Wolfburn and Canton Kid enhanced their respective Darwin Cup (2050m) and Palmerston Sprint (1200m) prospects on Saturday with wins at Fannie Bay.
The Gary Clarke-trained Wolfburn, ridden by Jarrod Todd, sealed the $30,000 ROANT Gold Cup (1300m) – the feature race on the traditional “Day Zero” program – as a $1.50 favourite with horse racing bookmakers.
The Garry Lefoe-trained Canton Kid ($9), ridden by apprentice Jade Hampson, returned from a four-month hiatus to claim victory over 1000m (0-76).
For Wolfburn, victory followed two previous wins over 1200m (BM72) on Anzac Day and 1300m in open company in May after returning from Adelaide.
In 12 Fannie Bay starts, Wolfburn boasts seven wins along with three minor placings, and is it any wonder that he and Chris Nash’s Son Of Bielski, who has won six straight, are serious Darwin Cup hopes come August 5.
Wolfburn, jumping from eight in the 10-horse field, pinged the gates and led after finding the fence before Andrew Perdon’s Starspangled Baby ($26) and Neil Dyer’s Hettinger ($8.50) – both from Victoria – kept him company after 500m.
Down the side and Starspangled Baby was still matching Wolfburn, but once swinging for home, the favourite was two lengths clear as Hettinger, Chloe Baxter’s He’s The Ultimate ($11) and Jason Manning’s Noir De Rue ($18) – last year’s ROANT Gold Cup winner – started to wind up.
After chewing up plenty of early petrol, Wolfburn held on to edge out He’s The Ultimate – returning from injury after a last start fifth in the 2023 Darwin Cup – by a length, while nine-year-old gelding Noir De Rue (63.5kg), who ran wide throughout, wasn’t far behind in third place.
Canton Kid, who broke the 1200m track record (1.07.09) on Darwin Cup Day last year, started well on Saturday, and it wasn’t long before the six-year-old gelding was sharing the lead with Clarke’s Rising Sphere ($1.85 fav), who held the fence.
The leaders skipped clear with Ella Clarke’s Pop Magic ($8), back from a spell after three wins and two seconds from his previous six starts, three lengths adrift in third place.
The duel out in front ended at the 200m when Canton Kid (56kg) skipped clear of Rising Sphere (60.5kg), a last-start winner over 1100m on June 8, before winning by 1.2 lengths.
Pop Magic stormed home over the concluding 100m to grab second place ahead of the favourite.
Canton Kid clocked 54.46, which was just outside the track record (56.02), after blitzing his rivals 11 days ago in a 900m trial by 7.2 lengths.
It was Lefoe’s first day back after serving a suspension, and for Canton Kid, the son of Written Tycoon, it was his 24th Fannie Bay start for six wins and a further six minor placings.
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