Latest news with #Doomben
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Qld winter carnival wagering hopes ‘washed away' by Group 1 Derby day weather
Queensland winter carnival wagering turnover copped a $20m black hole because of the Group 1 Queensland Derby day washout, however Racing Queensland insists there were still positive wagering pointers. Racing Queensland CEO Lachlan Murray said that overall winter carnival turnover had dipped from $384m to $357m (a seven per cent decline) but on a per race basis it was a 2.7 per cent drop-off seeing as not as many races were staged this year. Group 1 Queensland Derby Day on May 31 was a drama for wagering numbers with the second half of the card rescheduled due to bad weather conditions, including the Fred Best Classic being moved to a Wednesday midweek affair at Doomben. 'On the wagering front, our hopes of eclipsing last year's numbers washed away, quite literally, when we had to reschedule the second half of the Queensland Derby Day card to midweek and a Super Saturday in conjunction with the Oaks,' Murray said. 'We dropped $20 million in forecast turnover on those days alone. 'When we normalise the activity, stripping out Derby Day and Oaks Day, this year's Carnival was narrowly up on last year's carnival. 'On a per race basis, we were up 1.5 per cent so we're starting to see a few green shoots which we're hoping will hold during the new racing season.' The Derby Day situation wasn't ideal for wagering and weather is out of the control of racing authorities. However there were reasons for positivity. Wagering turnover on Caloundra Cup Day ($31.1m) was the biggest improver of the carnival as it was up 37.4 per cent, admittedly with an extra race than the year before. After many feature Sunshine Coast race meetings in recent years have been hit by bad weather, the sun finally shone on the day and the crowd of more than 6000 was up more than 50 per cent. Murray pledged that RQ would review the performance of the winter carnival. 'The final month of the carnival was also our best from an attendance standpoint – the Ipswich Cup and Caloundra Cup both eclipsed last year's figures – which showed that people were happy to vote with their feet when the sun came out,' Murray said. 'There's a lot to be positive about, but we always want it to be bigger and better, so we will review what worked and what didn't and we will look to make next year's carnival even better. 'Overall, it was another exciting and strong edition of the Queensland winter carnival.' The strongest wagering in the winter carnival was on Stradbroke Day ($55.2m), Queensland Oaks Day ($51.4m), Doomben Cup Day ($44.7m), Doomben 10,000 Day ($39m) and Tatt's Tiara Day ($37.7m).
The Australian
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
2024 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan suspended
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan has copped a 13-day suspension for careless riding from an incident at Doomben on Saturday. Queensland stewards suspended Dolan after he restrained his mount She Ours to a position behind Estrondo when 'insufficiently clear' of Chief In Charge (Damien Thornton) in the final race of the meeting. The stewards' report stated that Chief In Charge had to 'severely check to avoid the heels of She Ours', the $2.70 favourite which finished runner-up to Noble Decree. • 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! The Matt Hoysted-trained Chief In Charge placed 11th out of 12 runners in the $85,000 3YO Handicap (1350m). Dolan, who stunned the nation after winning last year's Melbourne Cup on $91 roughie Knight's Choice, pleaded guilty to the careless riding charge. His suspension will start next Sunday and he will be free to return to riding on Saturday, August 2. Irish jockey Dolan steered the Kris Lees-trained gelding Hawker Hall to victory in Saturday's opening race, a Class 3 over 1110m. He has been booked for six rides at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, including two for Eagle Farm trainer Robert Heathcote.
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan hit with a 13-day suspension
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan has copped a 13-day suspension for careless riding from an incident at Doomben on Saturday. Queensland stewards suspended Dolan after he restrained his mount She Ours to a position behind Estrondo when 'insufficiently clear' of Chief In Charge (Damien Thornton) in the final race of the meeting. The stewards' report stated that Chief In Charge had to 'severely check to avoid the heels of She Ours', the $2.70 favourite which finished runner-up to Noble Decree. The Matt Hoysted -trained Chief In Charge placed 11th out of 12 runners in the $85,000 3YO Handicap (1350m). Dolan, who stunned the nation after winning last year's Melbourne Cup on $91 roughie Knight's Choice, pleaded guilty to the careless riding charge. His suspension will start next Sunday and he will be free to return to riding on Saturday, August 2. Irish jockey Dolan steered the Kris Lees -trained gelding Hawker Hall to victory in Saturday's opening race, a Class 3 over 1110m.
