Estate agent John Bongiorno seeks Melbourne Cup quinella

By Jonathan Chancellor
Tuesday, 06 November 2012

Estate agent John Bongiorno has part ownership of two runners in today’s Melbourne Cup.

He has an interest in Glencadam Gold and also Fiorente, both trained by Gai Waterhouse.

Glencadam Gold has been among the most successful of horses the Waterhouse stable has identified in Europe.

He won his first four starts in Australia ending last month winning the McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan, the group one race at Randwick, before failing as favourite in the Caulfield Cup.

Fiorente will be having his first start for Waterhouse in the race. John Bongiorno is part of the Bongiorno Herron syndicate, who along with Team McDonnell, the Sydney businessman John McDonnell and wife, Anne are co-owners with K Wood, R Smith, Paul McClure, B Pang, G Diamond, Fesen Pty Ltd, B Stracey & the UK Stayers.

John Bongiorno, a director of Marshall White, has also just published a children’s book. Santa and his Brother Down Under, the book, was launched in Melbourne last week.

The inspiration for the book came after jogging past the Australian Embassy in Washington where he noticed the entrance decorated for Christmas with lights depicting Santa on a surfboard being pulled through the sky by kangaroos instead of reindeers.

With illustrations by Caroline Keys, the book tells the tale of a busy and beleaguered Santa, who turns to his brother in Australia and a mob of flying kangaroos for help delivering presents.

Profits from the book, which sells for $14.95, go to Koala Kids, a Children's Cancer Centre Foundation program.

KOALA Kids was founded in 2005 by a 13 year old Melbourne Grammar School student Nick Mandie and today is run by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Most of Melbourne's agents take time off during the Melbourne Cup carnival - with just the 163 weekend auctions last Saturday.

But no doubt Bongiorno is still always seeking out interested buyers of prestige Melbourne property. His listings include the Brighton home of mining executive Peter Reeve and his wife Anne with expectations of more than $7.5 million.