Chinese Apprentice Resurrects Australian Career

Tuesday, 20 August 2019: Chinese apprentice Qin Yong has resurrected his Australian riding career with a win at Parkes in the central west of NSW.

The mature age Hawkesbury-based apprentice lan ded his 29th win in Australia when he scored on the four-year-old mare Miss Leah for trainer Mark Schmetzer at the non-TAB meeting.

Qin Yong rode 16 winners in Australia in 2017-18 and a further 12 winners in the first half of last season before he had to return to his native China to secure a visa to continue his Australian career.

His master, leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup, was delighted to see the apprentice regain winning form and is confident he can build winning momentum with further opportunities.

"Qin Yong is working very hard, and is determined to succeed," Widdup said.

"He has been travelling to many meetings. He has no weight issues and could ride comfortably at 52kg in a stock saddle."

Qin Yong resumed his Australian career at Kembla Grange on July 20 and had ridden at Scone, Kembla, Tamworth, Narromine, Goulburn and Taree this month before heading to Parkes.

He rode successfully in China and Barbados before coming to Australia two years ago when Widdup agreed to a request from Racing NSW to have him join his stable.

Hobartville Stud is becoming a valuable source of winners for rising Hawkesbury trainer Jamie Thomsen.

Thomsen, the son of former leading Randwick trainer Bob Thomsen, clinched the biggest win of his training career so far when the improving sprinter Red Notice won the Manning Lightning over 1000m at the Taree Cup meeting.

It was the third successive win and first in open company for Red Notice after wins at Scone and Taree.


Bob Thomsen
Bob Thomsen
Thomsen and his father selected and purchased Red Notice as an untried two-year-old for $20,000 from Grahame Mapp's Hobartville Stud at Hawkesbury.

The Thomsens also bought Shadow Flight, the winner of six races for the stable, from Hobartville Stud.

Stud owner Graham Map raced Thomsens's champion filly Slight Chance  in the early 1990s.

"When we bought Red Notice he had won a 2YO trial at Hawkesbury in July, 2016 and we thought we would get him going and be able to win a race in town with him as a three-year-old," Jamie Thomsen said.

"That wasn't the case and ironically now as a late five-year-old and early six-year-old, he is producing his best form."

Red Notice took six starts before breaking through in a Scone maiden in 2017 before being beaten at his next two starts.

The reason for those defeats became obvious when Red Notice became ill, and vets operated and found an abscess in the gelding's spleen.

Unable to remove it, the gelding was treated with anti-biotics and eventually was able to be put back into work in late 2018.

Thomsen was confident Red Notice would run well at Taree today even though he was rising sharply in grade.

"I usually take my horses through their classes, but felt the Lightning was suitable as Red Notice was dropping 7kg from the 61kg he carried to win over the same distance at Taree on July 29," he said.

Bob Thomsen is the managing part-owner of the syndicate which races Red Notice.

He missed being on course on Sunday as he only arrived back in Sydney earlier in the day from his annual golfing trip to the USA.






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