Sunshine Coast trainer Billy Healey was thrilled to have a stakes-winner on a big carnival day at Eagle Farm with his talented Cosmic Force three year-old gelding Cosmic Fire soaring to new heights when taking out the $200,000 Listed BRC Queensland Day Stakes (1200m).
Ridden by Jamie Mott, he rebounded from a rank failure in the Group III Gold Coast Guineas on the heavy 9 track run in atrocious conditions and found this assignment much more to his liking.
Cosmic Fire kicked clear half way up the straight and had enough left to hold off a late bid from Gerringong to win by half a length with Golden Slipper place-getter Coleman running an improved race for third.
“The Winter Carnival is something we look forward to and get excited about every year. To be honest I've never really had any horses that have been up to it, I've thrown a few darts at the board and never landed one before, but this horse has been really good to me, we picked him out as a yearling at the sales and he continues to come back every prep,” said Billy Healey.
"His owners are a terrific group. On Fire Racing have supported me for a long time now, they have backed me from the early days. He's by far the flagbearer out of the lot of them, some of them haven't been much cop but this one is pretty good."
An $80,000 Magic Millions purchase for Billy Healey Racing/Furlong Bloodstock/On Fire Racing from the Sullivan Bloodstock draft, Cosmic Fire has the overall record of four wins from nine starts with prizemoney just shy of $380,000.
Cosmic Fire is the best of two winners for Exellas, a four time winner by Helmet that traces back to an elite European female family that has produced champion sires Street Cry and Shamardal.
Cosmic Fire is the fourth stakes-winner for Cosmic Force, who stands a Newgate this spring at a fee of $16,500.
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