Hobby trainer Craig Cousins in pursuit of Stradbroke glory with The Inflictor
Now all the larrikin truck driver and hobby trainer has to do is win the thing.
We are talking about the $3m Stradbroke Handicap.
The Stradbroke, first run in 1890, has had its share of colourful and quirky stories but never before has it seen anything quite like Cousins.
The 60-year-old only has three horses in work but one of them, home bred hero The Inflictor, has qualified for The Star Stradbroke.
It has meant that Cousins has taken the week off his full-time job as a truck driver to enjoy everything the grandest week in Queensland racing has to offer.
'I have gone and bought a suit, I've bought some ties and I am thinking about the Stradbroke all the time,' Cousins said.
'I do little things in my mind, even when I'm driving the truck, and I've rehearsed what my victory speech is going to be if we win.'
Cousins was born in Tasmania to a racing family and his much-loved Dad Des, who passed away on Caulfield Cup day nine years ago, was also a small-time trainer.
Mum Carmel, now 90, hasn't been enjoying the best of health but she loves her racing and is determined to get to Eagle Farm if she can on Saturday to witness her boy's big Stradbroke moment.
The Inflictor, to be ridden by young gun female jockey Cejay Graham, won a golden ticket into the Stradbroke when winning The Gateway last December.
Ever since, Cousins has been plotting a path to Stradbroke glory.
But they are busy days as he not only has to worry about The Inflictor and his other horses, but also keep focused on his day job of driving a truck.
'I work for a company called DMK Forest Products and I deliver particle board, plywood and other things to carpenters and shop fitters and joiners,' Cousins said.
'Every day I get up at about 3.15am and I do all the stuff that needs to be done at the stables before I take the horses to the track to do their work.
'My work rider jumps on my horses about 4.45am, then I leave for home about 5.30am.
'I get home by 6am and then I might have a shower and a shave and a coffee and then I head to work and do an eight-hour day.
'I can drive the truck anywhere from up to Gympie, to down to the Gold Coast, to out west to Toowoomba.
'Depending on what my workload is, I'm pretty bloody tired by the end of the week.
'I often find myself thinking about my horses when I'm driving the truck.'
One of Cousins' earliest Stradbroke memories was when the great Daybreak Lover won the prestigious race in 1986.
Now The Inflictor, a four-year-old gelding which is the son of 2016 Stradbroke winner Under The Louvre, gets an extraordinary chance to join some greats of the turf on the Stradbroke honour roll.
The Inflictor is owned by a syndicate managed by Kurt Turner, the eldest son of the late trainer and breeder Ken 'Tubby' Turner.
For two decades, Cousins managed a bowls club in Brisbane and he says that even if he won Queensland racing's greatest prize it wouldn't change his life.
He would still return to work driving trucks next week and has no plans to expand his small team of horses.
'Dad passed away on Caulfield Cup day nine years ago, but he would be over the moon with me having a Stradbroke horse,' Cousins said.
'The two things that Dad taught me with horses are that if you can't feed them the best feed, don't have them.
'And he also said to make sure I looked after their feet and their teeth.
'This horse was wandering around cattle yards for a while as a young horse, but even then he was a good horse to handle.
'It will be a great thrill if he wins the Stradbroke, but it won't change things too much for me.
'I'm too old to suddenly start training more horses and if you do that, you have to start employing people and there's a lot of obligations.
'At the moment, I'm a one-man band with my training operation and that's the way it will stay.
