Turnbulls turn it on in Tassie - now for the big one!

Six wins have made it another highly successful Tasmanian campaign for Shepparton harness racing horseman Craig Turnbull – but the biggest target is still to come.

Turnbull’s stable completed a winning treble at Hobart on Sunday night (July 26) to double the tally for the trip, with daughter Abbey flying across to partner the team’s runners.

Now all attention turns to next Saturday night’s $100,000 Beautide at Launceston, where in-form pacer Okanui Beach will carry the stable’s hopes.

“This is our fourth trip over here and Okanui Beach has done extremely well during his previous few trips,” Turnbull said.

“Our focus now is on Launceston, and we couldn’t be happier with the way the horse is going,” he said.

“He loves the track. He won there on July 5 and then only went down by a head when he ran second there, a fortnight later.”

Bred by Mick Maxfield, who has a property near Devonport, Okanui Beach is raced by enthusiastic Taree owner Doug Johnston.

Despite having just 19 starts, the four year old has amassed six wins and nine placings, earning more than $101,000 in stakes and developed an impressive record in Tasmania.

As a two-year-old in 2024 the son of Downbytheseaside won his maiden in Tasmania, then took out the $59,000 Prydes Easifeed Dan Patch Final at Launceston.

In his three-year-old campaign, the bay colt finished runner up to Hungry Hippo in the $75,000 Nutrien Ag Solutions Globe Derby at Launceston.

But Turnbull said after overcoming a frustrating run of health issues the gelding had returned a much happier horse this season.

“We went back home after being in Tassie last year and his run at Gunbower was well below par so he went out for a spell,” he said.

“We’d been battling a bacterial infection and his feet were a mess with quarter cracks. In hindsight we should have tossed him out a bit earlier.

“So he was out for probably three or four months and has returned a lot healthier and seems to be very happy. He used to be a hot head, but thankfully he’s calmed down a bit which is nice.”

Turnbull believes the stable’s team for this year’s Tasmanian campaign has been the strongest they’ve taken.

“I think this group is a better class of horse, and we’ve won six so far.  Five of the six-horse team we’ve got over here have all recorded wins.”

Intrusion (Always B Miki) has won two of his three starts during the trip, while Sabalenka (Tall Dark Stranger), Fourth Response (Captain Crunch), Rocky Rocks (Rock N Roll Heaven) and Okanui Beach (Downbytheseaside) have each added a victory.

The Hobart treble was especially satisfying after a luckless night at the races the previous week.

“It certainly made a difference that we had some great barrier draws and they all went well. Abbey described it as ‘character building’, which is about right!”

Getting six horses to Tasmania is no small exercise, but Turnbull said this year’s journey across Bass Strait had been kind.

“We drove our three-horse float onto the boat and a horse transport had our other three,” he said.

“The trip was pretty smooth compared to a couple of years back when it was really bad. That trip was pretty tough and Abbey swore she was never going on a boat again.

“Where the boat gets in it’s about five or 10 minutes from Mick’s place, which is our base, so that works perfect. We are pretty lucky really.”

While Turnbull will be based in Tasmania for another few weeks, he said the Shepparton stable had continued to tick along back in Victoria under the supervision of his wife Bec and Abbey.

“Liam (Older) comes in for three days a week and another one of our team, Marnie, is great with looking after the waters and feeds, cleaning yards and the race gear,” Turnbull said.

“The weather has been great down her, just a bit fresh in the mornings. But they tell me it isn’t all that flash back home, either at the moment.”

Rocky Rocks will be aimed for the Tasmania Derby in two weeks; Okanui Beach will return to Victoria for the Sires, and Sabalenka will be aimed at the NSW 2yo Sires series.

 

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink