Our Boy Malachi has become a cult figure around the Rockhampton region where he has won 15 races, starting favourite in each of his16 starts.

His excellent record has earned him the title, “Rockhampton Rocket,” he is the biggest attraction to hit the coastal city for many a long day.

Our Boy Malachi has had a change of stables; he is now being prepared by the Hawkes team in Sydney.

However, surely some eyebrows would have been raised at the suggestion of taking on the best that Royal Randwick could offer on the last day of the Championships.

His loyal support group were all there in force, they couldn’t resist the opportunity, many had been there at the beginning and were not going to miss out.

There was big money for him to win the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes, which he duly won after being held up in the early running, he did what all good horses can do, they make their own luck.

He has since been installed as favourite for the Group1 Stradbroke Handicap over 1400 metres, to be run at Eagle Farm.

Needless to say his breeder and part owner, Jess Donavan, is on cloud 9 over it all, to have the favourite in the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap.

Our Boy Malachi is by Top Echelon, he currently stands at Oakford Farm, Haigslea, for $4.000 service fee.

There is a good balance in his pedigree, being by Umatilla, a more than useful sire, his grand dam, by the brilliant Vain, is an enormous influence in the second remove, while the third remove is Sunset Sue, a full sister to Gunsynd.

You would imagine Oakford would retain a few fillies by Top Echelon out of their better mares; there could be a future there.

There have been some great stories that have come out of sunny Queensland, Neville Sellwood, George Moore, Peter Moody, Gunsynd and the greatest of them all Bernborough.