QBRED History Beckons

The chase for Group racing glory reaches a flash point this Saturday with the running of QStars race night, highlighted by four Group 1 Finals.

Reading the honour rolls of the Triad Finals over the years and you soon realise the depth, quality and talent that has been produced in Queensland under the QBRED banner.

The names don’t come any bigger than Blacks A Fake, the richest standardbred of all time and the 2004 colts and gelding Triad winner stands tall, with that QBRED blood coursing his veins.

Blacks A Fake was sired by Fake Left and no stallion had a bigger impact on the Triads than the incomparable Fake Left.

Cut down well before his time, the super sire boasts an amazing number of Triad winners as a sire and broodmare sire, his deeds unrivalled in the Queensland and Australian breeding landscape.

Highlighting this fact, in the 2003 three-year-old Triad Finals, Fake Left sired every runner in both the fillies and colts and geldings divisions.

Top performers over the years to have won a Triad Final include Slipnslide, Forever Gold, Majestic Mach, Torque In Motion, Tip Your Hat and Rollon Bigred.

While there are some that stand alone, having completed the trilogy of two, three and four-year-old Triad Finals, with just eight horses achieving this feat since the introduction of the series in 1982.

Joyable, Kentucky Bye Bye, Aguagold, Cherry Cheer, Theartofillusion, Fleur De Lil, Shez No Fake and Colt Thirty One form that elite eight, with the potential for that list to grow to ten after the 2024 Finals.

Never have we seen both sexes complete a trilogy in the same season, however For Real Life and Jewel Melody will be out to rewrite history when they contest their respective four-year-old finals on Saturday.

Trent Dawson trained For Real Life and Bernie Hewitt trained Jewel Melody both won the two and three-year-old divisions and will chase the Triad trilogy and a place in QBRED history.

For Real Life will start from barrier six in a field of eight in the four-year-old entires and geldings Group 2 contest, having finished fourth at his last start in The Hayden.

While feature success has eluded the entire through the Constellations, For Real Life has extended his stake earnings beyond $300,000 this season with three wins from nine starts.

Winner of The Hayden and bound for The Eureka, Free Thinker has drawn awkwardly inside the second line, and Regazzo Di Tilly draws outside the front line in a campaign that has been hampered by tough draws.

Jewel Melody will have to negotiate the inside second line barrier if she is to complete the sweep, with the risk that she is locked away in transit.

Winning her past two starts, the Hewitt trained mare has had an affinity with The Creek in her 14-win career, with seven of those wins and $279,000 of her $522,000 career earnings banked on the 1000m oval.

Lady Digby from gate one looks to hold the keys to the four-year-old contest, with the early speed and options, with the chance to take a trial on the speedy Girl From Rosedale looking one such option.

The first Group 1 of the night is the three-year-old colts and geldings final, where the defending champion Quik Change will not be there to defend his two-year-old crown.

Balboa Rock was the runner-up to Quik Change in the two-year-old edition of 2023, with the Emma Stewart trained colt drawing to advantage over his rivals in the chase for Triad redemption.

Bronski Zulu defeated Balboa Rock in the heats last Friday and will start from gate four, with fellow heat winner, My Ultimate Buddha, landing a second line barrier.

Redcliffe Derby winner, Ellis Street has landed gate 10, while QBRED Breeders Classic winner, Dele Row will start from outside the second line in a race that has several winning hopes.

Race four is the three-year-old fillies, with Rylee Rhayne Bow in a strong position to claim the three-year-old Triad title to complement the two-year-old won last season.

Driven by Narissa McMullen in 2023 while Pete McMullen was in Europe contesting the World Drivers Championship, Pete will take the reins on the filly on Saturday.

Ever Art, a daughter of the dual Triad winner Forever Gold, is the early favourite for the race, despite starting from what looks a potentially difficult draw from inside the second line.

Layne Dwyer will partner Ideal Desire, a heat winner in strong fashion, with 17YO Dwyer competing at Group 1 level for the first time in his career.

In the two-year-old fillies division, the short-price favourite is the Grant Dixon trained and reined Cool And Classy, a filly that is a three-time winner and a daughter of dual Triad winner Charming Allie.

Arrive is drawn to follow Cool And Classy, the Chantal Turpin trained filly the half-sister to Triad winners Awaywego and Big Wheels and will be hoping to secure the perfect trip and look to emulate her siblings.

The Final Group 1 of the night is the two-year-old colts and geldings final, a race that looks wide open.

Thetorque Majority is out of the 2011 four-year-old Triad winner Torque In Motion and he has impressed to date with three wins in four starts.

Fire Raiser is also a three-time winner, drawn in gate 2 for Grant Dixon, with Our Sweet Delight also a three-time winner for the Turpin/McMullen stable and drawn in gate three.

Sinabun is already a Group winner following his Redcliffe Sale Series victory, with the Daren Weeks trained colt starting on the second line in gate nine.

The first race on QStars night is scheduled for 5.19pm.