It was the win nobody saw coming.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Charlie Prow rode Georgie Girl past the post in 12.32 seconds in Thursday night’s Mailman Express.
The underdog duo were able to turn around an eight placing in the first heat to the fastest time in the second jaunt.
“On the first heat I stuck to the fence, and its a sandy track so I thought I would be able to run straightest if I stuck to the fence,” Prow said.
“Because I rode two horses I ran the second one towards the outside a bit further because the sand was not as heavy out there.
“In the final I ran both of them down the middle of the track and I was able to make up 300 odd seconds.”
The Mailman is a timed 200 metre sprint race for amateur riders to try their luck on the track.
The fastest 10 times from the first heat go into the finals for their chance at glory.
Prow’s daughter Billie was waiting at the finish to celebrate with her dad.
“I didn’t think he would get first place because Georgie Girl was going a little bit too slow.
“It was really good when he won I was proud.”
Georgie Girl is owned and trained by David McCann in Banana, about two hours south west of Rockhampton.
McCann left the Mailman a very happy man after pocking more than $10,000 in prize money for Georgie Girl’s win and Kelly Last’s second place.
“We came out here with two horses and had high hopes for them,” Prow said.
You would probably describe the atmosphere tonight as electric, there is a lot of hype
- Dan Ballard
“I could not believe it.”
The former pro jockey competed in the Mailman three years ago and came in seventh place.
“He is a very capable horseman and perhaps that assisted those two horses coming in first and second,” Mount Isa Race Club president Dan Ballard said.
Mr Ballard said the Mailman is a popular feature of the Mount Isa rodeo week.
“It is something very unique, i am not aware of anywhere else that has an event like this,” he said.
“We feed off the rodeo success and popularity, because there are so many people in town attending the rodeo, we benefit from that.
“You would probably describe the atmosphere tonight as electric, there is a lot of hype. There seems to be something about this event that gets the blood pumping,” Mr Ballard said.
“We have a larger licensed area this year and it appeared at capacity. I am confident we broke the 3000 mark this year which is a great result.”
