Those involved with western region picnic racing were some of the many who were shattered last week when much-admired jockey Samara Johnson died as a result of a single-vehicle accident outside of Junee.
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Canberra-based Johnson died at the scene while her partner, trainer Garry Kirkup, was seriously injured and remains in hospital in a stable condition after being brought out of an induced coma last Tuesday.
Johnson was a regular on the picnic circuit and those at the Macquarie Picnic Racing Club at Trangie have come together to honour her memory.
The annual Macquarie Picnic meeting, to be run on December 29, was due to be the next meeting Johnson would ride at but instead other jockeys will compete for a Cup named in her memory.
Sponsored by Three Rivers Machinery, the 1400m main event will be known as the Samara Johnson Memorial Macquarie Picnic Cup.
Johnson starred at last year’s edition of the Macquarie Picnics, booting home four winners including Dalheroin the Cup for Cowra trainer Neil Smart.
The four victories last year were special for a number of reasons as Johnson also gave trainers Sarah McCilrick, from Parkes, and Dubbo-based Micaela Wheeler their first winners with Oxford Art and As Easy As respectively.
In a promising career that was cut short, Johnson scored feature wins in the Picnic Cups at Lockhart, Harden, Tullibigeal, Macquarie, Ardlethan, Grenfell, Boorowa, and Young.
The meeting at Trangie later this month will be emotional for many involved, much like the Mark Hughes Foundation Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday was.
The Kirkup-trained Highly Geared managed "horse racing's greatest ever seventh" in the race, with the trainer propped up in bed at hospital to watch while many of Johnson’s family and friends also watched on.
The Canberra racing community rallied to prepare Highly Geared for an emotion-charged run in Sydney as a tribute to Johnson and Kirkup.
Fellow Canberra trainer Doug Gorrell shares stables with Kirkup and watched the emotional race alongside the injured trainer.
"The poor bugger, he's a very tough man. He comes off horses and gets back on them and goes again. If he's in pain then you know it's bloody serious pain," Gorrell said.
"At least he got to watch his mare, and at least she went around for Samara and tried her heart out. His family and Samara's family, they've all been able to have a little bit of joy for five minutes watching the race.
"Without winning, it's the next best result. A good safe race, rider and horse got home safely and both tried their best, so all good on that front.”
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
