In the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, a champion racehorse called Rafferty Rules has etched itself into the history books of the famous Brunette Downs races.
The 15-year-old gelding thundered down the blacksoil straight this month to claim its sixth ABC Gold Cup in a row.
“It’s a 1,600-metre race and he won it by about six lengths. Not bad for an old fella,” said owner Boyd Lowe.
“The jockey went out early at the 900-metre mark, put a lead on the rest of the field and just kept that gap. It wasn’t too hard for him in the end.”
Race club secretary Linda Blackwood said in the 115 years of racing at Brunette Downs the Barkly had perhaps never seen a better horse.
“We’ve had some amazing horses in our history but Rafferty Rules is a very sporting horse and just so impressive,” she said.
“He leads the field tremendously and I feel so lucky to have seen him race ever since his first maiden years ago.”
The connections of Rafferty Rules celebrating its sixth Gold Cup at Brunette Downs. (Supplied: Sarah Lowe)
The legend of Rafferty Rules
Born on Headingly Station near Camooweal in Queensland and broken in by country music star Tom Curtain in Katherine, Rafferty Rules spent his early life working cattle at Helen Springs station north of Tennant Creek.
He won his first Gold Cup in 2017 and Mr Lowe said from there he got “bigger and stronger every year”.
“We bring him out once a year and take him to Brunette Downs for racing and he just loves it,” he said.
“He gets his shoes put on and he knows it’s game on, and he gets excited.
“He’s the only horse to have won six Gold Cups in a row and he could have won nine if it wasn’t for those years that got cancelled.”
Rafferty Rules in full flight. (Supplied: Sarah Lowe)
The Brunette races were cancelled in 2019 because of drought, 2020 because of COVID-19 and again in 2021 because of rain.
Senior vice president of the race club Toby Wass said Rafferty Rules was surely robbed of winning more titles during that period.
“We didn’t race for three years so he was unlucky and the scary thing is, over the last two or three years, he’s been coming back fitter and stronger,” he said.
“The Phar Lap of the Barkly definitely.”
Mr Wass said the Brunette Downs races was established in 1910 and was “amateur racing at its best”.
“A lot of these horses are owned by local cattle stations and local families.”
“The horses are trained in people’s spare time and once a year are ridden by local jackaroos and jillaroos that become jockeys for the weekend.”
Breeder and trainer, mother and son duo Gail and Boyd Lowe with Heather Ewart and the Gold Cup in 2022. (Back Roads: Tony Hill)
Rafferty’s retirement
Mr Lowe said Rafferty Rules was now retired from racing, having won six Gold Cups and five Ladies Bracelets at Brunette Downs.
“Life is pretty easy for this horse. He lives in a paddock in Tennant Creek with his best mate and doesn’t do a lot,”
he said.
“He’s a gelding so no breeding opportunities, unless someone wants to DNA [clone] him.”
The Lowe family’s BG Racing has now won 15 Gold Cups. (Supplied: Brunette Downs)
He said the family had other promising horses and would be back next year to compete.
“You win a bit of prize money but it’s not Flemington,” he said.
Mother and son Gail and Boyd Lowe compete at the Brunette Races in 1998. (Supplied: Gail Lowe)
“We do it for the fun, this has been a lifetime event for me and the family.”
The Lowe family have volunteered their time and supported the Brunette races for decades with Boyd, his mum Gail Lowe, and wife Sarah Lowe all honoured with life membership.
The family has won 15 Gold Cups thanks to a run of successful horses including Wah Zin Kah, About Time, Feel the Speed, and Rafferty Rules.
Watch ABC TV’s Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or on ABC iview.
