Sports star making a mark training horses
DRAMATIC SHIFT
IF not for coronavirus, the Sellheim-based Kayla Russell would not be this far advanced in her training career, just yet.
Russell has been around horses her whole life, her mother Julie Russell is a consistent trainer, while Kayla is a regular award winner in show jumping and rodeo events, claiming the Charters Towers Regional Council 2020 Australia Day Sports Person of the Year Award.
Russell, who works for Queensland Health, got her trainer’s licence at the start of the year, aiming to have one horse in her barn: De Carlo.
But, once coronavirus hit and most of her regular show jumping and rodeo events were either postponed or cancelled, the training caper soon took centre stage.
Success has found Russell quickly, training a winner in just her fifth ever career start, and brings two winning chances to FNQ this week.
“Mum and dad were both jockeys, so I was at the track from a young age, and now mum has of course gone into being a trainer as well,” Russell said. “I always helped mum with hers, and owned a few, and was busy with my show jumping.
“I thought I would get my own trainer’s licence and bloody have a crack at it.”
Russell does some jumping with her race horses, it “does them the world of good”, she says.
She comes north this week with Final Warning in the Class 2 Handicap (1250m) and De Carlo in the QTIS Two-YearsOld and Three-Years-Old Maiden Handicap (1250m).
De Carlo, a chestnut filly, went through a handful of trainers before arriving Sellheim, which is just outside of Charters Towers, and was known as a handful.
Russell thinks the threeyear-old now has her mind on
During 2019 she won the Bartlett Park Rodeo ladies’ breakaway competition and was the 2019 NQ ABCRA rookie breakaway roping champion.
Russell won the open show jump rider of show at Longreach, had a successful run at the Charters Towers Show and also competed at shows from Ayr to Cairns and west to Longreach were she won several hack and rider classes.
She placed third overall in the Queensland rural series jumping competition.
Russell competed in the nationally televised show jump of for retired race horses and made the top six in Queensland at Nambour in two classes.
Russell will have two of her horses going around at Cairns’ Cannon Park on Thursday afternoon. the job from chasing cows around the paddock.
The Russell stable has struck up a growing partnership with Cairns rider Masayuki Abe, as the pair grabbed their first winner at Townsville’s Cluden Park together earlier this year.
“He rode one of mum’s horses and I just wanted to stick with him,” she said.
“I give Masa credit, he rode De Carlo well, and Pietro Romeo had the ride at Charters Towers and thankfully she finally went well, she showed on race day what I see at home with me.”
Final Warning, a cheap purchase for just $2000, has turned into Russell’s stable star and steps up in distance on Thursday after hitting the line hard over 1000m at Townsville seven days ago.
“We always thought we had something good but he really impressed me in his last run,” she said.