EAGLE FARM - BRONCOS - GRANDCHESTER STEAMFEST PHOTOS....Part 2

By Phil Purser

28/07/2010

All Eagle Farm photos Dan Costello - rest Phil Purser and his granddaughter Bianca

This great photo of Dan Costello's captured strapper Debbie Bryant with the Warwick trained Sir Kingsford after that galloper had won Race 5 out of Eagle Farm last Saturday. The Tristram gelding started at $5 and earned $28,800 for connections.

Gold Coast trainer Harold Norman won Race 2 at Eagle Farm last Saturday with his consistent galloper Yummy. The mare's form now reads 3-3-3-1. She's bred to stick on better than a garfield on a car window and be a starter in the Tour De France - as she's by Yamanin Vital out of a Noble Bijou mare.

Out at Red Hill and Bronco Sam Thaiday got to meet Korean student Jaeseong.

Out at Grandchester and I was jealous of this bloke who was working at the jumping castle having that much hair. Have you seen kids with nits in their hair? Do you know what to look for when a kid has spiders in their hair? Stick with me then and I'll show you.

Well this is how it looks. It's the wonder the parents haven't seen the spider web in the hair and called in the pest controllers. Fair dinkum some people must be blind.

Highlight of Steamfest at Grandchester was the arrival of over a thousand people on a steam train that left Roma Street on Sunday morning. The concept was so popular that the train was booked out yonks before the big day. My grandaughter Bianca took this shot as the train was about to pull into the station and there were hundreds of people who lined the Grandchester railway station - many with children - just to get a blast from the past. The Steamfest is held every five years, but due to the thousands of people attending this year, the organisers will have no option but to make the event more regular than that. Bigge's Camp as shown on the front of the engine, was the original name of Grandchester.

I noted this self explanatory plaque at Grandchester - and it was opened by one time Racing Minister Gordon Chalk

Back at Eagle Farm and jockey Michael Cahill and trainer Tracy Green happily had their photo taken after the Rob and Jackie Sellars part owned galloper The Sixties had won Race 3.

Israel Folau goes high for a ball in training at the Broncos at Red Hill - whilst this wide shot shows readers the Broncos home ground.

This is the fetlock chip taken from the Trevor Miller trained On Ventura Highway. The horse lost form after coming back from the operation, but we got him back to win a Saturday race in the city after working on lubricating his joint again. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to work around professional premiership winning trainers like Trevor Miller, Alan Bailey and John Wigginton about a decade ago.

I always thought this photo of our daughter Stacey and two of a litter of greyhound pups by Harold Park champ Smooth Keith would have made a great promotional photo for greyhound racing. It was taken at our Ebenezer property many moons ago - sometime in the 1980's

From today's Justracing story that sheila that worked at the TAB in Maryborough - Denise - attracted my attention. This is her many years later in her 50's.

Red Ferments and Larry Cassidy won the sixth race at Eagle Farm last Saturday by three lengths. The galloper is trained by Patrick Sexton at Oakey and started at 3/1. The Aucash gelding had won easily at his previous start at Caloundra. Dan Costello is such a good photographer that when the horse was travelling at full speed he was smart enough to stop the shot - as the tote dividend for number three shows above Red Ferments head.

Yesterday I said I'd put up a photo of the most famous person who lives at Grandchester and that is this man - Tony Brett - one is of the nice guys of greyhound racing. His late father Dave was a leading greyhound trainer in Mackay before he moved south. Tony has had many wonderful performers and this is a file photo taken at his Grandchester property of he and Group 1 winner and stud dog - Black Enforcer - which adorns some Justracing billboards. Tony, his wife Fleur and their family live just near Grandchester.

This bloke made this tiny tractor himself - and it attracted a lot of comment as he drove it around Grandchester Steamfest last Sunday. Every rev head and child in the joint wanted to stop him to ask him how it worked.

Vintage cars were on display at Grandchester last Sunday. Anyone who won a race last Saturday at Eagle Farm would have nearly had enough moola to buy this little gem.

Apart from the big steam train from Roma Street lobbing into Grandchester - there was this little version which was flat out all day - at $2 a ride.