Leading NT trainer Gary Clarke is well aware that success in the $60,000 Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m) at Fannie Bay on Saturday can lead to extra benefits down the track.
It’s the feature on Day 2 of the Darwin Cup Carnival and recent history suggests that the winner of the race is capable of saluting in the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) on the first Monday in August.
Clarke achieved the feat last year when Playoffs won both races – that’s after Lightinthenite (2015) and Zahspeed (2018) claimed the double.
Since 2000, Brave Decision (2002), Lanson (2005), Shout Out Loud (2010), Hawks Bay (2012), Royal Request (2017) and Highly Decorated (2021) have also won the Chief Minister’s Cup and Darwin Cup.
For the 2023 Chief Minister’s Cup, Clarke has four runners in the 10-horse field – Siakam (Paul Denton), Vallabar (Alice Lindsay), Grandslam (Jarrod Todd) and Thought Of That (Paul Shiers).
After sending Playoffs north last year, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace – with training operations at Ballarat, Cranbourne and Warwick Farm – are looking for further glory with Grandslam and Thought Of That.
Grandslam, a five-year-old gelding by Myboycharlie, won the $200,000 Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley in March 2021 and the $250,000 Gold Heath (2000m) in April 2022.
Thought Of That, a six-year-old gelding by So You Think, won the $350,000 Group 3 Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) as a three-year-old in October 2019 and posted three straight wins in 2021 at Sale (1746m), Sandown Hillside (1800m) and Moonee Valley (2040m).
“I don’t really know what to expect from Grandslam and Thought Of That,” Clarke said.
“They both trialled pretty average, but I don’t take a lot of notice of that going into mile races.
“I can’t separate their work and I can’t separate their form.
“Jarrod (Todd) was walking around flipping a coin all week trying to work out which one to ride because their track work has been identical as well.
“They’re being set for the Cup, you may see the best of them when they get to 2050m.
“Not sure how they’ll go at the mile on Saturday.
“Probably won’t give them another run before the Cup, it just depends on how they pull up from this race.
“If I’m happy with the way they pull up, they’ll just go the Cup.
“But if I think they need another bit of a clean out, I’ll probably give them a run.”
Siakam, a five-year-old gelding, has won six of his past 12 starts, including the St Patrick’s Day Cup (1600m) in March.
Vallabar, a seven-year-old rig, has returned from Scott Brunton’s Tasmanian stable, after finishing third in the Darwin Cup and winning the Katherine Cup (1700m) last year.
Siakam (third) and Vallabar (sixth) featured in the ROANT Gold Cup (1300m) two weeks ago – the Jason Manning-trained Noir De Rue pulled off a miraculous victory.
“Siakam and Vallabar – two super tough campaigners,” Clarke said.
“What they lack in ability they make up for it in grit.
“They’re both going to get in with reasonable weights I would imagine in the better races.
“Siakam will give a ton of cheek on Saturday because he is fit and hard.
“Probably the best lot of horses he has been up against.
“Vallabar will be thereabouts – you’ll probably see the best of him when he gets out to the 2050m as well.”
Clarke (45) leads Phil Cole (30) and Tayarn Halter (23) in the Top End trainers’ premiership and will seal his 11th-straight title at the end of July.
He also won 17 races over the eight days during the 2022 Darwin Cup Carnival, including five of the features, and kicked off the 2023 campaign last Saturday with a winning double after Todd booted home Great Diviner and Mr Cashman.
“I was super impressed with Mr Cashman, as he ran a quicker time than Expert Witness in the open 1100m race and carried 4kg more,” Clarke said.
“Great Diviner, I’m going to step him out to the mile after his 1300m win and see if he can run 1600m next Wednesday in the Bridge Toyota Cup.
“He’s never been up to the mile, so we’ll see how he goes.
“To win the premiership, it’s pretty good.
“I’ve had a tough year as I probably lost 20 horses since Carnival last year through injury, so I’m lucky to still be on top of the ladder.
“Got plenty of horses at the moment, so we’ve just got to try and split them up if we can so they’re not running against one another.”
Thought Of That ($3.70) and Grandslam ($4.40) are both prominent in Chief Minister’s Cup betting markets, where Noir De Rue is a $3.10 favourite with online bookmakers.
Siakam is a $9 chance, while Vallabar is the outsider in the field at $46.
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