PARKER PAIR CHASING HUGE INGLIS BONUS

KERRY Parker has a very good reason for pitting stablemates Wild Thoughts and Penalties against each other at his home track’s season finale tomorrow.

The Kembla Grange trainer will run both in the Inglis Xtra Bonus Series Provincial Maiden Handicap (1500m).

Aside from the $21,000 first prize, either three-year-old can land a $100,000 bonus for connections by winning the race.

This is the last NSW event of 50 bonus races sponsored by Inglis in four States in Australia this season (leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup won the first with Art’s Alive at the Coffs Harbour Cup meeting on August 2 last year).

Widdup’s Hawkesbury compatriot Terry Croft is the only other provincial trainer to have had success in the 2024-25 series, scoring with Zoutastic (who also won at the recent Grafton carnival) at Wagga on January 26.

Chad Lever will ride Wild Thoughts and Brock Ryan has the mount on Penalties.

“Both horses are fully eligible Inglis graduates and are owned separately, and each finished second last time out at provincial meetings,” Parker said this morning.

“The Inglis Xtra Bonus series is a terrific incentive for owners of maiden horses, and my pair are in form, so why not have a crack for the big money?”

Wild Thoughts, a son of So You Think who races in the Proven Thoroughbreds colours, has started only twice and was runner-up to Cold Brew in a Midway Maiden Plate (1300m) at Hawkesbury on June 26 at his first outing since a debut placing at home in late January.

He has since trialled and also was runner-up (to stablemate Penalties – there was little between them) in a 1030m heat at Rosehill Gardens on July 15.

Penalties has been placed at three of his eight starts and showed improvement second-up when runner-up to Capital Jicinta in a Wyong Provincial Maiden Plate (1200m) on July 5 before winning the Rosehill trial 10 days later.

Parker will most likely be watching the Inglis Bonus race on television at Royal Randwick where he also will have dual representation in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m).

Jason Collett rides Callistemon and Jay Ford partners So Sleek.

Both have drawn poorly, and Parker says Collett will have to take his medicine on recent Randwick winner Callistemon (who has the outside barrier in a current field of 15).

“Callistemon after her win at Randwick on June 15 had no luck there last time when fifth to Walking Painting,” Parker said.

“I also accepted with her in a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m) at Randwick, but she didn’t draw well in that race either, so we will stick with the Midway.

“So Sleek is getting ready for a middle distance but I thought he was good at his first run back when ninth in Walking Painting’s race.

“He was bailed away on the inside and had to wait until Callistemon got some room, and I thought he hit the line well enough.”

. The updated Illawarra Turf Club premiership tables are:

ALL TRAINERS (3, 2 and 1 points basis)

R & L Price 121

M Beer 89.5

A & R Archibald 72

G Waterhouse & A Bott 54

C Maher 52

KEMBLA GRANGE TRAINERS (wins)

R & L Price 22 (prizemoney $525,075)

M Beer 16 ($338,025)

K Parker 7 ($181,550)

R. McConville 4 ($82,650)

JOCKEYS (3, 2 and 1 points basis)

K. Latham 144

J. Van Overmeire 77

A. Adkins 59

C. Lever 58

A. Collett 49

APPRENTICES (3, 2 and 1 points basis)

M Fitzgerald 45.5

O Chambers 27

M Bourke 24

B Nock 24

HORSE OF THE YEAR (8, 5, 3 and 2 points basis)

Zaragoza (R & L Price) 40

Invade And Conquer (R & L Price) 39

Equilibrist (K Parker) 33

This Is The Moment (M Beer) 33

Artful Persuasion (M Beer) 31

C’mon Mate (R McConville) 31