'If I want to go to the footy or something, I might get a friend to give my horses some water and feed and clean up their poo, but basically I do 99 per cent of everything myself.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
O'Connor at No.10 as Wallabies suffer more injury woe
Veteran James O'Connor has been called on to take on the playmaking duties as the Wallabies seek to build on the impetus of their Lions' third-Test win with a rare victory in South Africa at the start of the Rugby Championship. But a plan for the 35-year-old O'Connor, back in the green and gold after three years, to share the No.10 role has had to be shelved after Ben Donaldson went down injured in training on Thursday. The idea had been for O'Connor to play the first 40 minutes with Donaldson coming on after the break but the injury has left the Wallabies looking at risky alternatives in the playmaking department as they get set to face the world champions in Johannesburg on Saturday (Sunday AEST). "In the second to last play of the training, 'Donno' kicked the ball and pulled up short so we don't know what the extent of the injury is," coach Joe Schmidt revealed after naming the team. "We've only been back from training for about an hour so he will get a scan now and we'll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover. "Nic White can cover No.10 and is astute enough to do so, Andrew Kellaway has the skill set as well if we go with what we've got at the moment." The inclusion of the 35-year-old O'Connor at No.10 is the only change to the starting XV that defeated the British & Irish Lions 22-12 in Sydney a fortnight ago, as he comes into the side after Tom Lynagh suffered a concussion in that encouraging victory. O'Connor, who helped New Zealand outfit Crusaders win the Super Rugby title this season, hasn't played for the Wallabies since 2022 but still looks the safest pair of hands after all the fly-half woes Schmidt has had to contend with, what with first-choice Noah Lolesio also out with neck trouble. O'Connor's halfback partner will be another veteran, White, who has doubled back on his decision to retire after the Lions series when first choice Jake Gordon got injured. Donaldson's injury has necessitated a late change to the planned bench with Schmidt having to replace the versatile back with loose forward Nick Champion de Crespigny. That means Australia will go from a five-three to six-two split between forwards and backs among the replacements. Yet Schmidt sounded upbeat as he noted: "The group has had a good week of preparation, adjusting pretty well to the time zone and the altitude well here in Johannesburg. "There's not many bigger Tests than playing South Africa on their home turf and we know we're going to need to be at our best on Saturday night." Australia are seeking their first win at Ellis Park since 1963, when they beat South Africa 11-9. Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Dylan Pietsch, 10–James O'Connor, 9–Nic White, 8–Harry Wilson (captain), 7–Fraser McReight, 6–Tom Hooper, 5–Will Skelton, 4–Nick Frost, 3–Taniela Tupou, 2–Billy Pollard, 1–James Slipper Replacements: 16–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17–Angus Bell, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Jeremy Williams, 20–Langi Gleeson, 21–Nick Champion de Crespigny, 22–Tate McDermott, 23–Andrew Kellaway.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Carlton make a statement in ‘enormous' Pies beat down as rivals kick-off new season
Carlton kicked off the AFLW's 10th season on a perfect note with a comfortable 24-point win over arch rivals Collingwood. The Pies started the night strongly with the first two goals, but the Blues would kick six of the next seven to cruise to victory at Ikon Park, 6.9 (45) to 3.3 (21). Mimi Hill starred for the Blues in the midfield with a game-high 32 disposals and Erone Fitzpatrick bagged two goals as Carlton opened its account with a win in a campaign captain Kerryn Peterson will miss due to the birth of her first child. 'They'll be really pleased with the electricity of their footy,' Herald Sun reporter Lauren Wood said on Fox Footy. 'Particularly without their captain. 'Naturally when you're without your skipper, you would have that sense of unknown. But led by Mimi Hill, they were pretty seamless without her.' Former AFLW Carlton coach Daniel Harford said Hill was 'allowed to do whatever the hell she liked' and 'took full advantage of that'. 'Really set the game alight, she was enormous,' he said on Fox Footy. Harford also praised Carlton's 'slick' ball movement, but noted Collingwood 'had no answers' in a disappointing start to the season for last year's wooden spooners, who have dropped 13 of their last 14 games. 'There's a few questions about the Magpies on the back of that and what they're trying to do and look like,' he added. 'They didn't show too much tonight, sadly for Magpies fans.' Collingwood fans had one moment in particular to cheer about, with No. 1 pick Ash Centra kicking her first goal with her first disposal in the second term. But further souring the loss for the Pies was Irish rookie Kellyann Hogan's night ending prematurely due to a shoulder issue.
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
A-League: Tisserand to set to join Sydney FC
Sydney FC's defence is set to be boosted by the signing of Congo international Marcel Tisserand. And Macarthur FC is also strengthening its backline with the addition of veteran Frenchman and former Melbourne Victory defender Damien Da Silva. Tisserand joins the Sky Blues as a free agent after spending the past three years in Saudi Arabia, where he had spells with Al-Ettifaq, Abha and Al-Khaleej. The 32-year-old centre-back has also had stints with French clubs Monaco, Lens and Toulouse, German outfits Ingolstadt and Wolfsburg, and Turkish club Fenerbache. Born in France but able to represent Congo through his mother's heritage, Tisserand made the most recent of his 35 senior appearances for the African nation in June 2022. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Da Silva is returning to the A-League after leaving the Victory at the end of the 2023-24 season to join French second division club Clermont Da Silva made 42 appearances in his season-and-a-half stint with the Melbourne club, and twice won the Victory's player-of-the-year award. Macarthur will meet Newcastle in an Australia Cup quarter-final on Sunday week at the Maitland Showgrounds. In the other quarter-finals, NPL Victoria club Heidelberg United hosts Wellington Phoenix on Tuesday night, Avondale takes on fellow NPL outfit Brisbane City on Wednesday night, and Sydney FC meets Auckland FC on Saturday week at a yet-to-be confirmed venue. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. NewsWire The popular rugby league broadcaster has undergone surgery after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday. NewsWire Passengers were in a panic after oxygen masks were deployed after the flight to Brisbane suddenly dropped due to a loss in cabin pressure.
