3 minute read

If your mates refer to you as “Weetwood Kemp” – a nickname like that is pretty self-explanatory.

Popular Darling Downs trainer Kevin Kemp has etched his name into the history books of Toowoomba racing as one of the most prolific winners of their time-honoured race – the Weetwood Handicap.

Kemp has four on his resume over the last two decades with a new Weetwood Handicap champion to be crowned this Saturday. 

Toowoomba Turf Club Chairman Kent Woodford, a long-time owner and administrator, detailed that Kemp had built his reputation and name as a trainer on the back of his stunning Weetwood success.

"Kevin Kemp is a great local trainer and a pleasure to deal with," Woodford said.

"He really made his name on the back of winning the Weetwood in his early days and from there his team of horses grew and just continues to grow.

"He has won a number of other big races as well but to be known as 'Weetwood Kemp', you do not get that name without a reason.

"He loves having a runner in the race, he tries really hard to get his horses qualified and support the club and the race."

Kemp's back catalogue of Weetwood winners includes Startell (2001), Tellem (2005, 2007) and Typhoon Red (2014).

The resuming Fighting Teo was set to be Kemp's runner in the 2021 edition of the race before he did not accept in the feature race for the day, instead opting for the Benchmark 80 Handicap over 1300 metres. 

One of the four does not stand out for Kemp he says, they are all treasured memories.

While he will not have a runner this year, he detailed what it takes to win the famous race. 

"It is a 1200 metre race these days and has been for a few years, it used to be 1300 metres, and they always said you need a 1400 metre horse to win it," Kemp said.

"We have had two of my winners out of the four that have won up to a mile.

"There is a benefit for trainers like us on the Downs that we are able to train on the track that has the lovely hill on it, which makes it a little trickier for the ones coming up, or we hope it does.

"It is a great race to win.

"It is our race; if we lived in Melbourne, we would be looking at the Melbourne Cup, but the Weetwood is our race on the Downs – it is great to have a runner in and even better to win it."

The Weetwood Handicap – to be run for $150,000 in 2021 at Listed level – is synonymous with the Darling Downs region of Queensland, as Woodford outlines.