Trainer Gary Clarke, jockey Jarrod Todd, and apprentice Emma Lines currently dominate the Darwin landscape.
It was an 11th straight honour for Clarke and a fourth straight crown for Todd at the end of the 2022/23 Top End and Country season, but for Lines, it was her first title.
The trio starred at Fannie Bay on Saturday, with Clarke landing a treble, while Todd and Lines, 17, managed doubles.
In the BM75 feature over 1100m, it was Lines in the spotlight, with six-year-old gelding Star Magnum ($4.40) leading from start to finish to make it three wins from seven starts for trainer Phil Cole.
Star Magnum rocketed out of the gates and was travelling effortlessly before skipping three lengths clear at the turn with 350m left to go.
Easily four lengths clear at the 200m, the son of Magnus sealed victory by 2.94 lengths from Gary Clarke’s $8.50 hope Mr Cashman, who settled fourth, and Tayarn Halter’s $2.25 bookmaker favourite City Regal, who gave away far too much start.
Chris Nash’s Ideas Man ($5.50) was aiming for four straight wins, but with 63.5kg and a wide gate, it would prove difficult, and despite matching it with the leaders, he faded to finish fourth.
Apart from a ninth in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) in August, Star Magnum, who carried 9kg less than Ideas Man on Saturday, has performed admirably in the NT since June with two seconds and a third after arriving from Matthew Dunn’s Murwillumbah stable.
With Cole and wife Rhonda holidaying in Bali, Lines and a team including Darwin trainer Pat Johnston, Tanya Reichstein, Jess Paddick, Jamie Haitana-Cole, Terry Bloxsom, and Ken Maloney have kept the stable ticking over.
Prior to Star Magnum’s win, Lines guided Looking For You ($8) to its first win since March, which was six starts ago, over 1200m against 0-58 opposition after also leading all the way.
Looking For You settled in front before having to contend with a bunch of challengers, but the son of Astronomer Royal held firm exiting the back straight before skipping away at the 500m.
Turning for home, the nine-year-old gelding was cruising and, once passing the 200m was never in danger of defeat before winning by 2.46 lengths from Jason Manning’s desperately unlucky Kirakat and Clarke’s $3.20 Betfair favourite Chief Mondo.
Kirakat ($8) botched the start and was well adrift along the back straight, but by the 600m he found his mojo and motored home along the rails to suggest that he may have been a good thing beaten.
Clarke started the day with success in a BM54 event over 1300m when $3.10 hope Zourisky, ridden by Adam Nicholls, made it back-to-back wins by finishing strongly over the concluding 600m before rounding up the leaders to salute by 2.71 lengths.
Motivated Miss and Bartolini set the early pace and kicked clear, but fourth-placed Zourisky accelerated down the side, and although Zoustar’s five-year-old mare took until the 200m to catch the leaders, she was easing up at the line.
Chris Pollard’s Meant For Mars ($41) trailed the leaders in third place and was fourth at the 200m before rallying to finish second, with Clarke’s fast-finishing Field Commander third.
Clarke and Todd combined when Vallabar, an eight-year-old rig, dug deep to secure victory over 1300m in 0-70 class after blowing the start.
The son of Widden Valley, an eye-catching fourth behind Ideas Man a fortnight ago, was a clear last in the eight-horse field once settling and still trailed at the 500m before gaining momentum.
Front-runner Plague Stone led with 200m to go as Soul Spirit, Raffalli, and Vallabar bridged the gap, and at the 100m it was a four-way go before Vallabar ($3.50) pipped Cole’s Soul Spriit by 0.08 lengths, with Halter’s Raffalli a length away in third.
With Clarke and Todd in his corner, Capistan, a four-year-old gelding by Capitalist, won on his Fannie Bay debut as a $1.90 Neds favourite in an 1100m maiden from Ella Clarke’s Gunshot Glitter and Pollard’s Full Damage.
Capistan, purchased at the Darwin Select Tried Horse Sale in August, over-raced early before settling in third place, and after having four rivals for company at home turn found space in the home straight to sneak home by 0.85 lengths.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Nash stable when Dissident’s seven-year-old gelding Son Of Bielski, forced four wide mid-race, still had enough in reserve to swamp the leaders in the home straight to post an impressive win by 3.3 lengths over 1300m (BM54).
Son Of Bielski, fifth in his Darwin debut a month ago, was under the guidance of visiting Victorian jockey Mark Pegus and was sixth passing the 1000m, but was picking up speed at the home turn before catching Peter Stennett’s $2.60 favourite The Albion, who shared the early lead, and Gary Clarke’s Prince Ruban, who was never far away.
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