're travelling like that horse did, they don't sort of come up so that's always in the back of your mind.
'If he doesn't fire over his first two runs then we'll probably turn him back out.'
Eagle Farm before he formulated a plan for the colt's spring assault.
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News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Gold Coast trainer Paul Shailer insists Mister Bianco isn't ready yet for any trips interstate
Gold Coast trainer Paul Shailer insists Mister Bianco isn't ready yet for any trips interstate to compete in major races but he'll know more about the promising gelding's prospects this summer. Shailer has earmarked a potential tilt at The Gateway (1400m) at Eagle Farm in December which offers a golden ticket into next year's Stradbroke Handicap to the winner. It's the same $300,000 contest that took cult galloper The Inflictor and hobby trainer Craig Cousins on a magic carpet ride to this year's edition of Queensland's premier race. Mister Bianco ($3.30) is the narrow favourite for a 3YO Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday, slightly ahead of the Richard and Bevan Laming -trained colt Savour The Dream ($3.50). 'He's not ready for Sydney or Melbourne,' Shailer said about Mister Bianco, who was a late scratching from this month's $300,000 Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast after Shailer couldn't find a suitable rider following an injury to Ryan Maloney. 'He's not good enough at the moment so we might as well race for good Saturday prizemoney here (in Brisbane) while we can. 'He'll have a spell and then we'll bring him back for some summer racing.' Mister Bianco has been flying during a campaign that started in mid-April, winning three of his past four races, including last month's $150,000 TL Cooney (1350m) at Ipswich. 'He's a few runs in and some pros think he should be in the paddock,' Shailer said. 'I'm very mindful of that and I'm certainly looking for reasons for him to show me that he's ready to go to the paddock but he hasn't given me any. 'Until that happens he'll be racing. He's in fantastic order and his work on Tuesday was as good as I've seen from him.' Co-trainer Richard Laming said he would set a spring plan for Savour The Dream after seeing how the colt performed in his next two runs. The three-year-old returns to the track on Saturday after finishing 12th in the $1m Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 1 and then 11th in the $750,000 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) in Sydney three weeks later. 'Look, we're not wound down and we're not screwed up so whatever we do, we'll improve on,' Laming said. 'He's going to go up in distance but we're unsure where he'll go. I'll be guided by how he performs over his first couple of runs, whether we go interstate or just give him a short prep and turn him back out. 'Sometimes with three-year-olds, when they do a fair bit of racing and they're travelling like that horse did, they don't sort of come up so that's always in the back of your mind. 'If he doesn't fire over his first two runs then we'll probably turn him back out.' Eagle Farm before he formulated a plan for the colt's spring assault.
Courier-Mail
19-07-2025
- Courier-Mail
Angela Jones leaves door open in Brisbane premiership after frustrating day at Eagle Farm
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Brisbane jockeys' premiership race is still very much alive after leader Angela Jones failed to make the most of her opportunities at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Jones had a decent book of seven rides but couldn't break through for a winner and extend her narrow lead on apprentice jockey Emily Lang, who is sidelined while serving an eight-day suspension on a careless riding charge. The 24-year-old Jones sits on 64 wins in the Brisbane premiership, two ahead of Lang, with just three metro meetings remaining before the season ends this month. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Lang returns to riding on Wednesday, hungry in the knowledge that she's still well in the hunt to create history and become the first female to win a Brisbane jockeys' premiership crown. Both Lang and Jones work for Brisbane's premier trainer Tony Gollan, who is holidaying in Bali and missed the live action at Eagle Farm on Saturday. There were several cases of 'close but no cigar' for Jones, who finished runner-up on Berezka ($3.50) and Spanish Treasure ($2.30), and third on Arisphere ($2.40), Brereton ($2.90) and Give Giggles ($4.80). Jones' chance of securing the metro premiership took a big blow when she copped a 10-day suspension for careless riding at the Caloundra Cup meeting two weeks ago when she won the Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) on The Three Hundred. • Wilson-Taylor steps up for double with Waller She returned to racing last Wednesday at Doomben but couldn't find a winner on the day. Gollan's stable representative Craig Cavanough said after the final race on Saturday that it was coming down to a thrilling duel between good mates Lang and Jones. 'She was a bit unlucky with five placings,' Cavanough said about Jones. 'She's around the money and one thing about Ang, she won't let it get to her. 'She'll turn up again on Wednesday (at Eagle Farm) and ride them 100 per cent again. 'Ang is such a cool character and she never gets flustered. 'Not riding a winner today won't worry her. She'll be here on Wednesday ready to hook in again. 'The two girls are going good and it's nice to have them both in our team. It's a terrific duel between them.' Jones' fiance Kyle Wilson-Taylor jagged a double on Saturday for Sydney's top trainer Chris Waller, winning on $11 chances Yet He Moves and Caboche in consecutive 1600m races. There was drama in the penultimate race when trainer Gary Duncan lodged a protest against the winner Lead Me On which was dismissed by stewards. Duncan and jockey Taylor Marshall, riding Ten Good Reasons, argued they were denied a chance at victory when Cobi Vitler shifted across on Lead Me On just 50m from the finishing post but stewards deemed it did not affect the result. Originally published as Angela Jones leaves door open for Emily Lang in Brisbane title race after failing to ride a winner at Eagle Farm
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- News.com.au
Truck driving hobby trainer Craig Cousins sets sights on Sydney first
For truck driving hobby trainer Craig Cousins, a trip to the interstate races means heading 13km south of the Queensland border to Murwillumbah. All that is about to change. Cousins, whose fairytale horse The Inflictor raced in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap and won a stakes race a fortnight later, has set his sights on the big time of racing in Sydney. Cousins has never set foot on a Sydney racetrack but that will change when he heads south with The Inflictor who he will deploy in the $1.5m Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill in October. There is even an outside chance he could race in the $2m Five Diamonds if he impresses in Sydney. 'As far as going interstate with racing, Murwillumbah is as far as I've been,' Cousins said. 'I've never even set foot on Rosehill or any of the Sydney tracks. 'I've driven past them, but never been at them. 'At this stage, the Alan Brown would be his only run in Sydney. 'But if he happened to win by six lengths or something, I guess we would think about the Five Diamonds.' THE INFLICTOR! The Stradbroke fairytale galloper holds on for a gritty win under @RachelK11 in the Tattersall’s Mile! ðŸ�† What a win for Craig Cousins & connections ðŸ'� — RaceQ (@RaceQLD) June 28, 2025 The Inflictor is one of the feel-good stories of racing in 2025, given Cousins has a full-time job as a truck driver and only three horses which he stables out the back of his parents' house in Brisbane. The Inflictor raced without luck in the Stradbroke, finishing 11th, before rebounding to score the Listed Tatt's Mile a fortnight later. He was last seen finishing a brave third in the Glasshouse Handicap after not being given much peace up front. Currently having a short spell, Cousins will bring The Inflictor back for the spring and he will also contest the Weetwood Handicap in Toowoomba. 'He will be first-up in a race at Doomben over 1110m on September 13 and then he will race up in Toowoomba in the Weetwood before going to Sydney,' Cousins said. 'Cejay Graham will have the ride on him for the Queensland races. 'At this stage, he will have three runs in his next campaign. 'The idea of that is to then give him a small break and set him for a good race over the Queensland summer carnival.'
