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TOOWOOMBA filly Star Shiraz, winner of the Group
1 Queensland Sires Produce Stakes, will be out to
join an elite group when she tackles tomorrow’s
Group 1 TJ Smith at Eagle Farm.
Star Shiraz was the toast of the Queensland breeding
industry when she gave her sire, Sequalo, his first
Group winner in the Sires Produce beating Midnight
City (by Lion Hunter) and Rule Of Engagement.
The TJ Smith, a 1600m handicap for two-year-olds,
has been one of the success stories of Brisbane’s
Winter Carnival since it was first run as the Marlborough
Stakes in 1976.
The race has been known as the TJ Smith, in honour
of the late, great Sydney trainer, who was a regular
visitor to the Winter Carnival, since Freemason won
it in 1999.
In the 28 years since Romantic Dream won the Sires
Produce-TJ Smith double, only 10 horses have won
the Brisbane Group 1 two-year-old double.
When Star Shiraz attempts to become No 11 tomorrow,
her jockey Glen Boss will also be out to ride his
11th Group 1 winner of the current racing season.
From her seven runs to date, Star Shiraz, a $15,000
purchase as a yearling, has recorded three wins and
four seconds for prizemoney of $345,400, including
QTIS bonuses of $74,000.
With the TJ Smith carrying a QTIS winner’s
cheque of $372,500, the already happy owners of Star
Shiraz might well have a very profitable first year
on the track with their $15,000 purchase.
Midnight City, which ran second to Star Shiraz in
the Sires, will also be chasing that full QTIS winner’s
cheque and will probably be the horse that the tiny
Toowoomba filly has to beat.
Trainer Alan Bailey who won the Sires-TJ Smith double
in 2001 with Juanmo, will saddle up Birthday Bash,
a son of Shinko Forest, which will be out for the
big QTIS winner’s cheque.
The main chances of spoiling a QTIS win in the TJ
Smith are the Robert Smerdon-trained Lords A Leaping
and the Steve Englebrecht-trained Genius And Evil.
The Honour Roll of Sires Produce-TJ Smith winners,
many of which have gone on to win plenty of other
top class races, includes:
1976 – Romantic Dream.
1977 – Luskin Star.
1979 – Zephyr Zip.
1980 – Royal Paree.
1992 – Slight Chance.
1993 – Mahogany.
1996 – Anthems.
1997 – Al Mansour.
2001 – Juanmo.
2002 – Lovely Jubly.
QUEENSLAND Racing carnival news: Ray See – June
13.
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