Garry McQuillan has lost a lot of sleep since late October when his beloved Tuncurry-Forster Jockey Club was given the green light to stage the opening Country Championship Qualifier for 2023. As foundation President of perhaps Australia’s most recently incorporated race club, it was the moment he’d dreamed about since the gates were first flung open to the public in 2009. Garry’s friends and associates knew exactly what he’d do when let loose with such a rare opportunity. The 71 year old dynamo, supported by an energetic Committee and an army of volunteers worked feverishly to ensure the success of Sunday’s special race meeting. His Herculean effort paid off in spades.
Despite temperatures sneaking into the thirties a near capacity crowd turned up to watch eight entertaining races conducted at a venue presented in pristine order. Racegoers ate and drank heartily, and wagered strongly enough to generate a combined turnover on and off course of around $1.4 million. The result of the $150,000 Newhaven Park Country Championship Qualifier couldn’t have been better scripted.
The sweet moving locally trained five year old Sir Ravanelli humped 57.5 kgs and made light of a wide gate to win emphatically for trainer Terry Evans and Darryl McLellan. The veteran jockey’s opinion of Sir Ravanelli’s prospects was reflected in his very positive ride. He allowed the gelding to do his own thing in the run to the first turn, before sliding over into second place just outside the heels of the leader Run Rory Run. Sir Ravanelli produced a big kick at the top of the straight and had the race in his keeping at the 200m. Taree trained Imatruestar hit the line with purpose to get second and lock in his spot for the $500,000 Newhaven Park Final at Randwick on April 1st. Further qualifiers will be run at Coffs Harbour (Feb 18th), Mudgee (Feb 19th), Albury (Feb 25th), Tamworth (Feb 26th), Moruya (Mar 5th), Coonamble (Mar 12th), with Wild Cards at Goulburn (Mar 17th) and Scone (Mar 19th).
Sir Ravanelli stormed into Country Championship Final contention with a dominant win in Sunday's qualifier - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
It’s well documented that Terry Evans is the only trainer based on the Tuncurry-Forster racecourse. He doesn’t take for granted the reality that it’s akin to having a private training track at his disposal. Terry has the use of two on course barns which collectively house seventeen horses. One of them is a brick construction which has a long life ahead, while the other barn is showing its age and will soon be replaced. Terry and his wife Julie live on an eight hectare property at nearby Rainbow Flat, where they are able to spell and pre-train their racehorses. Not surprisingly Sir Ravanelli will spend a few quiet days on the property following his sterling effort in humid conditions on Sunday.
Terry still can’t believe his good luck in being able to purchase Sir Ravanelli for $90,000 on behalf of Australian clients from barrier trial videos supplied by respected NZ bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo. “There was just something about him that appealed strongly and he was by the very successful shuttle stallion Iffraaj,” said the trainer. “The fact that he was a pretty grey horse quickly drew the attention of potential owners and it wasn’t long before a fifteen strong syndicate was put together. I retained a share myself. We’ve had ongoing problems with his feet which require constant attention. He races in bar shoes and we’ve got to monitor his soft soles all the time.”
Terry had a special T-Shirt made for the day highlighting the names of his two runners. His other flag bearer Par Avion finished a good fifth - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Another of Sir Ravanelli’s part owners is ace race photographer Steve Hart who attended Sunday’s meeting with daughter Rachael, also a dab hand with a camera. Between them they reeled off some spectacular shots of the day’s proceedings including the photos which accompany this story. Steve did his best to occupy a central position in a crowded presentation area, but finished up playing “right flank”. He’s been closely monitoring the grey gelding’s twelve start career which now stands at five wins and four placings for $192,000. The horse has won three races at Port Macquarie and one at Grafton in addition to his great hometown win on Sunday. His talents have been best showcased by four TAB Highway starts in Sydney which have yielded three placings and a fourth. He’s been flawlessly trained and managed by Steve Hart’s great mate Terry Evans.
Steve Hart had to play on the wing when it was time for a photo of Sir Ravanelli's many owners - Steve Hart Photographics.
Although Terry was focused on a potential Rugby League career in his teen years, horses were always on his radar. At 65 he’s just old enough to remember his father Terry Snr working for the old Sunshine Bakeries who were still delivering bread by draught horse and cart around Sydney’s inner suburbs in the early 1960’s. “Even street sweepers were still using the horse and cart at that time,” recalled Terry. “It was right at the end of that wonderful era when draught horses could still be heard clattering on bitumen roads. I loved spoiling my Dad’s old horse.”
Terry’s love of Rugby League began when he landed the plum job as a Balmain ball boy in the early 1970’s. A natural gift for the game later saw young Evans play in the junior and under 23 ranks for the Balmain Tigers, principally as fullback but sometimes at five-eighth. “I had a stroke of misfortune in my very first competitive match against Norths,” said Terry. “The first bloke to tackle me was that rampaging giant Don McKinnon. I thought I’d been hit by a bus. Maybe that took some of the fire out of me. I enjoyed my short time in the game and I cherish the memories of the good days, but I’m sure I’ve taken the right direction in life.”
Terry gained his initial experience working with mares and foals at the Cassim family’s Oakwood Stud near Mittagong on the Southern Highlands. This is where he met his wife Julie who was then working as an equine nutritionist for the Horsepower feed company. He later moved to Julie’s horse property at Dural, which led him to a new job handling yearlings at John and Belinda Pettigew’s Shillington Park operation at nearby Arcadia.
