The Craiglea touch

Craiglea Gee Tee leads home three of his stablemates to collect a handsome QTIS/QTIS 600 bonus (Darcy Digby photos)

Forming a cult status is no mean feat, especially when you are based just outside the tiny town of Kenilworth, population 300, in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Stan and Marilyn Johnston have done just this with their enthusiastic support of thoroughbred racing in Queensland, but remain resolute that the fanfare is of no interest to them.

“We just want to win races,” Stan said. “We don’t sell them so we’ve got to make them pay through winning on the racecourse.

“We put everything on our website and show that we can win races, and we can have a lot of fun without losing a lot of money. You can do it on a budget and still win races.”

Craiglea Stud and more recently the ‘Craiglea’ name which prefixes almost all of their horses has become synonymous nationwide with provincial and country racing in the sunshine state.

“We don’t have champions, but there are a lot of nice average ones,” he said. “Bread and butter horses we call them.”

It was no different at the Rockhampton $6.5 million course proper launch and raceday on Friday, January 29 where the Johnston’s were part-owners of four winners on the day.

Craiglea Gee Tee returned the biggest windfall on the day for the Craiglea name picking up the Shadforths Civil Contractors QTIS 600 2YO Handicap 970m.

Due to the two-year-old’s QTIS 600 and QTIS registration he collected $20,500, which would have been reduced dramatically $6500 had connections not made the astute decision to register.

The expansive Rockhampton track provides plenty of opportunities, as Space Gal showed in the opening event

“He went very good,” Stan said. “He got cut off a bit before the turn but came home well.

“The QTIS and QTIS 600 is a tremendous boost to anyone like me racing their own. For owner-breeders it’s a tremendous idea because you can go and win $20,000 for a race on a provincial circuit. For a two-year-old, it’s very good money.”

The Bevan Johnson-trained gelding, by Falvelon out of Craiglea Lady, was driven by Gympie apprentice Kazuki Mizobe to a one and three quarter length victory.

Craiglea Gee Tee has started a promising racing career recoding two wins from five starts and has collected $47,640 in career prizemoney, which includes $32,000 in QTIS 600 and QTIS added stakes

Three Craiglea-branded horses followed Craiglea Gee Tee to the post to prove a very profitable race for connections as each horse was either dual QTIS 600 and QTIS registered or at least benefiting from the latter incentive.

Craiglea Edge (Adrian Coome), Craiglea Rapper (Kelvin Wharton) and Craiglea Tina (Chris McIver) filled the minor placings.

In an anomaly, Space Gal represented the stud notably without the Craiglea prefix, however did claim the distinction of being the first official winner on the new Callaghan Park track.

The Peter Fleming-trained three-year-old raced for the sixth time to record her first win in the Jeff Bleney Electrician Pty Ltd Maiden Handicap 1300m.

Space Gal, a filly by Moon Rocket out of Al Mansee, took up the speed early from a wide barrier but relinquished the lead to sit just off the pace.

As the leaders drifted wide at the top of the lengthy straight, Space Gal hugged the rails with Kelvin Wharton onboard who timed his run perfectly to gap the field by two and three quarter lengths and post his first of four wins for the day.

The Rock Building Society Class 6 Handicap 1100m saw a return to the winners circle for the Johnston’s, Wharton and the Craiglea moniker.

Also trained by Peter Fleming, Craiglea Falcon, a gelding by Falvelon out of Craiglea Lady and a full brother to Craiglea Gee Tee, recorded his fifth career win by three quarters of a length.

Wharton showed he is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the new picturesque Rockhampton track, showing great patience on Craiglea Falcon at the rear of the field until halfway down the straight.

He then shifted the four-year-old across the back of six horses to find eventual space at the centre of the track, and quickly rounded up his opposition.

Craiglea again took the spoils in the Centre State Signs Farewell To Bruce Slattery Class 4 Handicap 1600m.

Wharton again was the culprit guiding three-year-old Craiglea Blondie for Peter Fleming to a one and three quarter length victory.

The filly, by Moon Rocket (JPN) out of Chinese Princess, was driven to take up the speed in front of the 16 horse field.

Wharton showed he can do it every which way, by taking on the 580 metre straight early and tested Craiglea Blondie’s determination.

While she tired towards the post, the three-year-old posted a one and a quarter length victory and marked another successful and deserved day for the Johnston’s Craiglea Stud.

The well-travelled Johnston’s also gave their tick of approval to the new track.

“The track was very good. It gave horses in lead and behind a good chance,” Stan said.

“Craiglea Falcon was able to do what he did because he could stay behind them for so long. (In contradiction) you had Space Gal and (Craiglea) Blondie that led all the way down that straight.”

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Ross Dowd – February 2