Sport
26 February, 2025
Han Dynasty's love affair with Mount Isa track continues
The Barcaldine sprinter made it 10 wins from 11 attempts at Buchanan Park.
Showing no signs of being underdone after a much-deserved spell, Han Dynasty continued his love affair with the Buchanan Park track on Saturday to take his tally to 10 wins from 11 starts in Mount Isa.
Trained by Bevan Johnson in Barcaldine, the six-year-old gelding now has half of his career wins in Mount Isa, with 20 victories in 39 starts.
His win gave both Johnson and jockey Matthew Gray a double for the day, following the win Takeru in the previous race.
Gray, who lives in Brisbane but has been a regular on the country and provincial circuit, said he could be seen more in the North West in 2025.
“I still ride work down here and I try to ride down here as much as I can,” Gray said.
“I could have rode down here and run fourth and won at the Gold Coast on Saturday but it’s hard to knock back the opportunity from Bevan.”
Gray hopes he’ll get the opportunity to rack up plenty of winners for a stable that isn’t afraid to travel their horses far and wide for suitable races.
“I actually had Christmas off because I had an operation on my ankle. Then I got a call from Billy, wanting me to come out and start an association with him. So it’s good to have such a strong opportunity pop up straight after an injury,” he said.
Gray said horses like Han Dynasty, which qualified for the Country Stampede in Brisbane last year, made his job easier.
“Bevan always has him in pretty good order. I still think there’s improvement left in him, that’s for sure.”