Stan Tsaikos has defended his title in the Alice Springs and Provincial jockey’s premiership for the 2021/22 season, but the trainer’s premiership is still up for grabs.
Terry Gillett, who was the champion trainer last season, and Lisa Whittle, the dominant force in the Red Centre before Gillett ended her reign, are locked together on 30 wins with the Alice Springs Turf Club hosting its final meeting of the season on Sunday.
Gillett trained 26 winners last season to finish ahead of Greg Connor (25) and Whittle (21).
Whittle has been nothing short of phenomenal over the years in Central Australia and held a slight advantage before Gillett landed a winning double last Sunday at Pioneer Park when Tsaikos piloted Future Dreams and Brat to victory.
Both trainers have at least one runner in each race on Sunday’s five-event program, but to be fair Whittle is in good shape as a majority of her horses are in better form at this time of year.
Whittle’s representatives are Like A Heartbeat (Race 1), Harbour Express, Nicotera and Winter Harbour (Race 2), Ananagram and Liberty Blue (Race 3), Mathematics and Zelring (Race 4), and Envy Me (Race 5).
Those to line up for the Gillett include Future Dreams and Little Krakatoa (Race 1), City Jet (Race 2), Acres Midnight (Race 3), Heart Of Red (Race 4), and Brat (Race 5).
Like A Heartbeat, Harbour Express, Liberty Blue, Ananagram, Mathematics and Zelring are strong hopes for Whittle, especially as Harbour Express, Liberty Blue, Mathematics and Zelring also have the benefit of a 3kg claim.
Apprentice jockeys Jade Hampson and Ianish Luximon will be flying the flag for Whittle.
On the other side of the fence Gillett’s best hopes are Future Dreams, City Jet and Brat, with his daughter Dakota-Lee also claiming 4kg when she partners Future Dreams and Acres Midnight.
If you were framing a market you’d like to be on Whittle, but Tsaikos – the first choice rider for the Gillett stable – isn’t about the give up the ghost just yet.
“Anything is possible,” Tsaikos said on Friday.
“Hopefully, we can get enough winners on Sunday.
“Perhaps Dakota-Lee might have her first winner on Future Dreams – I won on him last week and he won pretty smartly.
“Terry has got him right again.
“If I can get a couple of winners and Dakota-Lee salutes by riding her first winner then who knows what can happen.”
Tsaikos, who started his riding career in Victoria some 25 years ago, has been doing the NT circuit since 2017 when he started out featuring at the Darwin and Alice Springs Cup Carnivals.
Based in Darwin, he has currently ridden 35 winners in the Red Centre and holds an unassailable lead from Paul Denton (28), Jessie Philpot (23), Sonja Wiseman (19) and Casey Hunter (14).
There are three meetings remaining in the Top End (Darwin and Country) premiership – including Day 5 of the Darwin Cup Carnival on Saturday – before the end of the 2021/22 season and Tsaikos sits on 17 wins.
Jarrod Todd will defend his title as he leads the way with 38 wins from Paul Shiers (28.5), Sonja Wiseman (27), Vanessa Arnott (17), Adam Nicholls (17) and Tsaikos.
With 52 wins throughout the NT this season, Tsaikos leads the way from Wiseman (46), Todd (42), Denton (34), Shiers (29.5), Philpot (27) and Hunter (27).
Tsaikos rode 24 winners on his way to claiming the Alice Springs and Provincial title last season from the now retired Wayne Kerford (18) after falling just one win adrift of Terry Treichel (24) at the end of the 2019/20 season.
“The last two seasons have been outstanding,” Tsaikos said.
“This season has been the best for me since my apprenticeship years.
“As far as the stats go the strike rate has been really good.
“I just keep working hard – keep turning up and giving it 110 per cent.
“It’s one thing to have the cattle under you, but at the end of the day you’ve still got to get them across the line.”
And apart from his success in Alice Springs, Tsaikos has developed an outstanding rapport with Gillett.
“It’s a great thrill to win, it’s a great achievement,” he said.
“Obviously without the support from the Gillett team it wouldn’t be possible.
“Can’t thank them enough, as well as the other trainers who have supported me along the way.
“I’m very thankful and grateful.
“I stay in Alice Springs during Carnival.
“It’s always great to go down there and get results – it’s a good day out.”
Tsaikos will partner Sweet Cheval (Race 1), Moats Corner (Race 3), Royal Tyke (Race 4) and Real Devine (Race 6) in the seven-event program at Fannie Bay on Saturday, as well as the Chris Nash-trained Dominus in the $50,000 TAB Metric Mile (1600m).
Wind the clock back 12 months and Tsaikos actually won the Metric Mile on That’s Justified for the Gillett stable.
Tsaikos has already tasted success in a 2022 Darwin Cup Carnival feature after producing a super ride to get the Neil Dyer-trained Kaonic home in the $50,000 Bridge Toyota Cup (1600m) for the 0-76 class on July 13.
All going to plan, Dominus and Kaonic are heading towards the $200,000 Great Northern Darwin Cup (2050m) on August 1.
Dominus, who broke the Fannie Bay track record for the 1600m (1.34.22) on June 25, will clash with Kaonic, who finished fourth in the Darwin Cup last year, in the Metric Mile – an open handicap – where the winner is exempt from the ballot for the Cup.
“With Kanoic, they weren’t going to run him in the Metric Mile, they were going straight to the Cup,” Tsaikos said.
“It was a late decision from Neil Dyer and his son James – they decided to put him in.
“I’d already booked the ride on Dominus.
“It’s a pretty hot race – these feature races up here at Carnival time always are.
“We’ll be right in it at the finish, so hopefully Dominus will have his nose in front crossing the line.
“Fingers crossed we can have a successful day.”
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