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2013 Tom Quilty - Kilkivan

Paul Sidio Photos

Pre-Quilty

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Riders Descend for Prestigious Quilty

Tenterfieldstart.com.au - Full Article

June 26, 2013

THE weekend of June 7-10 saw the running of the 48th Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

This year’s event was held in Queensland (the event moves from state to state each year) in the small township of Kilkivan in the South Burnett district.

Kilkivan has been hit with three major floods in the last 18 months but despite this the small community managed to host an excellent event with help from sponsors and local government support to rebuild many of the buildings lost in those floods.

Five members of the Tenterfield endurance-riding club attended with their horses plus support crew to take up the national challenge.

They joined 245 other riders from across Australia and several international riders. Greg Lyons was riding Chingford Just Dreaming, Narelle Childs was riding Halo Kazaam, Damien Keys was riding Elfar Karnella, Michael Combe wasriding Nasr and Caroline Windle was riding Sarina Rosetta.

This year, the weather was unseasonably warm, but at midnight on Friday, June 7, riders headed out into the night on the first leg of the five-leg course.

The course without doubt was a true “Quilty” course. The conditions and terrain were challenging which led to a low successful completion rate of only 43 per cent...

Go on the full journey of the Tom Quilty Gold Cup

ABC.net.au - Audio recording

Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:38am AEST

Audio recording of Eliza Rogers and Cassie Hough speaking to riders, vets and strappers at this year's Cup held in Kilkivan, south-east Queensland:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-13/tom-quilty-gold-cup/4751082

Sample wins another Quilty after battle to the finish line

Gympietimes.com.au - Full Article

11 June 2013

BROOK Sample retained his title as national champion when he was first home to win his seventh Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Kilkivan on Saturday.

Brook, 38, of Kenilworth, completed the five legs of the 160km course in nine hours and 14 minutes.

This is Brook's third Quilty win on Brookleigh Excalibur, a horse he bred himself.

He won by completing the rigorous ride along bush tracks though privately owned pastoral properties.

He also won best conditioned horse and his 13th Quilty Buckle.

In a fast-paced final leg with a galloping finish, Brook and Brookleigh Excalibur crossed the finish line just one-and-a-half lengths ahead of Akhmed Pshunov on Tarrangower Crecendo.

Akhmed, of Imbil, had put in everything, asking his horse to match Brook's over the 18km of the final leg. But, disappointingly, Akhmed's horse was vetted out as lame.

This meant second place went to Brisbane's Stephen Gray on Kasbah Kid, in 10 hours and 17 minutes...

Battle-hardened Excalibur wins Tom Quilty

ABC.net.au - Full Article

June 9 2013
Cassie Hough

A fight to the finish on the weekend made for one of the most exciting conclusions in the history of the Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

Defending champion Brook Sample had six Tom Quilty Gold Cup wins to his name going in to this year's event, but he had never won in his home state of Queensland.

Mr Sample led in the final leg of the race but he and his horse Brookleigh Excalibur were challenged by Akhmed Pshunov on Tarrangower Crecendo on the home straight.

Mr Sample says he has never been pushed so hard at the end of a Tom Quilty endurance ride before.

"It was full on, we were flying at a full gallop and after doing 160 kilometres, having a full gallop down the grass verge was very exciting."

"He is such a courageous horse, I actually slowed him up in that last loop and the other guy caught me and I just wanted to slow my horse up, I didn't want to hurt him."

"But as soon as the other guy caught me my horse just lifted up a gear and he just said to me 'No way, I've not been doing this for 160kms to be beaten by this other horse' and he just took off, I couldn't hold him."

"When they finish like that and they really want to go, they're a 95 per cent chance of their heart rate coming down and vetting back through and being a happy wonderful horse."

Mr Sample and Excalibur crossed the finish line in a time of nine hours and 14 minutes, just one-and-a-half lengths ahead of Akhmed Pshunov on Tarrangower Crecendo...

Brook Sample wins 2013 Tom Quilty

ABC.net.au

June 9 2013

Radio report of the Tom Quilty here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-09/tom-quilty-gold-cup/4742898

Crowd gathers for national horse ride

ABC.net.au - Full Article

By Eliza Rogers

Posted Fri Jun 7, 2013

More than 250 riders have nominated for this year's Tom Quilty Gold Cup endurance horse ride at Kilkivan, near Gympie in southern Queensland.

