Following the fortunes of Bel Esprit takes a person to different places. On Saturdays there are race meetings all over the Country, Laura’s Spirit (story on 10/05/09) has won three races, all in outback towns way west of Brisbane, Nanango, Talwood and Augathella and Belle Tivo was the first winner of this current season winning on the 1st August at Roxby Downs where they race once a year.
This was the mare’s first start and since then she has had another five starts. The second start was at Port Augusta and followed that up at Strathalbyn all in the month of August.
This month she has raced on both days at Birdsville where they have their Cup meeting on consecutive days on the first week of September. Last Saturday, Belle Tivo raced at Bedourie where the local racetrack comes alive three times a year: a gymkhana (last weekend in June) a camel race (2nd weekend in July) and the Bedourie races meeting (2nd weekend in September) and has had no success since her first start.
It’s a long way from Flemington and Caulfield but must be just as enjoyable for trainer Kym Healey
Birdsville races brings back memories of a time in the eighties when a bloke came to me and said that he wanted to buy a truck load of ice. He turned up with a big truck and 13000 bags were loaded on, then he showed me his sawn off shotgun which he had as protection and said he was going up the country (no name) travelling on back roads as he was overloaded to buggery.
I waved him goodbye, never thinking I would see him again and thankful that I could sell forty tonne of ice on a cold wintery Melbourne day.
However, he turned up about six weeks later returning the pallets and telling me he went to the Birdsville races and had a bit of bad luck.
The weather the day of the races was only 39c, cooler than the 45c he was hoping for, and he only sold 1000 bags.
Another way to lose on the racecourse.
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