In the early 1990’s Terry and Julie made the important decision to open their own spelling and pre-training business in the Dooralong Valley near Wyong. That business grew beyond the expectations of the horse loving young couple. “We received enormous support from many high profile trainers and in the end it got way too big for us,” said Terry. “Julie and I were by ourselves most of the time with more than one hundred horses on the place. By this time, I was getting keen on giving training a shot and with the help of the late John Varley who was then CEO of the Wyong Race Club, I was able to gain my licence. My good luck continued when stables became available at Gosford, and with the help of CEO Michael Beattie my training career got under way.”
Terry at Gosford with apprentice Adam Sewell 2015 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The opportunity to buy the Rainbow Flat property and to have horses stabled on the new Tuncurry-Forster racecourse held enormous appeal for Terry and Julie Evans. They made that life changing move fifteen years ago, and apart from a couple of frightening experiences with bushfire and flood they wouldn’t change a thing. They had to be evacuated from their home at the height of the bushfire scare, but returned next morning to find the house intact, and all livestock unscathed. The inferno threatened the stables at the racecourse, but happily Terry was able to move the horses to the safety of the infield. “It could have been so much worse,” he said. “We were among the lucky ones during a horrific few days on the mid north coast. It was a once in a lifetime event and I hope I never see the like again. From a racing perspective I must acknowledge the tremendous support given by Racing NSW to all trainers affected by the event. They stood by us every step of the way.”
With the tantrums of mother nature well behind him at the moment, Terry can focus on keeping Sir Ravanelli ticking over happily until the Country Championship Final on April 1st. “It’s all good and well to have the horse qualified early, but by golly the Final seems a long way off,” said Terry. “It’s unlikely he’ll race again before the big one, but he’ll have one strong 1200m trial before the race, probably at Newcastle. There will be tremendous interest in this neck of the woods when he lines up at Randwick on the big day. If there’s anyone looking forward to the occasion more than me it’s “Digger” McLellan who doesn’t get the opportunities he once did. He’s been around many times at the top level and won’t turn a hair.”
For Garry McQuillan the success of Sunday’s meeting was a “coming of age” for the little north coast race club which rose from a veritable swampland. Garry still talks about the failed housing development which was purchased by local businessmen John Darcy, Norm Roberts and Don Creighton more than four decades ago. The proposed home site was on solid landscape while the bulk of the 47 hectare site appeared unusable. The business partners sold off 34 lots at $25000-$35000 each, and channelled monies raised into the development of their dream racecourse. Dredging continued for an astonishing fifteen years. Some of the sand was used to raise the level of the proposed track, while thousands of tonnes was sold to construction companies. It’s likely the eternal hum of the dredgers was still ringing in Garry McQuillan’s ears as he stood on the hill and surveyed the magical scene before his eyes on Sunday afternoon.
Garry McQuillan, the man who inspires the many volunteers who make racing tick at Tuncurry-Forster - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Regular Sky Racing viewers would have seen some untidy sights during live coverage of country race meetings. Weeds, long grass and disused machinery often appear on screen. Garry McQuillan says some race club administrators seem to be oblivious to the fact that the probing television cameras are highlighting the bad points as well as the good ones. When it comes to the television exposure of his racecourse, he’s all but obsessive. “You couldn’t hear yourself think here last week for the combined screaming of many whipper snippers,” said the President. “Not one blade of rogue grass survived. We hired a backhoe with a long extension capable of reaching the reeds growing around the perimeter of the infield dam. The operator was able to scoop out every reed. I’ve had a few messages of praise for the immaculate appearance of the grounds. Racing NSW gave us the call to showcase a $150,000 qualifying race, and we were not about to squander a golden opportunity.”
The viewing ramp at Tuncurry-Forster. The undercover gazebo houses 26 dining tables which are usually booked out on race days.
Garry McQuillan is one race club President not given to the practice of wearing coat and tie to local race meetings. He made an exception on Sunday when informed he’d be required to make an official welcome to several visitors including Kevin Anderson, the multi portfolio NSW Minister for Lands, Water, Hospitality and Racing. Garry is one of those committeemen who likes to check in with every person involved with the running of the race day. He couldn’t escape the official pavilion quickly enough to shed the coat and tie and get on his rounds of racecourse personnel. One of the first to receive his congratulations was talented course manager Luke Spicer who was understandably feeling the pressure. “He’s only twenty five years old but has a natural gift for the job,” said Garry. “He would have been very pleased with the feedback he got from jockeys and trainers who said the track raced beautifully.”
I didn’t think Garry would ever come to the end of the list of people he wanted to acknowledge for their loyal support over three months of planning. He made special mention of fellow Committee members Adrian Wood, Adrian Richards, Julie Manning, Phil Glendenning, Cheryl Gibson, Michael Summers, and Bill Fanning with thanks also to contributors like John Sutton and Chris Turner. If any have been missed I take full responsibility. From time to time Garry makes noises about dispensing with the responsibilities of a Presidency he’s held for seventeen years. Everybody thinks he’s joking. The Tuncurry-Forster Jockey Club wouldn’t be the same without him and the whole town knows it!
(Banner image - Sir Ravanelli is named after former Italian soccer star Fabrizio Ravanelli who became well known for his prematurely grey hair - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)