Latest news with #CraigCousins
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- 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.'
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Ben Dorries hands out his awards from the 2025 Queensland winter carnival
It's that time of year when racing writer Ben Dorries hands out his version of The Oscars. Our man has identified the best Queensland winter performers and also gone off Broadway for some of the carnival's most quirky and colourful moments. â– â– â– â– â– BEST ACTOR Humble hobby trainer Craig Cousins gets the Tom Cruise award for being the winter carnival's leading man. His home-bred hero The Inflictor may not have won the Stradbroke Handicap. But the story of the truck driving trainer with a handful of horses, one of which qualified for the $3m Stradbroke, will go down in carnival folklore. Cousins trains from stables out the back of his mum's house and he enjoyed every moment of Stradbroke week, even buying himself a new suit for the occasion. After The Inflictor won a Listed race, he went out of his way to thank the media and everyone else for the wonderful magic carpet ride he had been on. A real character and a gentleman. â– â– â– â– â– BEST NEW TALENT When Cool Archie won a couple of two-year-old races at the start of the carnival, it didn't really turn the dial. And there were a few sniggers when Chris Munce nominated the Group 1 JJ Atkins as the winter goal for his young colt. After all, racegoers in these parts are used to local heroes being overrun by big names like Waller and Cummings when they come to town. But he who laughs last, laughs longest. Munce and his son Corey, along with prominent owner Max Whitby, were celebrating when Cool Archie won five straight including the JJ Atkins. Unless Sydney bias kicks in, the sensational youngster should be a lock for Australian 2YO of the year honours. What a run, what a horse â�ï¸� Cool Archie takes out the G1 Ladbrokes JJ Atkins for Team Munce & Martin Harley ðŸ'� — Ladbrokes Australia (@ladbrokescomau) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST PICTURE When Antino scored the Hollindale Stakes and the Group 1 Doomben Cup by as far as you could kick your hat. Wins the best picture gong as there were literally no other horses in the finish picture on either occasion. Tony Gollan collects training premierships and big races for fun – but this was his crowning moment. Antino can be a quirky horse and turning him from a sprinter-miler into a middle distance/stayer was a magical effort that David Copperfield would have been proud of. Queensland's champion trainer will have plenty of spring fun with Antino, who is the second betting pick in the Cox Plate behind Via Sistina. In case you missed it! Antino was a brilliant winner of the Group One Doomben Cup this morning... 🤯 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 24, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST CASTING Young Queensland jockey Angela Jones as a marquee winter carnival performer. The jockey who grew up in outback Queensland might not have won a Group 1, although she did get within a whisker when Zarastro led until the shadows of the post in the Kingsford Smith Cup. But she won five feature races, including for Gai Waterhouse and for the royal blue of Godolphin, and she more than held her own against the big name southern jockeys who ventured north. Won four straight races on Floozie and it wasn't her fault the mare was a beaten favourite in the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara. Should win the Brisbane jockeys' premiership. We will look back at the 2025 winter carnival as being the making of her on the big stage. Floozie brains them in the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes! ðŸ'¥ @tonygollan — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST PERFORMANCE While Antino and Cool Archie both had claims, the gong goes to Joliestar. The mare's truly incredible triumph in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup had to be seen to be believed. On a day where it was close to impossible to make too much ground from back, Chris Waller 's glamour girl came from so far off them to win that it looked like she had been shot out of a cannon. There was a freeze-frame of the race with 100m or so to go posted on social media, and you deadset would have bet $101 about Joliestar winning. It might not have been a vintage field, but the manner of her win suggested a big spring carnival and potentially redemption in The Everest is coming. An EPIC finish in the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup sees Joliestar nab them right on the line to take her third Group 1! 