All Bush Roads Lead To Birdsville

3 minute read

Trainers and jockeys from across Australia are heading to Outback Queensland this weekend for the famous Birdsville races on September 1 and 2.

A total of 93 horses, 19 trainers and 15 jockeys have accepted for the 13 races over the two days with some travelling from as far as Darwin, Strathalbyn, Port Lincoln, Bendigo and the Sunshine Coast.

Toowoomba trainer Bevan Johnson leads overall acceptances for the 2017 event with 16 of his horses confirmed to run across the $200,000 race program.

Johnson has made the 1454km journey to Birdsville after freshly claiming this year’s Queensland country trainers’ title, having trained 70 winners at bush race-meets in 2016-17.

Johnson’s daughter Dakota Graham recently took out the Queensland country jockeys’ premiership. She headlines the jockey list which also includes Rockhampton jockeys Elyce Smith and Adrian Coome and former Birdsville Cup winners Gary Geran and Dan Ballard

Barcaldine trainer Todd Austin has a team of eight acceptances and Roma trainer Craig Smith has 11.

Austin, a Birdsville Cup winner in 2013 with the G1-placed filly Playtime, has attended more than 30 Birdsville carnivals.

Smith is one of the most successful trainers in Birdsville racing history. He won his first Birdsville Cup in 2012 and notched the most wins at the Birdsville Races for two consecutive years in 2014-15.

Smith has booked Adrian Coome to ride Big Fella in the headline $35,000 Birdsville Cup (1600m).

Port Lincoln trainer Ryan Dawson makes the trip with seven acceptances.

Dawson is the grandson of Birdsville legend George Dawson, who trained seven Birdsville Cup winners over a 30 year period including three in succession from 1982 to 1984.

Female trainers also have a strong presence this year.

Mount Isa trainer Denise Ballard has seven acceptances while Sunshine Coast trainer Kristie Clark-Peoples – wife of two-time Birdsville Cup-winning jockey Gary Geran – has five horses in contention.

In 2016, history was made when Perth-based jockey Kayla Cross won the Birdsville Cup on the Heather Lehmann-trained Moore Alpha – the first time a female jockey-trainer duo had won the Birdsville Cup in 134 years.

Mount Isa has the strongest contingent of trainers in 2017 with seven trainers fielding horses across the two days of racing including former Birdsville Cup winner Jay Morris.