2 days ago
Ex-Queensland cricketer Damien MacKenzie bowled over by win of Tony Gollan filly Foreign Press at Eagle Farm
The adrenaline rush of seeing his horse Foreign Press storm home to win at Eagle Farm on Saturday beats any feeling that former Queensland Bulls quick Damien MacKenzie experienced on the cricket field.
It may have only been a QTIS 3YO Handicap over 1000m, but part-owners MacKenzie and his fellow former Bulls teammate Nick Kruger were literally screaming from the grandstand as jockey Cejay Graham and the Tony Gollan -trained filly crossed the finishing post.
It capped a terrific day for Gollan, who produced four winners with Free Carry ($4.40), Foreign Press ($5), Amur ($7.50) and Gospel Girl ($2.90).
MacKenzie paid just $600 for his share of Foreign Press from an Inglis digital sale late last year and he syndicated it out to a few mates, keeping a slice for himself.
The filly has now earnt $123,000, winning two of her three races in a fledgling career that appears promising.
'I'm so stoked,' said MacKenzie, who played five first-class games for Queensland in the early 2000s.
Read all about it! 🗞�
That's back-to-back wins for Foreign Press - @CejayGraham1 in the saddle for @tonygollan, who trains an Eagle Farm double! @BrisRacingClub
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 9, 2025
'I say to a lot of people, replacing the high of professional sport and playing for Queensland, you can't replace it.
'The adrenaline rush of this where you've got no control, when they win like that it's sensational.
'You control what you do when you play cricket. If you prepare well then you know you're going to play well.
'With racing you look at the breeding and put them with a good trainer but the rest is up to the horse on the day.
'I played in probably the strongest era in Queensland cricket but this is cool, especially to see where she (Foreign Press) can go as a three-year-old.
'I just love being with the boys and having horses with Tony is awesome. He's super approachable and honest.'
Foreign Press made her debut on a heavy track on the Gold Coast but got skittled at the start and finished sixth.
She then won an 800m 2YO maiden at Ipswich last month and Graham's exquisite ride on Saturday further improved her excellent record.
Foreign Press beat home Calypso Rocket ($41) by just under a length, with stablemate Impervious ($3.50) third.
Gollan's third runner in the sprint, Boomshanka, didn't appreciate the Soft 7 track and finished sixth.
'Out of my three in the race she was the one that was always going to handle the ground,' Brisbane's premier trainer said about Foreign Press.
'She's by Invader, she loves the wet. Impervious was great, she was first-up but probably just peaked on that ground late.'
Meanwhile in race two, jockey Ben Thompson continued his golden run since returning from Hong Kong when he saluted on $1.40 pop Razors, the gelding which Sunshine Coast trainer Jack Bruce bought from Godolphin's recent dispersal sale.
'He's fitted into my stable seamlessly,' Bruce said.
'I haven't done too much with him. He arrived fit and healthy and it's just been a matter of keeping him ticking over.'
