It’s not every day that you ride a winner for a trainer, who also happens to be your mum.
Alice Springs apprentice Dakota-Lee Gillett achieved that rare distinction after guiding Esashi ($4.40 eq fav) to victory for mum Leanne at Alice Springs on Saturday.
What a way for the teenager to celebrate six months in the saddle.
Riding a winner for her parents – dad Terry is also an accomplished trainer – was always going to occur one day and the Gilletts are unlikely forget the first meeting of 2023 at Pioneer Park anytime soon.
The 17-year-old rode Terry’s horse Policy in her first race on July 17 and now that she has secured a win for mum achieving success for dad in the future appears inevitable.
Dakota-Lee’s first winner was on Leah Walling-Denton’s Hard Work Rewards in August before spending time in NSW working on her craft with Wyong trainer Damien Lane.
Returning to Alice after breaking ribs in a car accident, the teenager made a full recovery and won first up aboard Paul Gardner’s Fair Go on December 18.
On New Year’s Eve, Dakota-Lee debuted at Darwin and saluted on Tayarn Halter’s Noble War.
Heading back to the Top End on January 14, she made it two wins at Fannie Bay and three wins in as many NT meetings with victory on Chris Pollard’s Cudjerie.
Esashi, a 4YO mare, had the services of Terry when she debuted in the NT on Alice Springs Cup Day (May 1) and finished third against quality 3YO opposition over 1200m before Leanne cared for the horse.
Returning from a spell in October, Esashi had five starts for a win, two seconds, a third and a fourth before making it three career wins when Dakota-Lee, with her 4kg claim, made it five wins from 48 starts.
Jumping from the inside gate over 1000m (BM54), Esashi found the lead and had Sir Slew ($26) for company before Manhattan Man ($12) and Superior Power ($18) entered the fray approaching the final turn.
With Esashi kicking clear in the home straight, it was all over at the 200m with Ray Viney’s $13 hope Unpredicted (Jessie Philpot) finishing strongly to grab second from Greg Connor’s Manhattan Man (Dan Morgan).
Meanwhile, the combination of trainer Kerry Petrick and jockey Phillip Crich continues to work wonders in Alice Springs and Darwin as they secured a winning double.
Real Devine ($5.50) posted her first win at the 11th attempt in the NT with a strong finish over 1100m (0-58) – the 4YO mare’s other win for Petrick and Crich occurred at Kununurra in September.
Camped in fourth place in her sixth Red Centre start, Real Devine went wide turning for home in pursuit of the leader Fair Go ($4.80), glued to the rails, and second-placed City Jet ($4.20 fav).
In the end Real Devine, a last start fourth over 1600m, was too good edging out Paul Gardner’s unlucky Fair Go (Sonja Wiseman) with Terry Gillett’s City Jet (Dakota-Lee Gillett) hanging on for third.
Phantom Court ($4.40) made it two wins from three starts in the Alice after basically leading throughout over 1100m (0-64) after exiting from gate two, with Greg Connor’s $8.50 chance Radio Room (Lek Maloney) and Lisa Whittle’s $12 contender Pembroke Castle (Paul Denton) impressing to fill the minor placings.
Will Savage’s $2.05 favourite with Australian betting sites Mackinaw (Emma Lines) had every chance to make it back to back wins after sitting outside Phantom Court when they settled, but finished just off the pace in fourth place.
Since October 29, Petrick has picked up eight wins and for Crich it has been 14 – and during that period the pair have shared seven victories.
When former Victorian galloper Kerioth won so handsomely first up in the Alice over 1100m (0-70) on December 18, trainer Dick Leech was contemplating the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) in April should the 5YO grey gelding back up and repeat the dose.
He was $5.50 in his NT debut, but started as the $2.25 favourite on Saturday over 1100m (0-70) and it’s clear he has that touch of class with yet another emphatic win.
It may have only been a five-horse field, but it boasted talent – yet Kerioth (Jarrod Todd), who missed the start, ended up sitting comfortably in fourth place down the side with 500m to go behind Cyclonite ($6.50), Miles Prower ($6.50) and Delago Lad ($3.10), who had won four straight before a last start second behind Kerioth.
Kerioth found that gap in the home straight and with 300m to go sprinted clear to overcome Greg Connor’s Miles Prower (Jessie Philpot) and Lisa Whittle’s Cyclonite (Sonja Wiseman) by three and a half lengths.
Trainer Rene Taylor celebrated just her second win from 38 starts when Tycoons Dior ($4.80) finally won her first race at the 10th attempt – albeit narrowly – in a 1000m maiden.
The 6YO, who had finished among the minor placegetters eight times and had also picked up a fourth, refused to load with rider Wayne Davis dismounting before the mare took her place.
Tycoons Dior jumped well and sat outside the leader Bear Forever ($7.50), but once heading for home the challengers descended before Taylor’s charger held on to overcome Ray Viney’s $41 outsider Quizzle (Jessie Philpot) and Greg Connor’s $12 runner Artie Star (Dan Morgan in a blanket finish.
Taylor’s only other winner was Golden Ripples, a winner over 1100m (0-64) in August, who finished sixth behind Phantom Court on Saturday.
For the Darwin-based Davis, who was sidelined in late October and November after a track-work mishap at Fannie Bay, it was his first winner in the Red Centre since September 11 when he partnered Jess Gleeson’s Sedona.
Alice Springs Race 4 Replay – 21/1/23
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