The ride, known as the largest horse endurance ride in the Southern Hemisphere, kicks off at midnight tonight and riders have 24 hours to complete a 160-kilometre course.

Kilkivan hasn't hosted the event since 2008, and organisers worked hard this year to bring flood-damaged grounds up to standard.

The small town's population is expected to swell by five times to 2,000 as support teams and spectators flock in.

Riders have come from New Zealand, America, Japan, France and England to compete.

Riders prepare for tough going in Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Gympietimes.com.au - Full Article

7th Jun 2013 6:37 AM

Craig Warhurst

TODAY sees the Tom Quilty Gold Cup come to Kilkivan.

The endurance ride is arguably the toughest in Australia and was founded by the legendary RM Williams.

Since 1966, long distance competitive horse riding has been an organised sport in Australia.

The Tevis Cup endurance ride, held in the US since 1955, inspired RM Williams to start an Australian long distance race.

At the time he was editor of Hoofs and Horns, Australia's pioneer horse magazine.

Through his magazine, RM Williams extended an invitation to all those interested in conducting Australia's own 100 miles-in-one-day ride...

Top riders saddle up for Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Gympietimes.com.au - Full Article

Craig Warhurst 6th Jun 2013 5:00 AM

THE Melbourne Cup of Australian endurance racing, The Tom Quilty Gold Cup, is rearing to go in Kilkivan tomorrow.

More than 250 of Australia's top riders will be saddled up to head out on the first leg of the annual Australian Endurance Riding Championships.

The Tom Quilty Gold Cup starts midnight tomorrow with Kenilworth's Brook Sample the favourite to take out the event.

Mr Sample will compete against the nation's best and a host of international riders from the United States, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.

The current Australian champion has won a record six Quiltys.

He arrived at the Kilkivan showground yesterday with his riding team and was quietly confident of a good showing...

252 Starters for the 48th Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Kilkivian!

Horsedeals.com.au - Full Article

Australia's national endurance horse riding championship, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, will have 252 starters at midnight on Friday June 7 at Kilkivan in south-east Queensland.

While organisers had hoped 300 riders and their horses would nominate for the 48th Quilty - the nation's best test of true horsemanship - flooding earlier this year resulted in several key qualifying rides being cancelled or postponed.

This meant many prospective first-time Quilty riders hadn't successfully completed a prior 160km ride in time to qualify for this year's ride.

However, the event host, the Kilkivan Endurance Riders Club (KERC), is chuffed with the 250+ nominations from across Australia and overseas for the punishing 160km-long endurance pursuit.

"We reckon this is pretty darn good," said KERC president, Vern Berry, who saw the ride base at Kilkivan showground devastated by floodwaters in January.

Vern said the five legs of the rigorous Kilkivan track were in good condition, and lots of hard work by many volunteers had resurrected the showground's facilities, which are now ready to accommodate next week's influx of around 2000 people for the Quilty.

This means a five-fold increase to Kilkivan's population as riders, their strapping teams, support crews, family and friends, organisers and volunteers set up camp at the showground. Spectators at the event will further swell the township's numbers over the weekend of June 8-9.

Nine international competitors are flying in from the US, the UK, Japan and New Zealand, and an 18-strong contingent is crossing Bass Strait from Tasmania before heading north to Kilkivan. Two riders and their entourages are driving across from Western Australia, with another two coming up from South Australia, and many more are converging on Kilkivan from Victoria, New South Wales, and as far north as Herberton in far north Queensland.

This year 18 juniors (aged 12 to 17) and 234 seniors will enjoy the riding conditions of Queensland's mild winter and the historic aspect of the course's third leg, which covers part of the Cobb & Co Heritage Trail...

76-year-old will compete in a 160km endurance horse ride

Themorningbulletin.com.au

Lisa Benoit 3rd Jun 2013

ALWYN Torenbeek has been riding horses since he can remember.

And at the age of 76, he still gets on his horse everyday.

Alwyn is off to the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, at Kilkivan in south-east Queensland this week to compete in a 160km endurance ride.

He started riding in the event's second year in 1967.

For more on Alwyn, check out this week's Morning Bulletin.