BUSH CHAMPS OFF TO TOWN
Miles team in Country Cups mix
RACING: He is one of Australia’s most wide-travelling racing participants but Miles trainer Bevan Johnson will find himself in unusual territory this afternoon at Doomben.
Johnson will break from his usual Saturday country run today to saddle four runners in the inaugural Country Cups Challenge Race (1600m).
Fab’s Cowboy, Blue Jest, Artie’s Shore and Still The Same are familiar names to country race supporters but today they’ll all step into the city limelight for Johnson and their host of owners in the $75,000 cup.
The event is the culmination of a series of heats run at country centres throughout the state with the leading qualifiers meeting in today’s final.
Johnson was last season’s champion Queensland country trainer.
His successful start to the new racing year includes a Birdsville Cup win with Blue Jest and today he’s hoping to add to that with a career first.
“I’ve never had a winner at Doomben, but then again not many of the top trainers down there tomorrow have probably had a winner at Birdsville,” Johnson laughed.
Johnson has travelled his team to tracks including Blackall, Yepoon, Kumbia, Roma and Tara looking to qualify them for today’s rich final.
“The event is a good concept and a big boost for country racing,” Johnson said.
“It will be a great day down there for a lot of people.
“We tried to qualify five for the final and got four through so we’re pretty happy about that.
“A few of them have got bad gates.
“But their whole preparations have been aimed at this race and they’ll be spot on for tomorrow, so we’re hoping for the best.”
Johnson’s four runners are raced by a variety of owners based from Middlemount in Central Queensland to Boggabri in northern NSW.
Many of them make their first trip to Doomben today.
“We counted up something like 22 owners between the four horses and most of them will be there tomorrow,” Johnson said.
“It’s a rare opportunity for a lot of people to be involved in a major city race and good luck to all our owners and everyone else involved tomorrow.”
Toowoomba will be represented in the race by Well Sighted who won his Country Challenge Cup starting spot with victory in last month’s Stanthorpe Cup for trainer Tony Sears.