Craig Cousins to inflict Stradbroke fairytale

By Jordan Gerrans

Craig Cousins is best known for driving products in his truck around Brisbane for a day job, but the hobby trainer is aiming to deliver a famous Stradbroke Handicap victory for the battlers on Saturday. 

At 60 years of age with a couple of gallopers in work, with four in total on the books, the affable Cousins will take on the might of some of the biggest barns in Australia in Queensland’s great race this week. 

He is living out the dream of the numerous hobby and small-time trainers across the Sunshine State – taking on the big boys with a galloper that he has had from the start. 

Cousins’ The Inflictor isn’t without a chance in the showpiece Group 1 event of the carnival either, rated a $14 chance as of Wednesday afternoon.

It would be fairytale stuff to see the 'little guy' of the caper lift the state's greatest race on Saturday. 

“I know he is going to go into the race being a live chance, that is good to know,” the smiling trainer said.

“I just hope he races well, pulls up well and goes well in the race. I do not worry what price he is in the race. I know he has done well since the race the other day.”

The veteran trainer drives a truck during the week for DMK Forest Products while also managing his small stable.

From their Banyo base, Cousins drives wood products around Brisbane to building sites and shops to pay the bills to fund his training passion. 

The Inflictor won through to Queensland’s famous race by claiming The Gateway back in December of last year, which provides the winner a direct pathway into the Stradbroke Handicap. 

After scoring in The Gateway, it was full steam ahead for the four-year-old gelding as Cousins planned his preparation specifically to run in the Stradbroke.

He ran well in Saturday city grade first-up in late April, before heading down to the Gold Coast for his second-up event where he finished third in the Listed ATC Trophy. 

Needing one more run before the Stradbroke, The Inflictor claimed a Benchmark 85 Handicap in late May with champion hoop Nash Rawiller doing the steering. 

Cousins has labelled his three runs leading into Saturday as ‘perfect’.

While most of the Stradbroke field for Saturday have come through black-type races and The Inflictor was racing in a Benchmark event not long ago, Rawiller gave Cousins plenty of confidence after the triumph. 

“He gave me a lovely feel. He showed his dominance there and took up the front,” Rawiller said.

“I was impressed by his turn-of-foot. It was really nice at the top of the straight. He’s not a big horse but with the size of him he’s still got a big heart.

“I’d box seat. Put him in the running at the top of the straight and he’ll be in the finish.”

Carrying just 51kg in the Stradbroke, there was never any hope Rawiller could ride him in the big dance, but lightweight local Cejay Graham will take the plum engagement.

She has been his main rider over the last year and has developed a close bond with Cousins and his stable favourite. 

The smiling Graham vowed to be riding in the Stradbroke Handicap at the start of this year when she planned out her 2025 with a close friend of hers and she goes into Saturday’s event with a serious chance. 

“He is proven at 1400 metres, he is a fit, tough horse,” the top hoop said.

“I do not think there will be a horse that goes out there that tries harder than him.

“It is going to be by far his hardest task to date, but he doesn’t know that – he will give his all.

“He is dropping 10kg since his last run so he will not even know I am up there, compared to his last start.”

The hierarchy at DMK Forest Products have given Cousins the week off to soak up all the Stradbroke atmosphere.

He was at Eagle Farm on Tuesday morning for the well-attended trackwork session and was at the barrier draw later in the day.

The understated Cousins has been busy fulfilling an array of interview requests and everything else that comes with having a runner in the big Group 1 of the carnival.

“It has been a great couple of weeks with all the media commitments and events,” he said with a grin.

At Eagle Farm on Tuesday morning, the 26-year-old Graham was over the moon with how her Stradbroke hope worked.

“He felt fantastic, I couldn’t be happier with him going into Saturday’s race,” Graham said.

“I never asked a lot of him out there on Tuesday morning.

“He just did it under his own steam and under a really nice hold.

“He was having a look around and enjoying himself, but I was really happy with how he stretched out in his work and he has pulled up really good from the piece of work.

“He is a very happy, heathy horse going into Saturday.”

To have a runner in the Stradbroke is a dream for the entire Cousins clan. 

Cousins’ father Des trained a team of horses with his son a strapper before eventually taking out his own ticket.

The Inflictor is owned in a syndicate managed by Kurt Turner who has been on the journey with Cousins since the gelding’s first maiden public appearance in July of 2023 in a Deagon trial. 

“He was a very burly colt as a young horse and we eventually gelded him,” Cousins said of the galloper's early days in his team.

“He has taken time.

“He is a slow maturing horse but one good trait he always had was that he could gallop.

“The other better trait he has is that he has a red-hot go, he tries his heart out.”

If not for The Gateway, there was little chance The Inflictor would have qualified for Queensland’s great race.

The son of Under The Louvre was only put in the event after Cousins noticed the race had low nominations, considering it provided the winner direct entry into the Stradbroke.

“When I looked at the race, I thought he was a chance in this with the way he was going and I thought it was his chance to shine,” he said.

“It was the start of a great journey, winning that race.

“The day was fantastic, I knew at the 200 metre mark that he was going to win.

“It was just great, a fantastic day.”

It most certainly now is The Inflictor's time to shine. 

Cousins’ holidays from DMK Forest Products rolls into Monday of next week and there will be numerous trainers around the Sunshine State who hope he has a Stradbroke Handicap trophy in his possession when he finally gets back to the grind on Tuesday.