CUP HOPEFULS DEBUT IN DARWIN FOR TOP TRAINER GARY CLARKE
The Darwin Cup Carnival doesn’t kick off until July 2, and just like every other trainer who has their eyes on the riches in the Top End it’s all systems go for Gary Clarke.
Clarke, the seemingly untouchable training force in Darwin for well over a decade, is still celebrating his first Alice Springs Cup win with Count Of Essex on May 1.
With the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) at Fannie Bay in mind come August 1, two horses who might represent the Clarke stable will be in action on Saturday.
Former Western Australian galloper Giant Leap (Paul Shiers) and Mellors (Stan Tsaikos), who did most of his racing in Victoria before having his one and only start at Wagga Wagga on Christmas Eve in 2020, make their debuts in the Top End in the $22,000 TAB 0-76 Handicap (1300m).
It’s the feature race on the six-event program and although Looking For You, Yesugei, Brother Bassy and Valentina Star will prove stiff opposition, the two new faces in the Clarke stable should make an early impression.
Giant Leap has not raced in eight months, while and Mellors produced an eye-catching third in his first NT start when third behind last week’s Tennant Creek Cup winner Starouz and the ever-consistent Exonerate in open company over 1400m on Alice Springs Cup Day.
“They’re two different type of horses, one is an up and comer – that’s Giant Leap,” Clarke said.
“He looks like quite a nice horse – his form stacks up pretty good over in Perth.
“It’s a little bit hard to line up Perth against here – a lot of his wins have been metropolitan and I’m tipping that’s not easy where ever you are.
“He’s been up as far as a mile three times – finished second and third, so we’ll get him out to the mile and then decide whether we have a go at the Cup with him.
“The other horse Mellors – he’s an older horse who had 14 or 15 months off the scene there for a while.
“He’s come back – he had a good spell in the paddock that gave him the chance to get over all his little niggles.
“He’s come back and he is probably on the same sort of trail – we’ll get him up to the mile because all his wins have been over the mile.
“We’ll stretch him out a little bit further – he gives you the impression he’ll run further as he’s got a big relaxed stride, so that’s his plan at this point in time as well.
“Both are at different stages of their preps.
“It could be a touch short for Mellors and it could be a touch long for Giant Leap.
“I would have probably liked to have put one more trial into Giant Leap going into it – but I think his class will carry him a long way.
Clarke, who won the Darwin Cup as a jockey aboard Star Bullet in 2000 before celebrating success as a trainer with Lightinthenite (2015) and Zahspeed (2018), is now aiming to win the Alice Springs Cup and Darwin Cup in the same year for the first time.
Something that hasn’t gone unnoticed for the champion NT trainer.
“At this point in time you can only hope – there’s those two horses I have already mentioned in Giant Leap and Mellors,” he said.
“I do have another Cup horse coming as well from the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace camp, a horse called Playoffs.
“He’s got pretty good form.”
Hard to argue with five wins from 21 starts, with the five-year-old gelding having won at Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown in distances ranging from 1600m-2500m.
Clarke has starters in the other five races on the Darwin program.
Rich Sun (Paul Shiers) – $17,500 Karen Brown Fine Art 0-58 Handicap (1300m)
Clarke said: “He’s a horse with ability, he just hasn’t quite worked out what he’s doing yet or how to use that ability properly.
“Just hoping that I will keep taking him to the races and the penny drops.”
Siakam (Paul Shiers) – $17,500 Long May We Play Class 2 Handicap (1200m)
Clarke said: “Siakam is a pretty decent horse.
“He’s really well, he looks well, and has matured into a real nice horse and hopefully he will take that to the races because his form last year was good enough.
“If he’s improved off that I’ll have some fun with him this year.”
Obiligatory (Adam Nicholls) and Thunder Peak (Stan Tsaikos) – $18,500 bet365 Odds Drift Protect 0-64 Handicap (1200m)
Clarke said: “I like both these horses – they’re pretty good.
“Obilgatory had a little issue as it turns out in his back foot last start and was disappointing.
“Thunder Peak, I keep saying that she will win a good race, but she just keeps putting an excuse up in front of herself every time we send her to the races.
“I haven’t quite worked her out yet, but I’m pretty confident she’ll win a nice race somewhere along the way.”
Wilsons Prom (Sonja Wiseman) and Yaroomba (Stan Tsaikos) – $21,000 Silks 4.21 Happy Hour TROBIS 3YO Handicap (1100m)
Clarke said: “I’m looking to the big three-year-old races with both horses, that’s correct.
“One is a maiden – that’s Yaroomba. This is sort of a Plan B for him.
“I would have preferred to have run him in a maiden last meeting, but he cut his leg and I had to scratch.
“Whereas Wilsons Prom – he’s on a path for the Guineas, so he’s just kicking off his prep.
“He has had a trial going into this race and he’ll probably race regularly now until the Guineas on July 2.”
Chief Mondo (Paul Shiers) and We Will Remember (Casey Hunter) – $17,500 Sitzler 0-54 Handicap (1100m)
Clarke said: “It looks like a nice race for Chief Mondo.
“Last start he ran second – bumped into who I think is going to be a smart little horse in First Crusade.
“They ran a quicker time in the 0-58 race that day than they did in open race for the 1100m.
“Without him in the race Chief Mondo sort of gets his chance.
“We Will Remember is a nice talented horse.
“He was with Will Clarken down in Adelaide – I think they sort of had a high opinion of him.
“That’s why he has come up here.
“He has had a few issues, but I did quite a bit of work with him in Alice trying to settle him down before I came up here to Darwin and he calmed down quite well.
“Hopefully we’ll get him sorted out, he’ll be a nice horse.”
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