Darwin trainer Tayarn Halter certainly endured the ups and downs in racing following her recent sojourn to Western Australia.
Halter, who finished third behind Gary Clarke (59) and Phil Cole (31.5) in the 2021/22 Top End trainers’ premiership with 22.5 wins, enjoyed success in Broome before experiencing mixed fortune at Kununurra.
Heading west a few days after the Darwin Cup Carnival concluded, Halter had three runners at the Broome meeting on August 9 where she registered a win, a third and an eighth.
Raffalli, a four-year-old gelding Halter purchased from Queensland trainer Billy Healey – who trained former Australian Guineas winner Alligator Blood from August-December last year – won first-up on the dirt for the Darwin trainer in a Class 2 Handicap (1000m).
Don’t Wait, a seven-year-old gelding, finished third over 1100m (RTG58+), while nine-year-old gelding and prominent NT sprinter Eastwood finished eighth in the $40,000 Broome Sprint (1300m).
Darwin apprentice Jade Hampson, 18, who has already booted home six winners both in Darwin and Alice Springs after kick-starting her career in April, accompanied the Halter & Schmidt stable to Broome, where she rode the three horses.
Hampson lived in Broome – located on the north-west coast – for five years growing up, so to win her first race in WA aboard Raffalli certainly made for a memorable homecoming.
It was then off to race on the grass at Kununurra – located just over the NT border – for three consecutive meetings on August 20, August 27 and September 3.
Don’t Wait saluted at the first meeting over 1200m (RTG62+) to give Hampson her first win at Kununurra, while nine-year-old gelding Hattan Man finished second in the feature race on the six-event card – the $17,500 Ladies Bracelet (1100m).
Zou Der Zee, a 10-year-old grey gelding, came fifth over 1350m (RTG56+), and despite Don’t Wait’s win, Halter endured tragedy when eight-year-old grey gelding Zouzouzalo was euthanised after injuries suffered following an incident earlier in the day.
Zouzouzalo lined up in a race over 1600m (RTG48+) where the field jumped in the home straight.
“The horse went off in the gates beside him and he broke through the front and left the jockey (Jerry Noske) behind and he went through the outside running rail down the bottom of the track,” Halter said.
“He had to be put down, he was my Cup horse – that was pretty tough.
“It was devastating for his owner Con Searle in Queensland – having to ring and tell him was hard.
“It’s just really gut-wrenching – it was a tough day.
“He’s buried down the back near my stables at Kununurra.
“We layed him to rest there and so every year we go back we’ll be able to visit him.
“It’s hard because I’ve only lost two horses on the track in my whole training career.
“Andamooka Gem a few years ago – he shattered his fetlock just near the winning post in a race.
“He won the St Patrick’s Day Cup for me and a Katherine Cup.
“That was his last start before retirement – believe or not and that was heartbreaking.
“I cried for days.
“It’s always hard to lose them – it never gets any easier.”
For Halter, who has been training for almost 30 years, it seemed as though the meeting on August 27 would be a much brighter occasion when Raffalli beat the field across the line over 1100m (RTG48+) in his first Kununurra start.
But it was not to be, as Raffalli was disqualified due to a discrepancy with Hampson’s weight.
Raffalli was allotted 59.5kg, and with Hampson’s 3kg claim he was due to carry 56.5kg, but when she returned to scale she was 2kg too light.
There was certainly an element of confusion before and after the race, but in the end the race was awarded to New Roman (Phillip Crich) from the Kerry Petrick stable in Darwin.
“It’s country racing, you’ve got volunteers, you’re dealing with old scales, it’s just one of those things,” Halter said.
“We’ve been living with it ever since the days when there was no photo finish and stuff like that.
“It was a comedy of errors, a bit of a debacle, but it is what it is, it happens.
“It was Jade’s error and the clerk of the scales error before the stewards stepped in.
“It is Jade’s responsibility to know what she’s got to ride.
“Anywhere else in Australia she wouldn’t have got past the scales before a race.
“What you do with the new scales is that you punch in the weight that the jockey has to ride and then you hop on and it tells you when you’re the right weight so there’s no human error.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Halter when Hampson piloted Hattan Man to second place over 1100m (RTG62+) and Zou Der Zee to second place over 1600m (RTG56+).
For fellow Top End trainer Dick Leech it was a day he would not easily forget after winning five of the six races.
READ: Leech lands another five-for on Kununurra Cup Day
Halter’s luck finally turned last Saturday when she landed a treble on the six-event program.
Zou Der Zee led from start to finish over 1600m (RTG56+), Raffalli was never far from the lead before saluting over 1350m (RTG56+) and Hattan Man stormed home to win over 1100m (RTG48+).
It’s no coincidence that all three horses have previous experience on the grass.
It also meant a winning treble for Hampson, who ended up receiving a $500 prize from the Kununurra Race Club as the leading rider at the end of the three meetings with four wins.
With Don’t Wait and Princess Dejour coming second in their respective races, it certainly capped off a great day for Halter.
“We had a rough couple of weeks early, but it was nice to finish with a few winners on Saturday and a winner back in Darwin with Canton Kid – it was a good day all round,” Halter said.
“We always thought Zou Der Zee would run 1600m – we gave him a couple of runs before he went home to Queensland last year over a mile.
“It’s good that he’s versatile from 1300-1600m – they’re good distances for him, so he’ll now have a couple of runs back in Darwin.
“Raffalli’s win proved that his effort the previous week and in Broome was no fluke.
“He’s only a young horse, so we’ll put him away now and give him a bit of a break and bring him back.
“Hopefully he handles Darwin and he goes on with it.
“Hattan Man is an old marvel that old bugger – this is probably his last campaign.
“He’s getting a bit of age on him now – he’s done his job for us.
“He was a cheap horse and he’s won us a bucket load of races, so we’re very happy.”
Of the 18 races at Kununurra, Darwin trainers won 16 – which included winning every race on the second and third day.
Leech cleaned up with nine wins followed by Halter (4) and Kerry Petrick (3), while Western Australian trainers Peter Farrell and Anthony Barton had one win each on the first day.
Former Darwin-based jockey Phillip Crich, who resides in Murray Bridge in South Australia these days, rode a winner on each of three days for Petrick after partnering Mangione, New Roman and Real Devine.
More horse racing news
