Tambo Hoping Justice Defies the Odds

The bookie in owner Dalan Tamblyn says the odds are against his unbeaten galloper Tambo’s Justice continuing his winning run at Cluden Park on Sunday.

Tamblyn, a third generation bookmaker, is hoping he’s wrong and Tambo’s Justice can overcome a quantum leap in class and win the Belle Property Townsville Open Hcp (1400m) at just his sixth start.

“It’s D-Day for him really to see if he’s going to measure up for the carnival,” said Tamblyn.

“But we’ve really been left with no choice but to go to an open because his rating has gone up so fast he’s facing huge weights in benchmark races.

“It’s quite crazy that he already has a 72 rating with just five provincial wins.

“On Sunday he’ll be up against horses that have won a quarter of million dollars so it will be a real test to see if he’s a genuine carnival prospect.

“The bookie in me says it’s a big ask. I’ve taken on horses with his profile every time for 30 years, but I hope I’m wrong and he can win it.

“He’s a horse with a high cruising speed and strong will to win. He’s down on the limit with a good draw and I just want to see a fast run race. That should suit us.”

Tambo’s Justice is just the latest in a long line of galloper’s Tamblyn has bred since embarking on an enduring breeding venture with his two original grand producers Passagemaker and To Please A Lady in the late 1990s.

He estimates that in total his mares and their progeny have produced upwards of 250 wins for him on Queensland tracks.

The best of them was Passagemaker’s classiest son Tambo’s Mate, by Mossman, who won 11 of his 29 starts for $730,000 in stakes despite a lifetime of soundness issues.

He gave Tamblyn his biggest wins in the Listed Tatt’s Recognition Stakes twice, the Listed Keith Noud and the G3 BRC Sprint – all in Brisbane.

A feat that may soon be surpassed by his filly Spicy Martini, also by Justify, which he didn’t breed and races in partnership with a group of owners in the Toby Edmonds and Stephen McLean stable on the Gold Coast.

Only a three-year-old, Spicy Martini has already won twice at Listed level and claimed a G3 in just seven career starts. 

But there have been plenty of other good home-breds including Tambo’s Heart (18 wins), Jack Lancaster (12 wins), Tambo’s Jewel (9 wins) and Lightfeet Lady (11 wins), the mother of Tambo’s Justice.

“To Please A Lady’s progeny alone have produced 55 wins for me and her daughter Lightfeet Lady is still producing,” Tamblyn said. 

“I have a Spirit Of Boom out of Lightfeet Lady going to the Magic Millions sales in January and I’m gambling a bit on this bloke, Tambo’s Justice, going on with it too.

“Lightfeet Lady is booked in to champion horse City Of Troy, a son of Justify. That would make it a three-quarter to Tambo’s Justice.”

Tambo’s Justice was never meant to come to Townsville.

As a yearling by Justify, the boom US sire who was only shuttled to Australia for two seasons and now commands $250,000 a service, he was entered for the 2022 Magic Millions yearling sales but was withdrawn after failing x-rays.

After doing a lot of early training with Tony Gollan in Brisbane, Tambo’s Justice was transferred to Townsville’s leading trainer Georgie Holt as an unraced four-year-old late last year.

“He was a barrier rogue down there and just wasn’t focused, but he’s just thrived in the North. Aidan and Georgie really worked on him through the barriers they have out at the farm and it worked,” Tamblyn said.

“It’s pretty special to win races here in Townsville with a horse I’ve bred. Very few horses win five from five.

“Tony (Gollan) said he’d need at least 1400m and longer so with luck he might develop into a cup horse.

“But he’s got to prove himself in open grade first and that’s why Sunday will be a good test.”

Sunday’s eight-event Cluden card kicks off at 12.36pm.