MV On Track 2018

42 ON TRACK MAGAZINE G oogle Maps will tell you the small Queensland town of Widgee is 1,755 kilometres or a 19-hour drive away from Melbourne. However, The Valley might feel more like home for the owners of Inglis Sales pin-up Widgee Turf, who went on a winning spree last season claiming three races – more than any other horse at The Valley. Gordon and Marlene McIntosh are the envy of all racehorse owners, not only in their small town of 788 people in Widgee (26 kilometres west of Gympie), but across Australia. The retired Queensland couple admit it still ‘hasn’t sunk in yet’, and you can hardly blame them, with a return on investment 160 times their original stake, something only rivalled by winning Tattslotto. So what prompted the Queensland couple to spend $4,500 at the 2014 Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale on a colt whose mother’s name is Greyhound and finished last in her only race start? “He was an extremely good walker and I mean that good the handler could hardly keep up,” explained part-owner Gordon McIntosh. “It’s probably no surprise but I think I got him in one bid.” A quick image search of Widgee Turf’s sire, Turffontein, shows a strong resemblance to his father – a deep rich chestnut in colour - but the comparisons don’t stop there. They both have a pretty big motor. We first saw that motor from Patrick Payne’s charge on August 8, 2016 when Widgee Turf was sent out $15 on debut at Swan Hill. In fact, that was the first time the McIntosh’s met their trainer, as before then it was a couple of phone conversations (and brief ones at that) with the softly-spoken trainer, Patrick Payne. Widgee Turf won by 2¾ lengths. The 17-hour road trip had been worth its while. “Paddy doesn’t get carried away but that day he said to us ‘this horse could be the buy of the century’,” McIntosh recalled. “He is just such a great horseman and places the horses so well, we leave everything up to him.” Two years on and with $739,850 in the bank, some could call Payne a fortune teller. While his owners may be unfamiliar to the bright city lights, Payne is simply reliving his past. The 2002 W.S. Cox Plate winning jockey aboard Northerly rode countless winners at The Valley. “We just love The Valley and being so close to the action it can’t be replicated – we’re even bringing down friends with us each time to show them how good it is… we don’t get this in Widgee,” laughed McIntosh. Gordon and Marlene rarely miss a race, so much so Gordon says they have the flight plan and seating arrangements from Sunshine Coast airport pretty well ‘down pat’ as they embark on their almost fortnightly adventures south. Gordon McIntosh is a fifth-generation Queensland farmer and says Widgee Turf is lifting the spirits of drought-stricken farmers around the surrounding areas of his namesake. Widgee Turf is not only a favourite of the McIntosh family but for punters as well. In all three wins at The Valley this season, the now five-year-old started favourite with Billy Egan in the saddle. WIDGEE TURF PUTTING WIDGEE ON THE MAP By Ben Sporle