Setting the pace in races paid dividends at Darwin on Friday, with four of the five winners leading from start to finish.
Trainer Gary Clarke and jockey Jarrod Todd combined for two wins, but Ella Clarke’s Wild Beau grabbed the headlines after breaking the 1100m track record.
Facing 0-64 opposition, Wild Beau pinged the outside gate in the six-horse field and led by the 1000m despite Victorian apprentice Hannah Le Blanc holding the fence aboard Chris Pollard’s Disco Donut.
Disco Donut applied pressure at the 800m, but Wild Beau then skipped two lengths clear and only extended his lead in the home straight before prevailing by 7.8 lengths in 1:01.60.
Gary Clarke’s Patriotic King set the previous mark in September 2023 with 1:01.84 after decimating his BM54 rivals by 9.8 lengths.
Wild Beau, a four-year-old gelding, was a last start fourth behind Patriotic King over 1000m at 0-64 level on October 26.
The son of Brazen Beau was returning from a three-month spell after winning his first two starts at Fannie Bay in June and July before finishing seventh against quality three-year-olds over 1200m during the Darwin Cup Carnival in late July.
Formerly trained by Bjorn Baker at Warwick Farm, Wild Beau – starting at $6 on Friday with horse racing bookmakers – handed jockey Aaron Sweeney a winner on his return from suspension.
Ella Clarke’s dad Gary won the first two races with $4.20 equal favourite American Jazz over 1300m in BM54 ranks and $2.50 favourite Pharoah Magic over 1200m in 0-70 grade.
American Jazz, who starred in the Top End last year, had gone eight races without a win since returning to Darwin, while Pharoah Magic recovered after a last start sixth over 1200m (0-70) in October.
Le Blanc never relinquished the lead on Pollard’s $5.50 chance Kiss Kiss Kiss in the 1000m maiden and Queensland’s Wanderson D’Avila caught Pollard’s Lucky Dog, who led from the outset, right on the line aboard Phil Cole’s $6.50 contender Ny Kee in Heat 3 of the Lightning Wet Season Series (1000m) at 0-58 level.
Cole deserved a slice of good fortune after three seconds the previous Friday.
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