🤩 @cwallerracing @mcacajamez @BrisRacingClub @RaceQLD — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 7, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– ROCKY BALBOA GOLDEN GLOVES The jockeys' room blue between Noel Callow and Kyle Wilson-Taylor was the bust-up of the carnival. It did what many of the actual races could not – get global headlines. The bad blood had been bubbling for a while but at the end of the day it was probably half a storm in a teacup. It won't be long before 'King' Callow has served his ban and returns to the races. Noel Callow has been banned over an altercation with a rival jockey, a penalty which could be reduced if he completes an anger management course, reports @bendorries76. — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 12, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– RISING STAR War Machine was the Stradbroke Handicap favourite from the moment he made a mess of his rivals in the Group 3 BRC Sprint. Some (including me) would say that backing a $3.20 favourite in the Stradbroke is a quick way to the poor house. But War Machine did it comfortably and could be one right out of the box. The late, great Mike Moroney identified him as a must-have horse and he has started to live up to what Moroney always thought he promised. Bring on the spring, as the penny hasn't even dropped yet. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Former Irishman Tom Sherry cracked his first Group 1 when he scored the Tatt's Tiara on Tashi and quickly paid tribute to his long-term partner Danika Losty. Losty has been there through Sherry's darkest times – even when he copped a drug ban as an 18-year-old in his Irish homeland. Sherry arrived in Australia without a job and with his passion for racing wavering, but Losty never lost faith and kept urging him to follow his racing dreams even when he was working on a building site erecting temporary fences. Bravo.
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
The Inflictor break delayed with wet weather convincing trainer Craig Cousins to tackle Glasshouse Handicap at Sunshine Coast
Truck driver Craig Cousins was driving past the Sunshine Coast on another rainy day in southeast Queensland this week when the hobby trainer suddenly realised it would be madness to send in-form gelding The Inflictor for a spell. Instead the cult galloper will back up in the $300,000 Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) on Saturday when the Queensland winter carnival draws to a conclusion. The Inflictor, who has collected more than $600,000 in prizemoney, will run just seven days after winning the $160,000 Tattersall's Mile at Eagle Farm, with Rachel King on board. Cousins said immediately after the victory that the four-year-old would have a well-deserved rest. So what changed his mind? 'He was going for a break but he hadn't gone to the paddock,' Cousins said on Wednesday. 'I drove past the Sunny Coast on Monday morning for work and I went 'hmmm, it's raining, he likes the wet' and there you go. 'When I saw the noms I thought 'that race (the Glasshouse) isn't going to be any stronger than what he beat last week'. 'I'm not going to say the 'S (spell) word' but he'll definitely go for a break after this race. 'Every time I mention that 'S word' they don't race well.' 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 Not only does The Inflictor love the sting out of the ground, he also enjoys galloping on the Corbould Park race track. On soft tracks he has a superb record of four wins and four placings from 10 runs and although he's yet to salute at the Sunshine Coast, he's been runner-up three times and finished third on two occasions from five races at the track. 'One time he got beaten by King Yoshi, who's not the worst horse in the world, on a heavy track and the other time was Termagant (on a soft track in July last year),' Cousins said. 'He hasn't been beaten by slouches and he's never been out of the placings at the track. 'He's drawn barrier nine, which is perfect for him, and his blood tests were done on Tuesday and he's fine.' Jag Guthmann-Chester will steer The Inflictor on Saturday, with regular rider Cejay Graham enjoying a holiday in New Zealand while she serves a suspension incurred on Stradbroke Handicap Day last month when The Inflictor finished 11th in Queensland's premier race. Graham copped a 14-day suspension for careless riding on King Kapa in the Hinkler Handicap. Nash Rawiller guided The Inflictor to victory in a Benchmark 85 (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 but he will be riding in Rockhampton this Saturday. The Ciaron Maher -trained Warnie is the current $3.20 favourite in Glasshouse betting markets ahead of The Inflictor ($4.80) and The Kosciuszko champion Far Too Easy ($6), who also thrives on soft tracks (6:5-1-0). Cousins said the $1.5m Listed Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on October 11 would be the next target to kickstart The Inflictor's spring campaign.
