Normanton jockey Nigel Gilbo and Black Tracker finished their final heat with a time of 11:80 on Thursday night. 

“I didn’t think I was going to win,” Gilbo said shortly after victory photographs with the horse, its owner and sponsors.   

“It’s a young horse that’s never won. 

“It’s raced a couple of times but it never did any good.

“It’s a young horse and is just starting to come good.

“It has only recently shown a bit of improvement.” 

However, the celebrations for Gilbo were low-key that night, having competed the next day in the novice bronc rides at the Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo. 

Black Tracker was not as fast in the initial heat with a time of 12.32, but with that time did well enough that it was not among the six horses eliminated between the two heats. 

Its time meant that people auctioning to bet on the horse they thought would win between the two heats overlooked the eventual winner for horses with faster first heat trial times such as Arrow and Black Magic. 

Fran Bird bet $850 on Black Tracker, therefore winning the total prize pool of $7010. 

This would be to the chagrin of the buyer who bet $2500 on Arrow, which had the best initial trial time of 11.83 earlier that night. 

Even if Arrow completed the 200 metres with the same time as in the first heat it would not have been enough to win against Black Tracker, and would still have placed second.

However, in the final heat Arrow and jockey Phillip Harrison had a marginally lesser time of 11.92. 

The biggest improvement of times in both heats came from Mystify, ridden by Wynita Smerdon, and then Katie Vaughan. 

In the first heat Mystify was timed at 12.39.

It was auctioned for a mere $450 to Linda Ryan. 

And in the final heat it came third with a time of 11.96. 

Black Magic, a former winner of the Mailman Express and a favourite to win this year’s event, was auctioned to Tom Coreton for $1300. 

Heartbreakin’ Acre was auctioned to Greg Warren for $1000. 

Cha Cha La Belle was bought by Barry Sloan for $1100. 

Casey was bought by Sparrow Harrison for $1050. These were the last horses to secure a bid of four digits. 

Abba’s Kingdom was secured by Grace Loyden for a more humble price of $650. 

It was even less for Isana Temptation, which was claimed by Rob Hanson for $400. 

Shelly Isaacson paid $300 for the chance that Star Applause would come through. At that stage of the bidding the prize pool had only $2825. 

But she also claimed $200 for Kelly’s Star.