Trainer Tom Logan had every right to be kicking stones as headed home a few weeks ago when last they raced at Darwin, but it was a different story following the final meeting of the year on Saturday.
Logan ended 2022 with a winning double at a saturated Fannie Bay when Poupee ($4.20 with horse betting sites) and Freddy The Eagle ($3.40) bounced back to form sealing victory over 1100m in open company and 1600m (0-64), respectively.
Back on December 9, when last they raced in the Top End, nothing went right for Logan when Freddy The Eagle (5th), Malibu Edition (6th), Euphenegia (7th) and Virtuous Miss (9th) were way off the pace.
“Not really sure what the story was last meeting,” Logan said on Monday.
“I can’t really put my finger on it, I can’t really tell you what happened.
“I got a couple of blood tests done and nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Everything went a lot better to plan on Saturday, it ended up being a fantastic day.”
Poupee, a five-year-old mare, arrived from Queensland and won three straight in March-April before finishing fifth (0-76) over 1000m in June and 1200m in July before a last start second over 1000m (0-76) on November 12.
With visiting Queensland jockey Nathan Day in the saddle, Poupee jumped to the front in the feature race on the program and was never headed before edging out Phil Cole’s $21 hope Charretera (Britney Wong) and Chris Pollard’s $4.40 fancy Cudjerie (Stan Tsaikos), who challenged the winner at the top of the straight.
Freddy The Eagle was a back to back winner in October when he debuted in Darwin before a fourth over 1300m (0-64) and fifth over 1300m (BM54) on December 9.
It was a big step up to the 1600m for the former South Australian five-year-old gelding after coming eighth over 1800m at Murray Bridge in June 2021 and sixth over 1719m at Gawler in June last year.
Day had Freddy The Eagle settled in fifth place and with 600m to go he was sixth in the seven-horse field and clearly in strife before winding up once turning for home.
It was only in the final 100m that Freddy The Eagle caught Cole’s $2.30 favourite Meadows Young Buck (Wong), who ended up running third when Mark Nyhan’s $15 chance Halogem (Paul Denton), a clear last along the back straight, flashed home to grab second place.
“Poupee, I was quite surprised to see her lead,” Logan said.
“I just thought she would have sat outside the leader or just off the speed, but Nathan said she just jumped and he urged her on a bit and she got an easy lead, which was probably perfect in a way.
“I don’t think there’s a race for Poupee for a while, but she’s a good horse to give four or five weeks between runs anyway.
“Freddy The Eagle, I really liked him over a mile.
“He’s a very hard horse to get a guide on because when you race him he jumps OK, then he loses lots of ground and then he storms home.
“Hopefully he’ll end up being perhaps a Darwin Cup horse this year.”
The form of Malibu Edition, who arrived in Darwin 13 months ago, continues to fluctuate and on Saturday the four-year-old gelding sat outside the early leader – $3.70 favourite Flying Deputy (Cecily Eaton) from the Dick Leech stable – over 1300m (Class 2) before making his move approaching the home turn.
Tayarn Halter’s $4.40 runner Beachhaven (Vanessa Arnott), a last start winner when she debuted in Darwin on December 9, was also making ground and although Malibu Edition (Day) hit the front in the home straight he ended up playing second fiddle to the former Victorian galloper with Cole’s $21 roughie Turnstar (Wayne Davis) finishing third.
Virtuous Miss (Day) didn’t have it all her way over 1100m (0-64) before producing good speed in the closing stages to finish a narrow third behind Tayarn Halter’s $18 bolter Noble War (Dakota-Lee Gillett) and Gary Clarke’s $11 each-way hope Manly Cove (Jarrod Todd).
Settling in third place along the rails, Logan’s five-year-old mare had trouble negotiating the hill down the side and slipped back to fifth before getting off the fence once turning for home and making good ground on the outside over the final 300m.
“With Malibu Edition, you’ve got to go forward because if he gets a little bit of kick back he just spits the bit and goes backwards,” Logan said.
“Virtuous Miss drew barrier two, I thought she would have sat outside the leader or probably lead.
“She travelled good early, but I think just coming down the hill she just lost a lot of ground and when Nathan got to the top of the straight he’s pulled her out and she’s really motored home.
“Another 20m she wins, probably just look for a little bit further next start with her.”
The only disappointing result for Logan was when six-year-old mare Debasement (Day), who was making her fourth Darwin start, finished 10th against maiden performers and those above three years of age over 1100m (Class 2).
Logan was glowing in his praise of Brisbane-based jockey Day, who ended up winning the jockey’s challenge on Saturday.
“Nathan came up from Queensland and apart from Debasement, she’s sacked now, he rode the others all 100 per cent really,” he said.
“He was outstanding and probably couldn’t have done anything different on them – they all went super.
“He was very positive out of the gates and gave them every possible chance.
“Nathan has ridden up here before which makes a very big difference.
“He’s a great jockey, he’s ridden lots of winners – he knows what it’s all about.
“He gets them out of the gates really well, he’s a good strong rider.”
For his stable to recover so soon was good news for Logan, but he sensed that it was a possibility.
“Yeah, I liked kind of all of them,” he said.
“Besides Debasement, the other horses had all been working really well during the week and were happy.
“The weather was a little bit cooler this week as well, which made a big difference.
“I was expecting a good day, but I probably had a little bit better day than I thought really.”
Speaking of the weather, the Darwin region had up to 330mm due to continuous monsoonal rain in the week leading up to the races, with relentless precipitation for the duration of Saturday’s meeting.
The December 17 meeting at Fannie Bay was abandoned following a lunchtime storm that left the track in no condition for racing.
“We had that much rain – it was unbelievable they still ran the races,” Logan said.
“We had big showers between races – one race was put back a little bit.
“The track curator did a great job getting the track fit to race as we probably had 100mm on Saturday and the night before.”
Meanwhile, Logan confirmed that partner and leading Darwin jockey Sonja Wiseman will make her return when racing resumes in the NT in January.
Wiseman hasn’t featured since riding in Alice Springs on December 4 after electing to have minor surgery on her right wrist, which she injured following a serious fall in July 2021 where she also sustained additional injuries that kept her sidelined for three months.
It will be a welcome return for Wiseman as she has starred this season – sharing the Top End and Country premiership with Jarrod Todd with 15 winners and leading the Alice Springs and Provincial premiership clearly with 16 winners.
“Sonja rode trackwork this morning for the first time, wrist held up pretty good,” Logan said.
“She’ll be back for the next meeting in Darwin on January 14 and Alice Springs on January 15.”
Finally, it was also New Year’s Eve on Saturday, but for Logan it was a very low key celebration on Saturday night.
“Very quiet,” he said.
“Just went to Silks at Fannie Bay for a feed and a couple of beers with a few friends.
“We were in bed by about 10.30pm – had to get up at 6am and go and do the horses.”
More horse racing news