News.com.au
28-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
The Inflictor bounces back to win Tatt's Mile at Eagle Farm
'He's the dude'. Those were the crowning three words from hobby trainer Craig Cousins after cult gelding The Inflictor bounced back from a disappointing Stradbroke Handicap to win the $160,000 Listed Tattersall's Mile at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Inflictor jumped as the $3.50 favourite and the result never looked in doubt when the four-year-old hit the lead from about the 300m mark to collect his first stakes victory. 'I've always said the horse is easy to train and there's a lot of people who have helped me,' a delighted Cousins said. • 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! It would've been a bittersweet moment for jockey Cejay Graham, who was set to ride The Inflictor in the Tatt's Mile if not for a two-week suspension she is now halfway through serving. Graham also missed out on riding winning mare Miss Joelene, trained by Kelly Schweida, in the earlier Tatt's Gold Crown (2100m). Graham's close mate Rachel King was the lucky recipient of the vacant ride and she made her opportunity count with a flawless performance, finishing ahead of Sibaaq ($4.70) and Chica Mojito ($11). 'I feel for Cejay, she's one of my best friends in the (jockeys') room so I'm gutted she wasn't riding the horse today,' King said. 'She's done all the work on him and she told me everything I needed to know, so a big shout out to her. 'She's a superstar and I'm sure she'll be back on him again very soon.' Tough win! The Inflictor digs deep to score in the Listed Tatt’s Mile with @RachelK11 aboard 😎ðŸ�† @BrisRacingClub â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025 Truck driver Cousins said the victory on Saturday was some consolation for him and connections after The Inflictor finished 11th in this month's $3m Stradbroke Handicap at the same track. 'Yeah it does make up for it,' said the trainer, who only has three to four horses in work. 'The Stradbroke was a tough race. It was his first go in a Group 1 and he didn't get any favours. 'That's just racing and today's proven that he is a Listed horse and it's my biggest win ever as far as race status goes so it's great. 'I'll give him three weeks off now and we'll head down to Sydney. 'I haven't even picked out a race but we'll see what suits him. He could go down for a Benchmark 100 down there.' Cousins paid tribute to The Inflictor's band of owners, including the syndicate Bond 007, which is essentially a group of mates who used to play together at Moreton Bay AFL club. 'They're a mob of larrikin blokes like myself and they just love it,' the 60-year-old trainer said. 'They're all happy, it's great. It's a big day in my training life for sure.' King said The Inflictor had been 'beaten up a little bit' in the Stradbroke but being drawn out wide on Saturday was a blessing in disguise because it allowed him more room to strut his stuff. 'He probably doesn't want any further than the mile, but credit to the team for getting him ready after that run in the Stradbroke,' she said. 'He got his confidence back and it's great to get a winner for Craig.' â– â– â– â– â– Relaxed Metalart too slick in Healy Stakes Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida reckons his WJ Healy Stakes winner Metalart is so relaxed that you could tie him to a fence post and a week later he'd still be chilling out. But the four-year-old gelding had enough zip on Saturday at Eagle Farm to beat Austmarr ($8) and General Salute ($4.40) in the $200,000 Group 3 race over 1200m, handing Schweida a winning double for the day following Miss Joelene's success in the earlier Tatt's Gold Crown (2100m). 'You could tie him up to a fence post, come back a week later and he'd be fine,' Schweida said. 'He's a lovely horse. I don't know where his ceiling is, he just keeps winning. It's quite incredible really. 'He's a very unassuming horse, but he got a gun ride (from Jason Collett) today. 'He goes to sleep in the tie-ups, he's so quiet and lovely and he doesn't look like a racehorse, but he's a pretty good one. 'He probably should have won a stakes race by now. 'He almost came from behind the other day (in the 1000m Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm won by Vodka Martini). 'We got the saloon passage from the good gate today.' Metalart salutes in the last at Eagle Farm with Jason Collett in the saddle earning a double for the @schweidaracing stable! ðŸ'� â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michael Rodd is the regular rider for Metalart but fractured his hand during trackwork at Eagle Farm last week, handing Collett a golden opportunity. Collett will be enjoying his holidays on the Sunshine Coast in two weeks but he made sure he finished Tatt's Tiara day with a bang. 'He's got such a great attitude,' Collett said about four-year-old gelding Metalart, who has now won eight of his 14 races. 'Once he got going the run was easy, and he was strong late. 'I remember seeing him over the Christmas period when Michael Rodd won on him (in a Benchmark 78), and he looked impressive that day. 'I'd say 1400m is probably his best trip, so it was a good sign that he was able to win over 1200m today.' Hidden Wealth jumped at $6.50 but could only manage fourth on a disappointing day for the Tony Gollan stable after star mare Floozie finished fifth in the $700,000 Group 1 Tatt's Tiara.