News.com.au
12-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
David Vandyke gelding Tuff Tu Mus maintains unblemished record at Doomben with sixth straight win
Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke would run Tuff Tu Mus every time at Doomben if he could after the gritty gelding kept his superb unbeaten record intact at the Brisbane racetrack on Saturday. It may have been only a Class 6 race at the unfamiliar distance of 1600m, but that makes it six straight wins for Tuff Tu Mus, with five of his six victories overall coming at Doomben. The four-year-old had been earmarked for this year's Queensland winter carnival until some behavioural issues ruled out that path for the tough galloper, who has battled a couple of serious injuries during his career. He showed his class again carrying 60kg on Saturday, although Vandyke admitted he was a tad worried when jockey Tiffani Brooker had to go three-wide before making a late charge in the straight. Hot favourite Tuff Tu Mus ($2.20) outsprinted Cranky Harry ($5) to win narrowly, with Merchant Flyer ($9.50) a further 1¼ lengths away. 'There was concern halfway through the race because the tempo was strong and I thought he got softened up a little bit early,' Vandyke said. 'I kept thinking 'a mile, will he have enough there?' but Tiffani gave him a nice cuddle behind the pace. 'He was stepping up to the mile and I was a bit concerned about going to that trip with a break because he was carrying a little bit of condition. 'I'm glad Tiffani pushed out when she did because we spoke pre-race about trying to take luck out of the equation. 'When the sprint was on, he was ready for it. The margin was only a neck but I thought he did a great job.' That's 6 on the trot! ðŸ'¥ Tuff Tu Muss takes out race 4 at Doomben! @BrookerTiffani @vandykeracing13 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 12, 2025 Tuff Tu Mus means 'bloody tough' in Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu, where his Aussie owner John Fordham runs a kava factory in Luganville. He was initially targeted towards quality races such as this year's Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) but that plan was thrown into disarray when he started sweating up badly before races. 'It's just one step at a time for him because mentally he's a bit of a challenge,' said Vandyke, who had to change the horse's diet to help settle him down. Asked if Tuff Tu Mus' race manners had improved since his previous start, a victory at Doomben over 1350m on June 11, Vandyke said: 'I'd say if 10 is his best and zero his worst, he was about a five today. 'He's not there yet. He took him to the races at Ipswich last Wednesday and took him to the trials here last Tuesday so he's been doing a little bit of travelling around. 'I think that's very important with his preparation and trying to get his mental state even.'
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Young jockey Tiffani Brooker ends short-lived retirement with renewed determination
Tiffani Brooker had fallen out of love with racing. So much so that she retired last year, with no real ambitions of returning to be a jockey albeit she remained in the industry while working for Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke. But Brooker has returned from her sabbatical, both refreshed and refocused and she has a special horse to thank, at least in part. • 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! On Saturday at Doomben, Brooker rides Shaun Dwyer -trained pint-sized gelding Becamo. Brooker will be seeking her third consecutive win on Becamo, in the BM78 Handicap (2000m) where the galloper is a $14 chance after sneaking into the field as first emergency. But this is much more than just another horse race for Brooker. Becamo is part-owned by her great mate Rachel Mason, the retired former Queensland jockey. 'Rachel had only just retired when I started my apprenticeship and she really took me under my wing,' Brooker said. 'We have been great mates for years and years, even through all the ins and outs that I have been through. 'Rachel met her partner and they purchased this horse online. 'He was a yearling but he was so small that when I saw him in the paddock, I asked Rachel if she was sure she hadn't bought a weanling. 'It adds something a bit extra to everything, just riding this horse. 'I know how much Rachel loves this horse and now the horse has won his last two in pretty good fashion. 'Rachel is one of the few people who can tell me things about my riding because she has been there and done it and she has known me for so long. 'We don't talk every day, but I can ring her and talk about any issue and she has a very level head.' Brooker, coming off a winning double at Gatton on Thursday, has four rides at Doomben on Saturday. It's a far cry from when she walked away from race riding with no plans to be back. • 'I took six months off last year and I pretty much just put myself into retirement,' Brooker said. 'I went and worked for David Vandyke, rode work and did a lot of groundwork, I didn't really think about the races. 'I wasn't injured, I was just in a bit of a rut and I decided I didn't want to do it (be a jockey) any more. 'I went and did a bit of travelling but had an epiphany and realised that being a jockey was what I really wanted to do. 'I'm really determined and focused and I have to be, because I think the riding scene in Queensland at the moment is the toughest since I have been a jockey.'
