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As the Cairns Jockey Club announces that its Sunday Brothers Cairns Cup will be broadcast internationally with Sky World, the carnival will play host to one of Australia’s top jockeys and Melbourne Cup winner, Blake Shinn.
The truly gifted rider quickly rose to fame after winning the 2008 Melbourne Cup astride the Bart Cummings-trained Viewed.
His best friend and recently retired jockey Gr 1 winning jockey, Peter Robl, will be accompanying Blake to our Cup meeting. Peter recently retired after injury still classing himself as one of the lucky ones.
Robl rode somewhere between 1700 and 2000 winners during his 26 year career in the saddle which started at Wodonga in 1988.
Blake says “I am thrilled to be attending the Brothers Cairns Cup and riding on the Cairns track for the first time.”
John Piccone the Cairns Jockey Club President added “Its testament that Cairns as a major Tourism destination is seeing some of the country most talented racing stakeholders wanting to take part in our 103 year old Cairns Cup and have it broadcast around the globe”
Club CEO Graham Thornton added “A national radio broadcast on Radio TAB will also take place on the Friday morning before the Cairns Cup Lunch by our guests Tony Clements and Stephen Hawkins from TAB Radio” the broadcast will include interviews with Shane Scriven, Blake Shinn and North Queensland premiership winners Trainer Trevor Rowe and Jockey Bradyn Swaffer shining the light on visiting and local talent.
Blake Shinn
Born to a family of jockeys, it is not surprising that Blake soon rose to fame at a young age both on and off the track. He grew up in Kilmore, Victoria and apprenticed to his stepfather Lee Hope.
Blake Shinn left Victoria for Sydney at the age of 19 to become a stable jockey for Gai Waterhouse and share a place with Nash Rawiller, an opportunity that was difficult to refuse and ended up being the stepping stone for his success.
Waterhouse had great faith in Blake's talent, comparing him with the likes of former jockeys Malcolm Johnston and Wayne Harris. He soon obliged by leading the premiership at the age of 20. His first major winner came as a 16 year old in the 2005 Group 1 Adelaide Cup astride Demerger. He was the first apprentice from Victoria since Damien Oliver in 1990-91 to win the Scobie Breasley Medal.
The Cairns Cup Carnival held on the 9th and 10th of August attracts crowds over 5000 people and is serious racing for the region with the Brothers Cairns Cup, Babinda Electrics Newmarket Open Quality Handicap and the Brothers Lightening Open Quality Handicap the feature races of the quarter of a million dollars in prize money over the two days.
