It’s hotting up in the Red Centre as three races on Day 2 of the Alice Springs Cup on Saturday will have an important outcome.
The seven-event race meeting at Pioneer Park is highlighted by the $50,000 NT Guineas (1600m) for the three-year-olds, as well as the $30,000 The Soldier Lightning Handicap (1000m) and $26,300 Ladbrokes Racing Club Handicap (1900m).
The winner of the Guineas and the 1900m Open Handicap will be exempted from the ballot for the $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m), while the winner of the Lightning will be exempted from the ballot for the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m).
The Alice Springs Cup and Pioneer Sprint are scheduled for Sunday, April 30 – Day 5 of the Alice Springs Turf Club’s racing smorgasbord.
Apart from the healthy prizemoney, it’s unlikely the runners will leave anything in the tank in either race as they strive to book their ticket in the two biggest races on the calendar in Central Australia.
Therefore, it should prove to be excellent racing and to help set the scene Pioneer Park race-caller Dylan Bairstow was asked to run his eye over all three races.
NT Guineas
“Is anyone going to upset Ankle Rolex in the Guineas, no, I don’t think so,” he said.
“Back on level weights, he looks very well placed.
“It’s won four from six and it looks like his race to lose really.
“It’s versatile – he can sit fourth or fifth or sit up handy.
“However it jumps, jockey Jade Hampson will position it and it should be just too good.
“If there was to be a threat, you’d have to say Jewel Roca.
“It’s been racing well, it’s ran behind Ankle Rolex a couple of times.
“Lightly raced – it has been pushing Ankle Rolex, but just seems to lack that one cog.
“If there was something to upstage the favourite, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Jewel Roca.”
The Solider Lightning Handicap
“It’s a tricky little race,” Bairstow confessed.
“There’s form lines coming from all sorts of different areas.
“You’d have to be impressed with what Expert Witness has done.
“Put three in a row up in Darwin and it’s first run down here was ultra impressive.
“Got champion jockey Paul Shiers, so it’s going to be hard to beat I would imagine.
“Probably the newcomers coming up through the grades are the biggest threats.
“Esashi and Asahi Bearing are very fast horses as you’d expect for a five furlong sprint.
“There’s speed everywhere, but I just thought maybe Expert Witness could camp off them and be too strong.”
Ladbrokes Racing Club Open Handicap 1900m
“It’s a good little race,” Bairstow added.
“Obviously there’s a lot of Cup aspirants.
“I thought maybe Venting looks well placed down on the minimum.
“Has won up to 2050m and has been placed at 2300m.
“The step up to 1900m is ideal, it’s been getting back and running on.
“It ran on good two weeks ago for second over 1600m when the track was very on-speed biased.
“I thought Venting down in the weights is probably the one to beat.
“Venting sort of has to win to get into the Cup.
“Write Your Name is stepping up to 1900m for the first time.
“Obviously, it’s racing terrific and in good form.
“I Am The Fox was good late the other day behind Write Your Name and it will only appreciate the step up.
“A former Cup winner, he’s grand final is probably in a fortnight’s time.”
Meanwhile, Bairstow confirmed that Savatoxl, a former winner of the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m) at Morphettville, trialled at Pioneer Park on Tuesday.
The seven-year-old gelding, who debuted as a two-year-old for Alice Springs trainer Will Savage in March 2018, won eight of its first nine starts in the Red Centre before going on to make a name for himself at the top level in Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Savatoxl, who was also trained by Darwin’s Gary Clarke and Ballarat’s Tony and Calvin McEvoy, won other feature races such as the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield and Group 3 McKay Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville.
The son of Kuroshio has tasted success from 1000-1600m, but also finished second in the 2019 NT Derby (2000m) in Darwin.
In 37 starts he has amassed almost $950,000 in stakes from 17 wins and just four minor placings.
He hasn’t raced since coming 10th in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley last October, but according to Bairstow it seems likely Savatoxl will have one last start in Alice Springs during Cup Carnival.
“Yeah, he trialled here the other day alongside the Pioneer Sprint horse of Gary Clarke’s, Amish Boy,” he said.
“Those two trialled really well, so I’d say Savatoxl could step out in the weight-for-age race (1200m) next week I’d imagine.
“There’s a little whisper that if he races well in the weight-for-age that Will might take him down to Adelaide for the Goodwood.
“I don’t think at this stage the Pioneer Sprint is on his radar, only because he’d get 63kg or 64kg.”
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