Nettoyer and So Si Bon to have Queensland winter carnival raids

A pizza-eating, champagne swilling mare and a galloper who used to take a chomp out of his rivals will be some of the quirky headline acts of the Queensland winter carnival.

Wendy Roche has confirmed Nettoyer, who celebrated winning Saturday’s Group 1 Queen Of The Turf by eating margherita pizza, drinking scotch and coke and pink Moet champagne, is Queensland-bound.

Roche said she was eyeing off the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes on the Gold Coast on May 8 and then potentially the Group 1 Doomben Cup a fortnight later as the final two runs of her much-loved seven-year-old mare’s racing career.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Park’s Tom Dabernig has confirmed another quirky galloper, So Si Bon, will be heading to the Sunshine State for Group 1 tilts at the Kingsford-Smith Cup and Stradbroke Handicap.

So Si Bon has generally been on his best behaviour in recent times but earlier in his career he developed a cult following for his enigmatic racing style and also his love of biting rival runners in races.

So Si Bon earned himself a shot at riches in the winter carnival when winning two of his last three starts, including the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Mile at Caulfield on Saturday.

“We are planning for So Si Bon to run in the Kingsford-Smith and then the Stradbroke,” Dabernig said.

“A jockey is not locked in at this stage, it will possibly be Mark Zahra or Willie Pike.”

So Si Bon ridden wins the VOBIS Gold Mile at Caulfield. Pic: Getty.Source:Getty Images

Pizza restaurants in southeast Queensland are now on high alert with the news Nettoyer is coming for the winter carnival.

Roche said she was still to set winter carnival plans in stone but the Hollindale Stakes looms as her first port of call.

It is great news that a two-time Group 1 winner is bound for Queensland and will also give the carnival a splash of colour.

“She had a scotch and dry and then this morning she went to beach and had a pink bottle of champagne,” Roche said, on RadioTab’s Past The Post show on Sunday.

“Her favourite pizza is actually a Dominos supreme with sweet capsicum and chilli sauce.

“Everyone thinks we just feed her pizza, but she has a balanced diet.

“She is a horse who is very difficult to work and she is just a sod, she goes up the tunnel at Warwick Farm and then she will only do one lap as she refuses to do two.

“If you go through the middle to go on the course proper or any other track she will lay down and won’t go.

“Her best form (on raceday) is when she is naughty going to the gates.”

Wendy Roche. Pic: Getty.Source:Getty Images

Meanwhile, star Tony Gollan filly Isotope will be spelled and won’t be seen during the Queensland winter carnival.

Isotope, who ran a narrow second in the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes at Randwick on Saturday, will have some big fish to fry in the spring.

The blue army will be aiming to strike at Doomben next Saturday with Godolphin colt Andermatt set to contest the Listed Mick Dittman Plate 3YO.

Originally published asQuirky headline acts heading to Queensland carnival

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