News.com.au
27-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins seeks redemption with The Inflictor at Eagle Farm as he reflects on Stradbroke heartbreak
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins couldn't bear to watch the standard replays of the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after the story of cult galloper The Inflictor didn't follow the fairytale script. In a magical Stradbroke week that left the 60-year-old truck driver mentally and physically exhausted after being sought after by almost every media outlet on the eastern seaboard, Cousins was left feeling flat after The Inflictor finished 11th in Queensland's premier race two weeks ago. The Ben, JD and Will Hayes -trained War Machine ended up convincingly winning the Stradbroke ahead of Queenslander Yellow Brick and Sydney star Private Eye. Four-year-old gelding The Inflictor will be back on Saturday at Eagle Farm for a crack at the $160,000 Listed Tattersall's Mile, with Rachel King on board after his regular rider Cejay Graham copped a two-week suspension on Stradbroke day that she is still serving. King and Graham are close friends and used to live together when Graham was travelling regularly between her home town Port Macquarie and Sydney, where she was apprenticed to leading trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 • Keeping up with the Jones': From outback to Group 1 big smoke 'I'm still a truck driver,' Cousins joked this week when contacted by Racenet. 'At least he (The Inflictor) showed me that he's up to Group class because he had no luck whatsoever in the Stradbroke. 'It was a hard watch. I haven't even seen the replay, although I watched a couple of drone replays. 'Nash (Rawiller on Private Eye) cut him off early and the horse checked himself. 'He had no racing room whatsoever after that but the positives I took out of it is that he's up to competing on that level and he certainly didn't disgrace himself. 'That was the anticlimax to a great week. It was hard to take on the day. 'We were going out to The Star (casino) afterwards and I just couldn't go. It took the wind out of my sails, put it that way. It was a big fortnight, geez I had some interviews.' It stung even more that the Stradbroke prizemoney went down to 10th place ($36,000) so The Inflictor's connections were left out of pocket on the day but ahead overall, with the gelding earning almost $500,000, winning six out of his 23 races. Cousins said he was happy with drawing the widest barrier (14) for the Tatt's Mile on Saturday because $4 favourite The Inflictor could 'float across at his own steam'. 'I think Rachel will suit him,' the trainer said. 'I booked her on the Sunday after the Stradbroke once Cejay was suspended. She's excited to be on.' Cousins said The Inflictor would have a three-week break after the Tatt's Mile before being targeted for some Group races in Sydney, although he was yet to map out a firm plan. 'If you try to give him a two-month spell then he gets the sulks,' he said. 'I've had a look at the Racing NSW diary and I couldn't really cement anything but I definitely want to go to Sydney with him. 'He'll be a better horse next prep and he's been going like an absolute treat since the Stradbroke. 'He worked enormous on Tuesday so all I'll say is that they'll want to be on their bikes (in the Tatt's Mile).'
