IT is Ipswich's turn in the spotlight of the Queensland Racing Winter Carnival as the time-honoured Ipswich Cup is contested on Saturday.
The meeting, which has long held a reputation as much more than a race meeting, will again attract thousands of patrons, including 12,000 'pre-sold' revellers joining in the celebration.
The last-minute scramble for in-field marquee tickets is underway as the grandstand side marquees and individual in-field marquees have been sold out for some time.
But it is expected that in-field Corona marquee tickets will be sold until Saturday.
A healthy 160 nominations were received for the program and these include a good number of interstate and international gallopers.
Nominations received for the Ipswich Cup alone feature runners from Victoria in Peter Moody's Full of Spirit, Pat Carey's Angola, David Brideoak and David Feek's High Aims, and Michael Moroney's Garud.
Sydneysider Gerald Ryan has nominated Ironstein, there is a South Australian in John Hyam's Stella Lante, and there are two New Zealanders in Toowoomba Cup winner Military Move, and last year's unlucky Ipswich Cup second placegetter High Kin who is trained by Stewart McKinnon.
Bryan Guy won the Ipswich Cup last year with Anagold and this year he has Dienekes and Noisy Ocean nominated for the big race.
Top Queensland trainer Robert Heathcote has nominated Sam's Town and Volkhere and Group 1-winning Tony Gollan is targeting the Cup with Brave Ali.
Top Sydney trainers Chris Waller with Masthead and Joseph Pride with Sir Berus spearhead the nominations for the Eyeliner Stakes with a strong field looking to collect Ipswich's famous sprint race.
Saturday spoils shared
AT Eagle Farm last Saturday, there were three Group 1 races and the spoils were shared across the east coast of Australia.
Queensland's biggest race, the Stradbroke Handicap, carried $1 million for the winner.
This prizemoney was kept in the Sunshine State as the Natalie McCall-trained River Lad from the Sunshine Coast prevailed over fellow Queenslander Temple of Boom and exciting Sydney three- year-old filly Srikandi.
In the JJ Atkins for two-year- olds, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Almalad just got home over a fellow Sydneysider in the Chris Waller-trained Brazen Beau.
Brazen Beau headed the winner at the 200 metre mark, with Tony Gollan's Queensland-trained Looks Like the Cat in third.
The quinella of the Queensland Derby went to Victoria as the Henry Dwyer-trained Sonntag defeated Troy Corsten's Pinstripe Lad. Sydneysider Vilanova gave Chris Waller another Group 1 placegetter by running third.
Outcry over protest result
RACING Queensland and the Ipswich Turf Club received an unusual number of complaints from the public in relation to a protest result last Wednesday at Ipswich.
The race was the seventh of the day and across the line, Bryan Guy-trained and Janette Johnson-ridden Grapevine had a winning margin of a nose over the Gillian Heinrich-trained and Tim Bell-ridden Set Afire.
There was clear interference in the home straight.
While it may have appeared initially on television replays that this was caused by the winner laying out, RQ stewards found that the second horse had caused the winner to lay out after bumping its hind quarter, causing the winner to twist outwards.
Guy was happy with the result as it gave him a double for the day after Magic Cassius' win earlier in the day.
Gillian Heinrich had to be content with an earlier win by Walkin' Tall. That helped to push both she, on the trainer's premiership, and Tim Bell, on the jockey's premiership, each three wins clear with a month and a half of the season remaining.
Farewell Wayne Wilson
THE condolences of all committee, staff and members at the Ipswich Turf Club go out to the family of the great man, and great race caller Wayne Wilson.
Wayne was a terrific supporter of the ITC and of all industry stakeholders.
He will be sorely missed.
Swich On revive Calcutta
AS part of the festivities in the week leading up to Ipswich Cup Day, local charitable association Swich On is conducting a calcutta night.
This is on Thursday night at the North Ipswich Reserve.
It has been a decade or two since a calcutta night was held on the Ipswich Cup and all credit to the local association for reigniting this entertaining and potentially profitable evening.
The pool is promising to be around $10,000, giving the lucky buyer of the Ipswich Cup winner a handsome dividend.
The guest speakers include Group 1-winning trainer Tony Gollan and scallywag from the south Allan "Robbo" Robinson, who is famed for Footy Show appearances as well as an impressive set of statistics from his riding career.
