Weetwood finish ends in historic dead-heat

Trainer Ben Currie started his day with a setback, followed up with a double and then was part of history in the Listed Weetwod Handicap on Saturday.

In a deceptive finish, Currie’s mare Col ‘N’ Lil dead-heated with Jumbo Prince in Toowoomba’s premier race.

Currie and Jumbo Prince’s trainer Michael Nolan are related and it made it eight wins for Toowoomba trainers in the race in the past eight years.

It was also the first dead-heat in the Weetwood which was first run in 1895.

Currie thought he had won but was just as happy with a dead-heat.

“I am great mates with Michael and to share a race with him is unbelievable,” Currie said.

“We set Col ‘N’ Lil for this race as she has just been a wonderful mare for us.

“She has been to Sydney, she has run in Group races and always given her best.”

Currie won last year’s Toowoomba Cup with Honey Toast but it was his first Weetwood win.

He started the day with a heavily backed favourite in Girl In A million who ran second last.

But he then won with Cantbuybetter and Kuznetsova and Col ‘N’ Lil’s win gave him his first metropolitan standard treble.

Col ‘N’ Lil is raced by Toowoomba dentist Kim McCasker who also raced the Doomben 10,000 winner Laurie’s Lottery who was ironically trained by Nolan.

Nolan was also happy with Jumbo Prince’s run after the gedling was a certainty beaten in last year’s Weetwood.

“He is still trying to get a run from last year’s race. But Luke Tarrant got him clear this year and we have shared a win,” Nolan said.

“Ben likes to give me plenty and I give it back. But there will be a celebration tonight.”

Jumbo Prince has now dead-heated in two stakes races having shared the Listed Singapore Members Cup with Rudy last season.

“He has been great for us. He has performed at every year since he was a two-year-old in top company,

“He is only small but he really does have a big heart,” Nolan said.

“He has been wonderful for us. Even when we were going through a lean patch he won races.”

Jumbo Prince and Col ‘N’ Lil will met again during the winter in the middle-distance stakes race.

Jeff Lloyd thought Siegfried would give him his second Weetwood when he loomed up to win at the 200m.

But he peaked on the line to finish third just in front of Londehero in a four-horse finish.

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