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IN 2006 THE NORMANTON RODEO COMMITTEE DECIDED TO RUN A SHORT DISTANCE HORSE RACE AS A BIT OF A FUNDRAISER FOR ITS RODEO . IT WAS A FAIRLY BASIC AFFAIR BUT SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH THAT IT BECAME AN ANNUAL EVENT .
PHOTOS BY : DANIELLE O BRIEN PHOTOGRAPHY
They ’ ve been racing IN THE NORTH
Owners , determined to outdo their mates on the track , began to look further afield for horses of pure running blood . Things started to grow . With no fanfare and no actual plan short distance racing gradually extended beyond Normanton . As word trickled out some of us began to keep an eye on what was happening in the north .
The 2024 sprint racing season in north Queensland got under way with time trials at Normanton on 6th June . Dennis Manns good mare Jet Lunar Eclipse was the winner here . This was followed by Eureka Creek in July and it was here that Troy Gallagher ’ s Mr Hanky Panky got his taste for winning . Ridden by Miranda Shepherd this 4 year old gelding by Chicks Regard ( USA ) came second to Dennis Mann ’ s Sullivans Maid in the classic heat then won the Progressive , with Ashley Gallaghers Sullivans Hollywood in second place . Mr Hanky Panky was to go on to be unbeaten in his next 6 starts and end the season with 7 straight wins , including 4 cups – a sterling achievement for a horse who had been sidelined with a serious hoof injury for months and was still being treated at the time of Eureka Creek .
Next on the program was the iconic Mailman Express at Mt Isa on 8th August . Mr Hanky Panky , together with Troy Gallagher ’ s very consistent Jabelle Aint She Fancy ( Winning Deck ), made the 500 km trip from Normanton and Troy had hopes one of his horses would make the final 10 in this race . Mr Hanky Panky went into the finals in second place behind Jabelle Aint She Fancy . Ridden by Courtney Gray he got up to win the 2024 Mailman Express in a remarkable time of 11.9 seconds for the 200 m journey . In second place was Hudson ( Winning Deck ), owned , trained and ridden by Lee Chappell while Jabelle Aint She Fancy ( Winning Deck ) came in 3rd spot .
The action moved to Sedan Dip on 17th August where Mr Hanky Panky ridden by Miranda Shepherd won both the heat and the Cup . Innaminka hosted their Bush sprints on 31st August .
2025 MARCH / APRIL ISSUE