Darwin jockey Adam Nicholls and trainer Tayarn Halter dominated at Kununurra on Saturday.
Nicholls, riding at the grassed track in far north-east WA for the first time, ended the day with five winners on the seven-event program.
Halter, who has had success at Kununurra in the past, celebrated with four winners.
After leaving Darwin late last year to ride in Victoria, Nicholls returned to the Top End in June where he has picked up wins at Fannie Bay, Alice Springs and Katherine.
NT trainer Dick Leech, with stables in Darwin and Alice Springs, picked up five wins on Kununurra Cup Day in 2016 and 2022.
Leech, who won the 2023 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) and then the Darwin Cup (2050m) with Write Your Name, had eight runners in action for the first time since Darwin Cup Day on August 7 and managed three seconds with Prince Of Mercia ($1.90 fav), Hollerbyebaby and Mutany.
The Kununurra program has been reduced from three race meetings to two in 2023 with Cup Day scheduled for next Saturday.
Nicholls and Halter combined to win the feature on Saturday when seven-year-old gelding Kippax, who has been racing well of late without a win, prevailed in the $20,000 Cait RTG62 Handicap (1800m) to enhance his prospects in the $32,500 Kununurra Cup.
Kippax ($1.85 fav), having his first start at the track, hit the front in the back straight in the four-horse field before shaking off Kerry Petrick’s $2.80 bookmaker hope Boom Boom Sweet (Paul Denton), who gave chase at the 500m and proved a worthy adversary in the home straight, by half a length.
Other horses Nicholls partnered to victory for Halter included the seven-year-old gelding Pocket Pistol over 1100m (RTG62), five-year-old gelding Raffalli over 1350m (RTG56) and six-year-old gelding More Snitzel ($2.35 fav) over 1200m (RTG48).
Raffalli was successful for Halter at Kununurra last year, while Pocket Pistol – victorious at Katherine last weekend – and More Snitzel raced at the venue 12 months ago for respective WA trainers Kelvin Moore (Derby) and Peter Farrell (Waroona).
In fact, More Snitzel won at Kununurra in 2022 before settling in the NT when Halter took him back to Darwin.
To kick off with four winners was a shot in the arm for Halter after misfortune last year when Raffalli was disqualified after winning a race and Zouzouzalo, a Queensland purchase that was to be her Kununurra Cup horse, was euthanised after injuring itself after crashing through the outside fence after exiting the gates minus its rider in a lead up race.
Petrick, who has also triumphed at Kununurra in the past, ended the day with a winning double when Nicholls piloted $2.60 favourite Dip Me Lid to a narrow win over stablemate Mangione (Paul Denton), a winner at the track 12 months ago, over 1800m (RTG48) before Denton sealed a convincing win aboard Magnolia Rose over 1600m (RTG56).
Dip Me Lid, an eight-year-old gelding, finally won at the eighth attempt for Petrick and six-year-old mare Magnolia Rose made it four wins from 10 races for the NT trainer, who spends time in the Top End and Red Centre throughout the year.
Dip Me Lid and Magnolia Rose were also making their Kununurra debuts – so too was the Alice Springs-trained Garrucha that ended up winning the other race over 1100m (RTG56).
The four-year-old gelding, heading home after the Darwin Carnival, ensured that trainer Russell Bell finally secured that elusive first win at Kununurra and for 20-year-old Red Centre apprentice Lek Maloney, who rode Garrucha, it was his first win at his first interstate meeting.
Maloney, the son of Alice Springs Turf Club chairman Andrew Maloney, denied Halter and Nicholls of further success as Garrucha finished 2.5 lengths ahead of the second-placed Hattan Man with Petrick’s $2.50 favourite New Roman third.
Both Hattan Man and New Roman won at Kununurra last year.
Meanwhile, Alice Springs champion Savatoxl ($8.50) was far from disgraced after finishing a narrow third in the $120,000 Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m), a listed race, at Morphettville Parks on Saturday.
The Will Savage-trained Savatoxl, an eight-year-old gelding, was backing up after finishing second behind the Richard and Chantelle Jolly-trained See You In Heaven ($2.15 fav) in the $150,000 Behemoth WFA Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville a fortnight ago.
Savatoxl (Caitlin Jones), jumping from gate 13, led from the outset and had See You In Heaven ($1.95 fav) on its girth at the final bend before the talented four-year-old mare made her move in the home straight.
Little separated the pair with See You In Heaven getting to a narrow lead before the Patrick Payne-trained Seonee ($3.60) swooped late to seal victory – only half a length divided the trio across the line.
Darwin trainer Phil Cole had success at the Betoota meeting in Queensland’s south-west corner on Saturday when Little Town Blues ($6), ridden by Longreach jockey Robert Faehr, secured a narrow win in the $14,000 Open Handicap (1000m).
It was back to back wins for Little Town Blues, a six-year-old gelding, after getting the cash in Darwin over 1000m (0-62) three weeks ago.
Top End apprentice Emma Lines, 17, riding interstate for the first time, finished third in the $16,000 Betoota Cup (1600m) behind All Words on Equal Balance ($6) for Strathalbyn trainer Kym Healy.
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