Stewart and Tonkin team heading to Queensland

It is fair to say Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin have been reluctant travellers in the past.

But, buoyed by Ladies In Red’s (Mach Three) dominant Group 1 Rising Sun harness racing win at Albion Park last year, there has been a real shift of mindset.

Excitingly, Stewart and Tonkin will make Queensland “home” for much of next month.

It is a win for harness racing in general. Australia’s dominant stable seriously tackling a wide variety of feature races through the fantastic Queensland Constellations.

Albion Park officials are licking their lips and HRV should be too as it will see interest (and betting turnover) soar on the three biggest meetings of the carnival – July 8, 15 and 22.

Finding stabling near Brisbane can be a challenge for visiting trainers, but thanks to top local trainer Grant Dixon, there are no such issues for Stewart and Tonkin and what could be as many as 15 of their stable stars.

“Grant’s been good enough to give us a bank of stables to ourselves,” Stewart said.

Grand Circuit stars like Honolua Bay and Mach Dan will chase the open-class majors, the $200,000 Group 1 Sunshine Sprint (July 15) and the $400,000 Blacks A Fake a week later. Both will resume racing in the next couple of weeks.

Hurricane Harley staked his claim to head north, too, when he resumed with a slick Melton win on Saturday night, capped by a blistering 26sec flat last quarter.

Then there is the bunch of mares Stewart and Tonkin will take for a couple of features, most notably the Group 1 Golden Girl. Stars like Tough Tilly, Amore Vita, Encipher, Soho Historia and maybe even Treachery. They could have half the field!

Being four-year-olds, Encipher and Amore Vita must also be right in the mix for the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun on July 8.

Remembering four-year-old mares have won both runnings so far – Amazing Dream in 2021 and Ladies In Red last year.

Those preferential draw conditions make it very attractive.

One definite they have for that race is last year’s star juvenile and rampaging Vicbred winner, The Lost Storm.

He’s another set to resume any week now and The Rising Sun and Queensland Derby will be his Albion Park targets.

The Lost Storm will then head towards the inaugural $2.1mil TAB Eureka on September 2. We should know any day now which slot holder has locked him away.

Despite a setback almost certainly ruling their best filly Major Delight out of a trip north, Stewart and Tonkin will still have a hand in the Queensland Oaks with the likes of Tempting Tigress and Joyful.

“Joyful has really blossomed. She looks great and we think she could go to another level,” Stewart said.

“If Major Delight was right, we probably wouldn’t have taken all three to Brisbane, but it’ll probably come around a bit too quickly for her so Joyful will probably go up.

“We’ve also got a couple of Qbred youngsters we can take up for suitable races.”

The Stewart and Tonkin flavour will certainly take the Queensland Constellations to another level.

It’s the start of the huge back half of the year for Racing Queensland and Albion Park with the Inter Dominion heading their way.

The first round of heats are at Albion Park on Friday, December 1.

Unlike recent years when the heats have moved around, Albion Park will host the entire series this year. Second and third round heats will be on December 5 and 9 before the Grand Finals on Saturday, December 16.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Victoria