The Greg Connor-trained Flying Start was named Horse of the Year for 2022 at the Alice Springs Turf Club’s presentation night at Pioneer Park on Saturday night.
The son of Flying Artie, an arrival in March from Lloyd Kennewell’s Cranbourne stable, won his first three starts in the Red Centre before making an impact during the Darwin Cup Carnival.
Missing the jump in a 1200m maiden in his first NT start on April 2 where he trailed the leaders by a long margin in fifth place, Flying Start made up significant ground by the end of the back straight and down the side before kicking clear in the home straight to win by eight lengths in 1:09.10.
It was an extraordinary performance considering the three-year-old gelding did a lot wrong early.
For jockey Jessie Philpot, Flying Start’s regular rider in the NT, it was also her 100th career win.
He backed up a fortnight later to win the $50,000 NT Guineas (1600m) by eight lengths – that’s after trailing the field by five lengths when turning into the back straight and after the unbeaten Dakota Lee from the Terry Gillett stable, the red-hot favourite, was scratched at the barrier.
With 600m to go, Flying Start was 10 lengths behind the leaders before flicking the switch.
2022 NT Guineas (1600m) race replay | Alice Springs | Flying Start (1st)
On April 29, Flying Start recorded his second Alice Springs Cup Carnival win when he saluted in a $25,000 feature over 1600m (BM68) against the three- and four-year-olds.
Next stop was the Top End, where he yet again stormed home to finish a narrow second over 1300m (BM66) for the three-year-olds on June 18 before coming seventh in the $75,000 Darwin Guineas (1600m) at Fannie Bay on July 2 to kick off the Darwin Cup Carnival.
He bounced back to win a $40,000 feature for the three-year-olds over 1200m (BM68) on July 23 before overcoming open company in a $30,000 race over 1300m on Darwin Cup Day on August 1.
“I have won awards in the past with the likes of Le Commandant and Extraceed, but no, I’ve never won the Horse of the Year, so that was pretty cool,” Connor said.
“I didn’t really expect it either, but when you looked at the horses that have raced over the year there were a few that won their four or five races at different levels.
“Like most horses you bring to the Territory, you just hope they cope with the dirt.
“After his first two starts in the Alice you think to yourself, ‘what just happened?’
“Took him up to Darwin with expectations of maybe being competitive in the Guineas, but the only thing that had me questioning myself was that he didn’t run any sort of time here in the NT Guineas.
“He got beaten pretty easily in the Darwin Guineas.
“I really liked the fact that when he did sprint in his first race here in Alice he ran a really good time and that was pretty amazing, so I went back to that – back to sprinting.
“Turned out to be the right move.”
Connor said the win over a handy bunch of three-year-olds in the $40,000 race at Fannie Bay was Flying Start’s best NT performance.
“We were coming back from the mile,” he said.
“I just thought that if he could run the sectionals he can do in Alice and if he could repeat his first up Darwin effort he was a chance – he came back and blew them away.
“I half-toyed with the idea of nominating him in the Palmerston Sprint, but his rating wasn’t up high enough.
“I would have loved to have had him in the Palmerston Sprint.”
Darwin R2 replay | July 23, 2022 | Flying Start (1st)
Looking to the future, Connor has mapped out a plan for the four-year-old.
“I’m not going to punch too high with him,” Connor said.
“I’ve just got him ticking along at the moment.
“It’s only a small percentage chance, but I may send him to Adelaide and give him a run or two back on the grass.
“I don’t expect to take him back south and be any sort of super star – he seems to have found his niche here on the dirt.
“We’ll give him a couple of starts down there possibly over Christmas and then bring him back for our carnival.
“Set him against the bigger boys and see what happens as a sprinter.
“I’ll just wait and see, but he’d probably be around the 1100m and 1200m mark type horse.
“He can run up some ridiculous times if you let him, but he just gets so far back.
“Hopefully he comes back a bit better, if he does that will be a bonus.
“Going forward, hopefully there will be exciting times ahead with him.”
Flying Start had six starts in Victoria, with his best effort a third in a 1400m maiden on the synthetic surface at Pakenham in July last year.
Others nominated for the Horse of the Year award were Dakota Lee and Supreme Times (Terry Gillett), Dataset (Jess Gleeson) and Mathematics (Lisa Whittle).
The Sprinter of the Year award (up to 1200m) went to Dakota Lee, the Stayer of the Year award (1400m and over) went to Dataset, and the Three-Year-Old of the Year award went to Flying Start.
The unbeaten Dakota Lee, the only other nomination for the three-year-old award, won six races during the 2021/22 season, and that’s after winning an 1100m maiden as a two-year-old filly on debut in March last year.
Others nominated for the Sprinter of the Year award were Supreme Times, Roppongi (Terry Gillett), Kummerlings (Ray Viney), Like A Heartbeat (Lisa Whittle), Miles Prower (Greg Connor) and Our Luca (Kerry Petrick).
Dataset had 13 starts last season in Alice Springs, Darwin and Tennant Creek for five wins, a second, two thirds and two fourths, which included two wins over 1600m (0-66 and 0-70) in July during the Darwin Cup Carnival.
Others nominated for the Stayer of the Year award were Bench Press and That’s Justified (Terry Gillett), and Zelring (Lisa Whittle).
Leading trainer Lisa Whittle (32 wins), leading jockey Stan Tsaikos (35) and leading apprentice Ianish Luximon (6) were also honoured for their success during the 2021/22 season.
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