Choir Boy delivers demolition job in Cooktown Cup to book Brisbane ticket

Jockey Nathan Day can barely contain his elation after piloting Choir Boy to an 11.68-length win in the 2024 Cooktown Cup for trainer Janel Ryan. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

With a cheeky glance back a furlong from home on Saturday afternoon, jockey Nathan Day knew he would be saddling up the 2024 Cooktown RSL Memorial Club Cooktown Cup winner in a $200,000 country racing showdown in Brisbane on 30 November.

The affable hoop piloted the Janel Ryan-trained Choir Boy to a stunning victory in the main event on the seven-race card, with the six-year-old Divine Prophet gelding putting 11.68 lengths on the small field as a huge roar went up from punters who had heavily backed the $1.40 favourite.

The race was a qualifier for the 2024 Queensland Country Cups Challenge, which will pit the state’s best bush horses against one another at Doomben over 1600 metres at the end of the month.

Day said the bumper win at Cooktown’s milestone 150th race meeting had been a great way to qualify.

“He’s a great bush horse – he just loves these tracks,” he told Cape York Weekly.

Choir Boy finishes a demolition job under a hard hold by jockey Nathan Day to win the Cooktown Cup and book the pair’s ticket to Brisbane for the Queensland Country Cups Challenge at Doomben on 30 November. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

“If we could have a race like this every two weeks, he’d be a million-dollar horse up here; the bigger tracks are a bit harder for him, but these hard, tight tracks, he just loves it.”

Choir Boy and Day will partner up again in Brisbane in three weeks, with the jockey praising his mount and comparing him to a former NRL hard man.

“He’s a hard arse,” Day said.

“He’s like Shane Webcke, you know – he just keeps going, you can’t stop him.”

One of Choir Boy’s co-owners, Chris Jorgensen, said the win was the culmination of a six-month plan to have him lining up at Doomben.

“It was a terrific watch,” he said.

“Nathan’s had a lot of success with the horse and we had a plan to get to Brisbane, and this was on our chart about six months ago.”

It was a big day for the Cup-winning hoop, claiming three wins in what turned out to be a mesmerising contest for top jockey honours against Lacey Morrison, who saluted four times.

In the first race of the day, the Cape York Weekly Benchmark 65, Morrison finished on top for trainer Alwyn Bailey with Rough Cut Jewel ($2.60) over the 1000m trip, with apprentice Mel Campbell steering Thumani ($3.50) to a second place and Amanda Thomson handing trainer Alex Malliff two-thirds of the trifecta by riding Nazorian ($12) to third.

Lacey Morrison takes out the Lion’s Den QTIS Class 3 Plate aboard Athol Ryan-trained Racatoon, one of the hoop’s four winning rides for the day. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Day and Morrison locked horns in the Cooktown Hardware and Up North Enterprises Benchmark 50, with the former pairing up with Guapo ($4) to eke out a narrow win over the latter on Power Puff ($2F), with Thomson finishing third on $11 chance Blondie’s Secret.

It was a repeat result in the third race, the Poison Creek Station Maiden Plater over 1290m, with Day piloting the highly-fancied Ignacio ($1.40F) to victory over Morrison on Missy Lyn ($3) and Campbell on Mishani Burn ($6).

Morrison triumphed on the Athol Ryan-trained Racatoon ($1.80F) in the Lion’s Den QTIS Class 3 Plate, with Tyler Leslight finishing second on Wishnowsky ($12) and Day third on Boovey ($4.20).

Daniel Hadgelias, Ethan Sieverding and Matthew Thiel doff their hats to the 150th Cooktown Races after impressing in Fashions on the Field on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Chris Jones, Emma Travers and Belinda Fischer. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Jockeys Lacey Morrison, Shae Nielson, Mel Campbell, Lauren Guernier, Amanda Thomson and Tyler Leslight line up for a photo before mounting up for race one. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Tania Hickmott, Holly Rogers and Tab Axtell make sure no punters go thirsty. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Rosie and Tori Attenborough. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Tyler Kuskopf, Dani Reed, Les Shearer, Kim Shearer, Rob Schuring, Dianne Healy, Helen Reed and Lindon Reed get excited about their day at the races. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Carrie Chiasson and Kristie Jenkin. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Denicka, Eadie and Addison Danaher. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Sally and Peter Maher. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Daniel Hadgelias, Sarah Lewis, Andrea English, Eliza Smith, Jacana Bright and Danielle Furmage. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Susan and David Scott. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Tess and Veronika Buhmann. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Peter Finlayson and Mark Prystupa. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Graham Purdy and Peter Gunther check out the form. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

The was only one place to be in Cooktown on Saturday, with plenty of friends making the most of stunning conditions to catch up at the town’s milestone 150th race meeting. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Cooktown Amateur Turf Club president Robyn Holmes and Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Lauren and Charlotte Hook. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Julianne Mesner and Susan Rose catch up with Simon Vaughan and Guapo before the six-year-old gelding went on to win race two on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Jackson Hopkins and Anastasia Wynberg. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Sarah Frew claimed the Chic Lady category crown in Fashions on the Field. Photo: Lyndon Keane.

Andrew Doherty, Jo Doherty, Gaye Andrews and Struan Andrews. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Archer Giese, Max Giese, Kim Giese and Lucas Giese. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Matthew Thiel. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Amaliya Fitzgerald, Jackson Fitzgerald, Genevieve Higgins and Talei Viranatuleo. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Cooktown locals and visitors get together at the races. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Carolyn Bethel, Warren Butler and Pamela Stagg. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Molli Harrison, Taylar Evans and Johnno Harrison. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Sayah Scott, Peter Scott, Ian Poole and Gaelo Poole. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

The Osborn family enjoy a day at the races. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Jeremy and Leearna Neal. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Rosie Attenborough, Alice Hansford and Sheena Langley. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Blue and Deb Hobbs. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Donna Harris and Toni Wienert. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Tyson Osbourne, Lafe Hutfield and Luke Twomey. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Christine Garabedian. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Chris Jorgensen, Ben Washington and Paul Flanagan. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Alwyn Bailey and Ross McGee. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

Susan Rose and Helen Marsh. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.

It was the Morrison show again in the fifth, the Cooktown Bowls Club Cooktown Bracelet Open Plate, with the jockey saluting after riding favourite Crystal Chief ($1.80F) to an almost-two-length win over apprentices Jenna Edwards on Deluxe Legend ($7) and Lauren Guernier on Bakersfield ($3.60).

Morrison brought up her fourth win of the meeting in her last ride for the day in race six, the Cooktown Real Estate Karen Olsen Memorial Benchmark 55 Handicap, with Prophetess ($3) too good over the 1400m journey for Bailey, with Edwards and Guernier completing an identical result finishing second and third respectively on Pelsaert ($5)and Deal An Ace ($2.50).

Journalist Chisa Hasegawa presents connections with the winning sash after Lacey Morrison steered Rough Cut Jewel to an impressive win in the Cape York Weekly Benchmark 65 to kick off the 150th Cooktown Races on Saturday. Photo: Lyndon Keane.