Sport
8 October, 2025
Blackall trainer eyes Cloncurry riches with in-form horses
Clinton Austin has two winning chances in two of the feature races at Cloncurry on Friday.
Blackall trainer Clinton Austin says the money on offer at Cloncurry this Friday was too good to refuse as he looks to claim two of the feature races on offer at Schumacher Park.
A big crowd is expected on track for Cloncurry Cup day, which also doubles as a qualifying program for the Country Cups Challenge and the Country Stampede.
Headlining Austin’s team at the Curry will be Testator Silens, who continues to win everything since arriving in the Outback, having previously been trained by Joe Pride out of Sydney.
The eight-year-old won the Newmarket at Longreach (1300m) before going on to win the Birdsville Cup and Longreach Cup (both 1600m).
He’ll race over the mile again on Friday, with experienced jockey Matthew Gray to ride him at 64kg. The rest of the field has been allocated the minimum weight of 56kg.
Austin expects him to perform well, having beaten a similar field.
"He can't qualify for the Country Cups Challenge so we have to take the prizemoney on offer where we can," he said.
"The race conditions suit us because he can't get a massive weight."
The trainer admitted the horse’s form turnaround since arriving in Blackall could be attributed to his conditions, rather than his horsemanship.
“It’s nothing I’ve done. A big open space has helped him,” he said.
However, despite Testator Silens’ incredible professionalism on the track, he’s unlikely to be retired to a pony club.
“He’s a very, very difficult horse to handle,” Austin said.
“He doesn’t like company at all. I just leave him alone.”
Austin has only travelled to Cloncurry once before, as a foreman for his brother Todd, but said he was looking forward to the challenge of a 1500km return trip.
“We’re basically racing for midweek prizemoney,” he said of the riches on offer at Cloncurry.
“We’ll take them to Winton (on Thursday) and then to Cloncurry on the morning of the race.
“It’s not easy but it’s what you have to do (in the bush).”
The Cloncurry Cup carries a purse of $27,500, while the Cloncurry and District Race Club’s new feature race, The Aviator, has $39,500 on offer when bonuses are included.
Austin hopes last-start winner Imminent Boom can pick up $23,500 of that pool on Friday afternoon.
Formerly trained by Tony Gollan, the four-year-old struggled to put it together in the south-east.
In his stable debut for Austin at Birdsville, Imminent Boom showed early dash but struggled racing in the anti-clockwise direction.
However, at Winton on September 20 over 800m, he was an impressive winner, blowing away the field in sharp time.
“He’ll go for a spell after this, I think, but he should go close if he can run his best,” Austin said.
There are seven races on the card at Cloncurry on Friday, with the first jumping around lunchtime.
The meeting will be broadcast around Australia and the world through Sky Channel.
