More pages in this section
Central Queenslander Targets Townsville Amateurs Feature Glory
Astute Central Queensland trainer, Jared Wehlow, knows exactly what it takes to track the long haul from Rockhampton to Townsville and come away with the spoils.
It is extremely rare for Wehlow to make the 1500-kilometre round trip from Rockhampton to Townsville without result.
This Sunday he brings his best as he targets the two features on the time-honoured program, being Race 6 on the card the $30,000 Townsville Amateur Sprint with the speedy Only Wanna Sing, as well as Race 7 the $30,000 Townsville Amateur Cup with the very flashy and smart North Afrika.
Both will be ridden by Champion South African Jockey and World-renowned Jockey in Robbie Fradd, who makes his first trip North to Townsville for the feature Queensland Meeting.
In the Townsville Amateurs Sprint, the flying Only Wanna Sing remains unbeaten around the Cluden Park surface from three starts with all of those being over the 1200 metres.
Despite being lumbered with a huge 64kg impost in the Sprint he looks extremely hard to beat with his free rolling tactics set to again run his opposition into the ground.
“Both horses are in terrific order, after Only Wanna Sings last start we have waited for this race to give him a month between runs leading into it, he just loves coming to Townsville” said Wehlow.
“He’s become accustomed to carrying big weights, he has won carrying 64kg albeit in lesser grade.”
Only Wanna Sing does however meet solid opposition from the very smart Langhro, who despite himself lumbering 62kg will make a real race of it on speed.
This is certainly a race that really shapes as a match race of the big weights, for the rich Amateurs Sprint prizemoney on offer.
The Townsville Amateurs Cup looks to have come along at a perfect time for North Afrika, after two solid runs back from a break over the unsuitable 1200m around Mackay, he looks to be screaming out for the Townsville Amateurs Cup Mile of 1609m now.
Having only been around the Cluden Park Track the once netting a convincing 2000m win back at the 2020 Winter Racing Carnival, he looks to be perfectly placed by Jared Wehlow to roll on speed and aims to run them into the ground in the feature race of the day.
“North Afrika has always had this run planned third up from a break, he’s a winner third up in the past and he’s raced great at his first two runs back over the shorter trips” said Wehlow.
“He gets to a preferred distance now on a track he too has also had success on”.
However North Afrika won’t have it all his own way as he aims up against an inform local in Dio D’Oro, the very smart Tablelands Maquereau, handy staying local Buster Block all amongst some solid up and coming stayers.
This really looks to be the standout race of the day, deserving of its time-honoured status as one of North Queensland’s real races of the year.
Pictured: Only Wanna Sing racing at Mackay Turf Club last year. Photo credit: Daily Mercury.
See the racing calendar for upcoming race day