Sport
30 April, 2025
Parry hits form ahead of Gregory races
The Julia Creek trainer had four winners at Mount Isa on Saturday.
By MATT NICHOLLS
Julia Creek trainer Tanya Parry will take a strong team of horses to Gregory Downs Jockey Club on the back of four wins at Mount Isa last Saturday.
And the region’s biggest trainer may have unearthed a new boom horse after Hang Time produced an ultra-impressive win on debut for the stable in the Royal Australian Navy Open Handicap (1100m).
Formerly prepared by Matthew Hoysted out of Eagle Farm, the five-year-old gelding showed his class on the Buchanan Park sand, romping to an easy win in sharp time over five-and-a-half furlongs.
Part-owner, strapper and former jockey Aaron Spradau said Hang Time wasn’t originally headed to Mount Isa, but was sent after small nominations.
“The plan was to go to Gregory with him but this race was just sitting there,” he said.
Parry has nominated Hang Time to back up in the Burke Shire Cup on Saturday, which also doubles as a qualifier for the Outback Racing Showcase at McKinlay on June 21.
The feature race at Gregory will be a cracker, based on the entries.
Parry has also nominated top sprinter Just Stop It for the 1300m event, while Mount Isa trainers Denise Ballard and Emma Morton have nominated Metal Bar and Casino Lord respectively.
Both are talented horses and would be hard to beat if they produced their best form on the Gulf racecourse.
Richmond trainer Shryn Royes has also nominated two runners in Mr Metrics and Ilzoomya.
EMOTIONAL WIN
Winning four races in one day is special enough, but there was no shortage of tears when Yellowstone Beth crossed the line in the Wayne Crossland Memorial race to close out the day at Mount Isa.
The Benchmark 55 Handicap (1200m) was the first running of the event named in honour of former trainer Wayne Crossland, who died last year.
“I’m so glad that you won it,” said a teary Sharon Crossland, the wife of Wayne, who was flanked by their grandchildren.
Sharon thanked the Mount Isa Race Club for paying tribute to her late husband, who won many big races at Buchanan Park over the years with a small team of horses.
Yellowstone Beth had to pull out all stops to win the last race in what was a fastly-run contest.
The Jay Morris-trained Super Story looked like a winning chance for most of the final 400m, only for Yellowstone Beth to edge him out in the closing stages, notching her first win for the Parry stable.