General News
17 July, 2024
Emotions soar as veteran Gunna claims his third Boulia Camel Cup
The victory meant a lot to both the jockey and trainer.
Winning jockey Matt Anderson said he could feel the presence of his late father spurring him to victory in front of a record crowd at the 1200m Better Beer Cup race final at the Boulia Camel Races.
It was an emotional win for the Spinifex Camel Syndicate, which is based at Gympie, following the passing of Mr Anderson’s father, Robert, only five days earlier and trainer, Wayne Morris, losing his partner and fellow syndicate member, Melanie, in February.
The inexperienced team raced under the Spinifex banner for the first time this year, having only decided to form the syndicate and purchase the 15-year-old winning bull, Gunna, at the Boulia Camel Races last year.
The Better Beer Cup victory was a strong comeback for Gunna, who finished third in the Toby Harris Memorial Quarter Mile Flyer 400m Final earlier in the day and had only managed second place in his 1000m qualifying heat.
In fact, bookmakers opened him at $15, only for a flood of money to come in for the veteran, who started as a $6 chance.
Both trainer and jockey told North West Weekly that the Boulia victory in the 1200m final – which awards the highest prizemoney purse in Australian camel racing – would be one of the most cherished memories of their lives.
“You can win 1000 trophies, but nothing will beat this win – it is just so special and so important to us,” Mr Anderson said.
“My father passed away on Tuesday and today (Sunday) is also the anniversary of my sister’s passing.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to that race. Polished Copper kept us pretty honest, it was neck and neck for a little bit but Gunna took the lead, hung on to that inside barrier and he went for it.
“I know my dad was there with me today. I could feel him with me the whole time.”
Mr Morris gave his late partner Melanie all the credit for the couple moving into camel racing, having already established careers in camel tourism and camel dairy production.
“I didn’t expect Gunna to win; we thought he might get in the placings – but Gunna surprised us all and he really wanted that win today,” Mr Morris said.
“So as soon as I saw him take off and get that far in front and cross that finish line, I put my head down and got a bit emotional.
“Melanie was the true camel person in our partnership. She loved everything about camels – if we were driving somewhere, she always wanted to stop and take photos and look at them.
“She was just very passionate. She would be so proud to know what happened today.”
Mr Morris said the camel racing fraternity had rallied behind the Spinifex team following the win.
“We all get competitive on race days because we are all passionate about what we do,” he said.
“But we also have a real community among the camel racing teams – we all travel to the same events and everyone is there to lend each other a hand whenever it is needed.
“Everyone knows what happened with Melanie and they have really given us a lot of support and pats on the back after the race.”
In the other major race of the weekend, jockey Emily Parrott on Polished Copper took home the win in the 400m final race and also earned the “Jockey of the Weekend” award.
A record attendance of more than 4000 people crammed into Boulia at the weekend for the three-day festival that has become known as the “Melbourne Cup for camel racing.”
The Boulia Camel Races is growing rapidly in prominence, with this year seeing media attention from National Geographic, GQ magazine, Nine’s Today Show and Seven’s Sunrise program.
A scan of the sea of caravans and camper trailers queued outside the Boulia entrance saw spectators from afar afield as Victoria and South Australia in attendance.
More than $40,000 in prizemoney was offered at this year’s event, including a $9000 purse for the Better Beer Cup winner.
It was the third victory at Boulia for champion camel Gunna on Sunday.
Having already secured his place in the Boulia Camel Races honour roll with victories in 2021 and 2022, the 15-year-old traded hands when the Spinifex syndicate purchased the bull from Tom and Kyrraley Woodhouse for $10,000 last year.
Trainer Wayne Morris said he purchased Gunna knowing he had a solid chance of adding another championship to the mantle.
He said he purchased the champion with the hope that Gunna could bring a smile to his wife’s face as she endured a prolonged battle with cancer.
Gunna has been a long-time fixture at Boulia – he made his appearance as a two-year-old at the camel tagging competition. In his first race a few years later, he threw off his jockey and busted through the running rail.
Mr Morris said Gunna would next race at the Tara event in August and he planned to bring him back to Boulia next year to defend his crown. He said he planned to eventually retire Gunna from racing and make him a star attraction at his camel ride business along the beaches at Noosa.
“People love to see a champion animal and being able to sit atop of one and take him for a walk will be something people can cross off their bucket list,” he said.