LADIES MAN ON A MISSION
IT might be the sport of kings but a group of Townsville ladies are turning it into a sport of their own.
An all-female ownership team plan to turn plenty of heads on Pallarenda Stakes Day at Cluden Park with even a cocktail named in their honour.
The ladies, who are a mix of grandmothers, mothers, businesswomen and first-time horse owners, have bought into an all-female syndicate with their first horse Mission House set to make his debut in the time-honoured two-year-old feature.
“We call him Hughie after Hugh Hefner because he was only ever surrounded by women too,” syndicate manager Michelle Mcguire said.
“It is very exciting for all the owners. I would encourage more women to get involved in ownership. It is not just about horse racing, it is about the whole experience of a day out at the races and making new friends. We have a group message set up for the group and there are ladies already talking about the butterflies they have. Some of them said it had been the longest week of their life. I remember having that feeling with my first horse.”
Mcguire has horse racing in her blood and has been involved in the sport from a young age.
Her father Wilson Fitzgerald rode horses from Cloncurry to Sydney and her brother Greg Fitzgerald followed
in his footsteps. Her husband Paddy also spent a number of years with the whip in his hand before turning to training.
Now she is supporting her son, Matthew, as he embarks on a mission to win the big North Queensland features in his own right.
Mission House is trained by the younger Mcguire, and the plan for the colt is a feature race on Gold Coast Magic Millions day, which is targeted at female-owned racehorses.