Tolga couple gear up for Mt Garnet pilgrimage

By Garry Dell

Tolga trainer Janel Ryan and her partner and former jockey Ron are busy putting the finishing touches on a team of five gallopers headed for their annual pilgrimage to Mt Garnet's annual two-day races later this month.

The couple have been regulars at the Mt Garnet Amateur Turf Club's weekend festivities for more than 40 years.

This year's event will be on April 28, 29 and 30.

"We've won plenty of races between us there but the Cup has eluded us," Janel said.

"We've won Cairns Cups and Cairns Amateurs Cups as well as others in the northern area over the years together with features at Mr Garnet.

"It would be really good if we cap off our career with the Cup trophy."

The Ryans, who have 15 horses in work at their on-track stables at Atherton racecourse, were an unlucky second in the Einsaleigh Cup two weeks ago with Gaelic on which jockey Scott Sheargold protested unsuccessfully against the winner Peter The Piper.

"Several people told us later they believed the protest should have been upheld but that's racing," Janel said.

"We have Gaelic going around at Cannon Park in Cairns on Friday and that will serve as his last hitout before Mt Garnet.

"Scott (Sheargold) is booked to ride him again so we'll see how we go."

The Ryans also have Whitterick headed for the Mt Garnet Cup after his good fourth in the Einsaleigh Cup.

Janel, who is a barber in Atherton, has a long history in racing since emigrating from America "a long time ago".

Ron was one of the north's leading riders over a long career and was regarded as one of the best "money riders" in the mid and late 1990s.

He's lost count of the number of winners he notched up during his career in the pigskin but was still riding into his fifties.

Ron was a close friend of Robert Thompson who made Cairns Amateurs a yearly sojourn late in his long career and had an enviable record in feature wins over the Amateurs and Cairns Cup carnivals.

Janel said she and Ron would travel each day to Mt Garnet with their team.

"It's only about an hour and 40 minutes down the road for us, whereas horses will travel up to four or five hours from Townsville and other places," she said.

The Mt Garnet weekend has been described by many racegoers as the "Birdsville of the North."

Club president Mark Alekna said all three-day tickets for the two days of races and rodeo on the Sunday had been sold and one-day tickets were "going like hot cakes".

"We've capped the crowd at 3000 this year and it looks like it will be a complete sellout," he said.