Kirkwood looks to Kilcoy challenge

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba bricklayer Stephen Kirkwood believes a future training partnership with his wife Catherine is inevitable as he looks to end a run of outs at Kilcoy on Tuesday.

Kirkwood has been training in his second stint for the past decade and hopes to record his first win since Snakeskin saluted at Esk in early November.

With a stable of around 10 in work, Kirkwood leads a busy life as a sub-contractor running his bricklaying business on the Darling Downs.

“My wife, Catherine, helps me around the stable a lot and I’d be lost without her,” Kirkwood said.

“She’s at the track every morning helping me and then does the afternoon shift while I’m at work.

“I’d say a training partnership down the track will happen one day.”

Kirkwood is the son-in-law of long-time Toowoomba trainer Ron Macrae. 

Kirkwood’s apprentice Liv O’Donnell has been handed the riding duties when he heads to Kilcoy with Uncle Bud in the Class 3 Handicap over 1200 metres.

Uncle Bud has drawn an awkward barrier in nine but Kirkwood is hopeful the six-year-old can notch up his fourth win at his 34th start.

“I was due for a bad draw as I’ve had some good barriers lately,” Kirkwood said.

“This horse has had a few issues in his career which took a bit of time to work out.”

A son of Falvelon, Uncle Bud is another of the progeny of the family-owned mare Amber Rae and is coming off a close second to the Kevin Kemp-trained Eye Wanted over 1200 metres at Kilcoy on January 26.

“He’s starting to get his confidence back now and he just ran out of straight last run when he came off a bad draw,” Kirkwood said.

“He hasn’t drawn the best again but if he jumps well, he’ll be very competitive and hard to beat.

“If it happens to rain and it’s a wet track he’ll go even better as he loves the wet.

“He’s out of our stable mare Amber Rae who did a tendon when she raced and she’s had a few foals including Uncle Frank, Aunty Hazel and Uncle Bud.

"We have another by Brave Smash who will be named Uncle or Aunty something.”