ARE YOU READY FOR WEETWOOD?
Mr Marbellouz a leading contender for listed race
RACING: If Weetwood Handicap markets were opened today, Mr Marbellouz would be starting as favourite for the April 6 feature.
That is the opinion of Sky Racing presenter and Queensland form analyst Bernadette Cooper, who was on hand yesterday at Clifford Park to help launch the 129th edition of Toowoomba’s biggest race.
The Kevin Kemp-trained gelding was at his blistering best at Doomben at the weekend after demolishing an open class field by more than three lengths, and she believes the local edge has him in good stead.
“So often you’ll see visitors go to a track and they’ll beat the locals because they are bringing metro horses, but it’s really balanced (in Toowoomba),” Cooper said.
“Even though the big guns come to win those feature races, I think the Weetwood still holds itself right up there with the locals.
“I think if they opened a market today, he would be the favourite.
“Everyone loves Kevin Kemp, and to see him win his fifth with Mr Marbellouz would be great.
“He was an emergency last
‘‘ EVEN THOUGH THE BIG GUNS COME TO WIN THOSE FEATURE RACES, I THINK THE WEETWOOD STILL HOLDS ITSELF RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE LOCALS.
BERNADETTE COOPER
year and has since done a suspensory (ligament strain), so he’s had this marvellous training effort to even get him back to the races, and be the winner he was on Saturday.”
Kemp last tasted success in the race in 2015 with Typhoon Red, but has yet to secure the day’s other feature race, the Toowoomba Cup.
This year will mark the 100th running of the $150,000 quality, and Kemp is hoping to saddle up a runner over the 2000m journey.
“We will hopefully have Fighting Teo (running),” Kemp said.
“It looks like he has been disappointing in a way, but he’s had a couple of things go wrong for him lately.
“He’ll go to the Gold Coast and then hopefully he’ll be back for the Cup.”
Weetwood week will commence on Monday April 1 with a golf day, followed by the Breakfast with the Weetwood Stars on Tuesday and the allimportant barrier draw at Walton Stores on Wednesday.
The lead-up to Saturday’s raceday will peak on Friday, with the Calcutta Weetwood Sportsman’s Lunch, which has secured special guest speakers John Tapp and Brent Tate.
Tate was a veteran of 23 State Of Origins and 26 tests for Australia, while Tapp was a long-time racecaller and presenter with Channel Nine and Sky Racing.
“John Tapp is a doyen of the racing industry and we’re delighted that when we put a phone call to see if he would come up, he jumped at joining us on the Friday,” Toowoomba Turf Club CEO Blair Odgers said.
“He’s got so much knowledge around racing, and to bring that to Toowoomba and expand that into Weetwood, I think there will be some wonderful stories told around the characters that have been in Queensland racing and beyond.
“Behind probably horse racing, rugby league is the number one game in town, so it is great to mix the two, and Brent has a great interest in horse racing.
“It’s always good when we get people putting the light on Toowoomba.”