3 minute read

Barcaldine trainer Todd Austin won Saturday's Birdsville Cup for a second time when his veteran French Hussler survived a dramatic protest in the 137th running of the iconic outback event.

Ridden by NSW apprentice Clayton Gallagher, French Hussler won by a neck from Eschielle with Java third,  giving Austin his second Birdsville Cup win following his victory with Primed in 2013.

Austin has attended more than 25 Birdsville Cups as both a jockey and trainer. His wife co-owns French Hussler, who started at $19.00 and paid upwards of $24 on the NSW TAB.

"We love it out here. Our kids, aged seven and nine, have been attending the Birdsville Races since they were born," said Austin.

"It's better than any of the big city race meetings."

More than 8000 racegoers descended on the tiny town of Birdsville close to the intersection of the Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australian borders to party and punt across two days of racing on September 6 and 7.

Winds gusting to more than 50km hits the first day of the carnival but perfect conditions on Saturday saw punters dressed to the nines for Fashions on the Field and an array of outback entertainment and activities.

Entertainment over the two days included live music, pub festivities and Fred Brophy's famous boxing troupe as more than 140 starters came from stables in South Australia, Queensland, NSW and the Northern Territory.

A fully funded country TAB meeting for the first time, the carnival offered record prizemoney of $233,500 – an increase of 14 per cent from 2018 with prizemoney awarded to top 10 finishers across all 13 races.