She enjoyed unbridled success with Highly Decorated during the 2021 Darwin Cup Carnival, and now South Australian trainer Nicole Irwin hopes to leave her mark in Alice Springs.
Irwin has already had two winners during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival this month and has her fingers crossed that nine-year-old gelding Masterati can deliver in the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on Sunday.
The son of Master Of Design boasts an outstanding record in Darwin which gives you the impression that his seventh on debut at Alice Springs in April 2021 over 1100m (0-66) was an aberration – a case of adapting to the NT dirt.
Masterati has had 67 career starts for 14 wins and 17 minor placings in NSW, Queensland and SA, but it is in Darwin where he has starred having posted seven wins and four minor placings from 14 starts from 1000-1600m.
He hasn’t raced since finishing ninth behind Syncline in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) in Darwin last July and arrived in the Red Centre by truck from Irwin’s Murray Bridge stable a fortnight ago courtesy of husband David.
Despite heading to the Red Centre’s biggest event for the sprinters without a run under his belt, Irwin has faith in Masterati – who drew the inside gate in the 12-horse field – after winning an 800m trial at Pioneer Park on April 20 where he finished ahead of leading Pioneer Sprint hope Amish Boy.
“We gave him that trial – it was only an 800m trial, but he’s had a good feel of the track and jumps out of the gates fast, so I don’t think that will worry him,” Irwin said.
“Didn’t do too much, but did enough and he’s trained on well.
“Dakota-Lee Gillett jumped on him for the trial just to get a feel of him before the Pioneer Sprint.
“He’s a bit of a one dimensional old horse, so it doesn’t really matter who rides him I don’t think.
“As long as they just leave him alone and let him do his thing.”
Gillett, a rising young apprentice based in Alice Springs, will be searching for her first NT feature.
So why has Masterati excelled in the NT?
“I just think he loves to jump and lead – it’s a hard thing to do down south,” Irwin said.
“You’ve always got backmarkers coming at you.
“He thrives up here – whether he likes the weather, I’m not sure.
“We took him home from Darwin last year and we were umming and ahing whether he was ready to be retired or not.
“We did a full set of x-rays on him and had out vet go right over him, and he showed no reason to retire him, so we brought him back in with this race in mind.
“After this race, obviously we’ll see where his future lies.
“Whether he heads back to Darwin again with us or whether he might be retired after this.”
Despite the fact that Savatoxl will miss the Pioneer Sprint, Irwin agrees that it will still be a competitive race.
“Good field, yeah, good horses,” she said.
“The only concern would have to be that there is a couple of really serious pacemakers in it, that they’ll go too hard on each other early and set it up for something to come from behind.
“That’s our only concern – is Masterati good enough first up to be able to lead and hang on?
“Smuggling has won the race for the last two years and ran a really good race the other day.
“I think he’ll be right there in the finish again this year.”
Pioneer Sprint Tips
Dylan Bairstow (Alice Springs race-caller): 1 Amish Boy, 5 Smuggling, 4 Expert Witness, 3 Masterati
Andrew O’Toole (Sky Racing): 2 Poupee, 5 Smuggling, 1 Amish Boy, 4 Expert Witness
Greg Aldam (Thoroughbred Racing NT): 1 Amish Boy, 5 Smuggling, 3 Masterati, 2 Poupee
David White (horsebetting.com.au): 4 Expert Witness, 2 Poupee, 1 Amish Boy, 5 Smuggling
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