With four months remaining in the Top End and Country premiership, Gary Clarke appears to have a mortgage on the trainers’ premiership.
Clarke made it 34 wins for the season with a double at Fannie Bay on Friday to extend his lead over Phil Cole (20).
The Darwin meeting accommodated four races and although it was overcast early, it was wet and muddy by stumps due to persistent rain.
Despite the weather, there was a common theme with every winner coming from well back in the home straight.
Clarke’s Zourisky (+750), ridden by Aaron Sweeney, gobbled up the opposition in the first race over 1300m (0-64) to win by two lengths.
Settling fifth in the six-horse field, Zourisky pounced turning for home at the 350m when forced four deep before rolling Cole’s Merseyside (+1200) and Patrick Johnston’s Ankle Rolex (+260).
For Zourisky, a five-year-old mare by Zoustar, it was her first win since October.
Cole, celebrating his birthday, had success when five-year-old mare Proklisi (+160), the daughter of Scissor Kick, finally prevailed at the 11th attempt after downing Chris Pollard’s Meant For Mars (+700) and Clarke’s Nassau County (+200) in bright sunshine over 1200m (Class 2) by 1.3 lengths.
With Wayne Davis aboard, Proklisi trailed the field in eighth place at the 800m before making ground at the 500m and hitting top gear at the 300m.
Bat Pad (+900), recently acquired by Pollard from Mark Nyhan’s stable, ended a 12-month drought when she came from fifth place at the turn to down Tayarn Halter’s Pocket Pistol (+2000) and Cole’s Soul Spirit (+650) by 2.2 lengths over 1100m (0-70).
Garry Lefoe’s Forms Of Fear (-285.71), victorious by 12.3 lengths over 1100m (Class 2) on its Darwin debut three weeks ago, and Clarke’s Patriotic King (+600) shared the early lead in the five-horse field and although the latter led at the 200m both eventually hit the wall.
For six-year-old mare Bat Pad, it was her first win since March last year when Sonja Logan, the pilot on Friday, guided Brazen Beau’s daughter home in Alice Springs.
It was a quagmire before Clarke’s Global Wonder (+145) – 10 lengths adrift in fifth place passing the 1000m – left it late before nailing Peter Stennett’s New Enterprise (+240) by half a length over 1600m (BM54).
Global Wonder, a six-year-old gelding, was stepping up to 1600m for the first time and gradually made ground on runaway leader New Enterprise passing the 500m, but it still seemed unlikely that the son of Hinchinbrook would bridge the gap.
The desperately unlucky New Enterprise – two lengths clear at the 100m – couldn’t thwart Global Wonder, a last start winner in April, with Pollard’s Bart’s Bullet (+1000), way back in seventh place in the eight-horse field along the back straight, finishing strongly for third.
Jarrod Todd produced a super winning ride and to make it 30 wins for the season from apprentice Emma Lines (20).
Clarke has been the premier trainer for the past 11 years, while Todd has been the leading jockey for the past four years.
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