11 hours ago
'Phar Lap of the Barkly' Rafferty Rules wins historic sixth Gold Cup at Brunette Downs
In the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, a champion racehorse called Rafferty Rules has etched itself into the history books of the famous Brunette Downs races.
The 15-year-old gelding thundered down the blacksoil straight this month to claim its sixth ABC Gold Cup in a row.
"It's a 1,600-metre race and he won it by about six lengths. Not bad for an old fella," said owner Boyd Lowe.
"The jockey went out early at the 900-metre mark, put a lead on the rest of the field and just kept that gap. It wasn't too hard for him in the end."
Race club secretary Linda Blackwood said in the 115 years of racing at Brunette Downs the Barkly had perhaps never seen a better horse.
"We've had some amazing horses in our history but Rafferty Rules is a very sporting horse and just so impressive," she said.
"He leads the field tremendously and I feel so lucky to have seen him race ever since his first maiden years ago."
Born on Headingly Station near Camooweal in Queensland and broken in by country music star Tom Curtain in Katherine, Rafferty Rules spent his early life working cattle at Helen Springs station north of Tennant Creek.
He won his first Gold Cup in 2017 and Mr Lowe said from there he got "bigger and stronger every year".
"We bring him out once a year and take him to Brunette Downs for racing and he just loves it," he said.
"He gets his shoes put on and he knows it's game on, and he gets excited.
The Brunette races were cancelled in 2019 because of drought, 2020 because of COVID-19 and again in 2021 because of rain.
Senior vice president of the race club Toby Wass said Rafferty Rules was surely robbed of winning more titles during that period.
"We didn't race for three years so he was unlucky and the scary thing is, over the last two or three years, he's been coming back fitter and stronger," he said.
Mr Wass said the Brunette Downs races was established in 1910 and was "amateur racing at its best".
"A lot of these horses are owned by local cattle stations and local families."
"The horses are trained in people's spare time and once a year are ridden by local jackaroos and jillaroos that become jockeys for the weekend."
Mr Lowe said Rafferty Rules was now retired from racing, having won six Gold Cups and five Ladies Bracelets at Brunette Downs.
"He's a gelding so no breeding opportunities, unless someone wants to DNA [clone] him."
He said the family had other promising horses and would be back next year to compete.
"You win a bit of prize money but it's not Flemington," he said.
"We do it for the fun, this has been a lifetime event for me and the family."
The Lowe family have volunteered their time and supported the Brunette races for decades with Boyd, his mum Gail Lowe, and wife Sarah Lowe all honoured with life membership.
The family has won 15 Gold Cups thanks to a run of successful horses including Wah Zin Kah, About Time, Feel the Speed, and Rafferty Rules.
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