Todd Austin chases same year Birdsville Cup double

Just imagine the dust clouds behind the convoy of vehicles as the trek to Birdsville is now well and truly on for all of those going to taste a bit of history as the iconic racing location, for the first time, hosts a second Birdsville Cup meeting in the same year, following its abandonment due to Covid last year.

The Birdsville Cup races, which have been held since 1882 and have only been cancelled on three occasions … due to the impacts of Covid last year, due to huge overnight rain and the subsequent state of the track in 2010 … and due the outbreak of the equine flu in 2007.

Take two of the two-day racing festival for 2022 kicks off this Friday where only thirty horses are due to face the starter over a six-race card.

The main event, the Birdsville Cup boasting prize-money of $42 000, takes place on Saturday with the feature race easily attracting the biggest field over the two day’s racing.

Todd Austin, who won the April edition of the Birdsville Cup this year, has the top weight Hemmerle in the big race, looking for an historic ‘same year’ double, as will jockey Brooke Richardson after the two combined with Echo Point to claim the Cup in April after the gelding destroyed his opposition, winning by 4.25 lengths.

If Austin does make it back-to-back Cup winners on Saturday, he will pick up a $10 000 bonus for that achievement … the second biggest trainer bonus ever offered by the race club.

The top bonus was a $15 000 prize for any trainer winning both of the 2022 editions of the Birdsville Cup with the same horse but, with Austin unable to run Echo Point on Saturday, that bonus option fell away.

Should Austin again be successful on Saturday, Hemmerle would give him his fourth Birdsville Cup winner in the last ten years having previously won the race with Primed in 2013, with French Hussler in 2019 and with Echo Point in 2022.