Sport
13 August, 2025
Rider rapt to win her second Mailman Express
The pressure was immense for Courtney Gray to get the job done on Mr Hanky Panky.
Courtney Gray said she wasn’t feeling the pressure of $13,500 when she stepped out onto the Mount Isa race track in the final of Thursday’s Mailman Express.
That’s how much was on the line after boom Normanton horse Mr Hanky Panky drew a frenzy of bidding in the Calcutta.
“It is a lot of money on the line but you’ve just got to do your best,” she said after calmly guiding “Hank” to a fairly comfortable time trial victory in a time of 11.72.
In second place was Ruff Trot for trainer Andrew Jansen in 11.94, while Sullivan’s Maid for veteran horseman Dennis Man was third in a time of 12.04.
“He’s so smooth you just don’t know if you’ve gone that quick,” Gray said.
“With other horses you tend to feel if you’re going a bit slow, but he’s just got such a big stride for a little horse and you just feel like you’re floating across the surface.”
Gray praised Normanton trainer Troy Gallagher for preparing Mr Hanky Panky so well and for putting his trust in her to ride him.
“Each and every year he gives me that phone call and I just know that I’ll be getting on his horses,” she said.
“A memory came up on Facebook just this morning – I rode my first Mailman horse for him six years ago.”
Gray said she still believed the best was yet to come with Hank, who is just four and probably has yet to hit his peak. He’ll race in the Sedan Dip Cup on Saturday.