Nominations for the 2017 Birdsville Races have been announced, and eight Mount Isa trainers will be there turning in 32 combined nominations for the two-day race.
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The action takes place down in the Simpson Desert this Friday and Saturday and locals have their eyes on the prize.
Among them is Mount Isa Race Club committee member, Jay Morris, who is returning to the ‘Melbourne Cup of the Outback’ in the hopes of claiming a third Birdsville Cup victory.
Joining Morris will be Denise Ballard, who trained three winning horses at the Mount Isa Spring Races in 2016.
Ballard has submitted nine nominations for this year’s Birdsville Races.
Other Mount Isa trainers with nominations include Steven Royes, Ken Foord, Robert Burow, Justin Bawden, George Tipping and Damien Finter.
Among them is Mount Isa Race Club committee member, Jay Morris, who is returning to the ‘Melbourne Cup of the Outback’ in the hopes of claiming a third Birdsville Cup victory.
Now in its 135th year, the Birdsville Races’ 13-race program offers up a combined $200,000 prize-purse, plus a further $12,500 in QTIS (Queensland Thoroughbred Incentive Scheme) bonuses – making it outback Queensland’s richest two-day race-meet.
As in previous years, the 2017 race program is headlined by the prestigious $35,000 Birdsville Cup which is run over 1600 metres and which takes place on Saturday, September 2.
A number of race program changes have been this year, with several races moving from class-based handicaps to benchmark races, as well as the introduction of a second 1600m race – the $12,500 Benchmark 55 Handicap on September 1.
Traditionally, the 1600m distance has been reserved solely for the Birdsville Cup.
Four other feature races will offer up big prize money across both Friday and Saturday race day.
These races include the $20,000 Open Handicap (over 1200m), $15,000 Class 1 Handicap (over 1200m), $15,000 Class 5 Handicap (1200m) and $15,000 Class 2 Handicap (1200m).
And the Class 2 Handicap is worth $22,500 for QTIS fillies.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
