The Queenslanders Who Conquered The Stradbroke

Kristen Manning

Editor

Last updated: Thu 11 Jun 2026 05:36

Kristen Manning 2 hours ago

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Stradbroke Handicap has seen only two Queensland-trained wins in the past 12 years
Legendary locals include Show A Heart, Daybreak Lover, and All Our Mob
This year's race features seven Queensland-based contenders chasing glory

Transatlantic is among the locally trained hopes chasing Stradbroke Handicap glory at Eagle Farm. (Getty)

It's quite the anomaly that Queensland's most coveted race, the $3 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, has not been won very often by Queensland trainers in recent times.

Show A Heart
Daybreak Lover
All Our Mob

The race, first run in 1890 and won by the NSW-trained Pyrrhus, also carries something of an ironic title; a handicap named after Admiral Henry James Rous, the founder of the weight-for-age system. He was the Earl of Stradbroke, with North Stradbroke Island also named after the family.

The rich 1400m contest has been won by Queensland trainers only twice in the last 12 years, with Toby and Trent Edmonds cheering home Tyzone (in record time) in 2020, while Natalie McCall took home the prize with River Lad in 2014. McCall had previously been the strapper of the 2001 winner Crawl for the Hawkes stable.

We have to go back to 2006 to find the previous local victory, when La Montagna scored for Barry Baldwin.

A few trainers with satellite stables in Queensland have runners in this year's edition, while seven runners are with permanently based local trainers: Rothfire and Abounding (Robert Heathcote), Transatlantic (Tony Gollan), Yellow Brick (Tony and Maddysen Sears), Spicy Martini (Toby Edmonds), Payline (Chris and Corey Munce) and Cifrado (Rex Lipp).

Rothfire is having his fourth crack at the race, having finished third behind Alligator Blood in 2022, second to Think About It in 2023 and seventh in the race won last year by War Machine.

Heathcote's other tough star, Buffering, also ran in the race three times, finishing second on two occasions. He was run down late by Linton in 2013 and was brave in defeat after working hard from a wide gate behind Mid Summer Music in 2012. He was also a close-up fourth behind Sincero the year before.

Fellow prominent local trainer Tony Gollan has had two placegetters in the race. Temple Of Boom, another horse to have tried three times, finished second to River Lad in 2014. That horse's half-brother Spirit Of Boom also lined up on three occasions, finishing fourth twice. Stablemate Vega One was an unlucky second to Tofane in 2021 after being galloped on, having also finished strongly for fourth the year before.

"You're born with the desire to win this race," Gollan told Racing Queensland this week.

"If you love horse racing, and you're a Queensland trainer, or a Queensland lad, this is the race you were born to want to win."

Let's take a look at a trio of locally trained horses who have the Stradbroke Handicap on their resumes.

Show A Heart

Not only did this striking chestnut provide racing fans with a much-appreciated local win in 2002, he was part of a particularly memorable Queensland quinella with another much-loved local, Falvelon, a brave second.

A member of the Barry Miller stable, Show A Heart was from the remarkable debut crop of Brave Warrior, who produced six stakes winners from just 64 foals before sadly dying after serving only a second small group of mares.

Both Show A Heart and Falvelon spotted their rivals several lengths coming to the turn, with neither looking a realistic chance. But halfway down the straight they began their runs, side by side.

It was only at the 50m mark that the pair got clear of their rivals, setting up an exciting finish that had Eagle Farm racegoers on their feet.

"When I first came down here (to Brisbane), all I ever wanted was to win a race at Eagle Farm," Barry Miller told the press that day. "The Stradbroke, that doesn't happen to blokes like me!"

It would not be the last time the popular gallopers spent time close to each other, with the pair enjoying their stud careers in adjacent paddocks at Glenlogan Stud.

Show A Heart, who died three years ago, sired 25 stakes winners, including the Group 1 performers Heart Of Dreams, Woorim and Toorak Toff. Falvelon was with us until just a couple of months ago, reaching the age of 29 and retiring after siring 12 stakes winners.

Daybreak Lover

Another horse who lived to a good age, dying at 26, Daybreak Lover was a remarkable galloper and one of eight dual Stradbroke winners, joining Black Piranha, Rough Habit, Lucky Ring, Petrol Lager, Highland, Gold Tie and Babel.

Bred by well-known television journalist Mike Willesee, the son of Namnan was a high-class juvenile. He followed four early Brisbane victories with a win over Sir Dapper in the Group 3 Todman Slipper Trial.

His good form continued into his three-year-old season, including his first Stradbroke victory, when the race was known as the Elders Handicap.

His form at four was not as consistent, although he did win the Group 3 Lightning Handicap, and his retirement to stud was announced after finishing 11th in his second attempt at a Stradbroke/Elders Handicap.

After serving 59 mares in his first season at stud, Daybreak Lover blossomed to such an extent that connections decided he was worth another campaign, and he was placed back into work.

That decision enabled him not only to become a dual Stradbroke winner, but also the first and only horse to undertake stud duties between victories in the race.

Among Daybreak Lover's 188 winners, from a stud career that continued through to 2005, were the stakes winners 'Tis Love, Sunblazer, Fast Talker and Morning Lover. He was one of two stakes winners produced by his dam Rising Sun, whose other son Rising Fear finished second to At Talaq in the 1986 Melbourne Cup.

All Our Mob

Daybreak Lover won his Stradbrokes for different trainers, and another horse to enjoy elite-level success in two stables was the tough and somewhat underrated chestnut All Our Mob.

One of three Group winners produced by the stakes-placed eight-time winner All Sold, alongside All Archie and All Time High, All Our Mob provided his original trainer with his first major success when taking out the 1994 Stradbroke Handicap.

It was the first of four elite-level victories for the horse, who displayed both class and versatility. He also won the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap over 1200m, the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes over 1400m and the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes over 2000m, just a week after his brave third to Saintly in the Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate.

All Our Mob was the first winner, at his debut in May 1992, for Bryan Guy as a trainer. That success came just a week after he had taken over his late father Ray's stables. Needless to say, emotions ran high when the horse was later transferred to Gai Waterhouse.

The horse had been raced by his breeders, the Lisle family, who were among Ray Guy's oldest and most loyal clients. The death of one of those owners led to new ownership and, ultimately, a change of stables.

But Stradbroke Day belonged to Bryan Guy, who said: "This is easily the most important win of my career. It's a big thrill, especially as Dad never won a big race up here."