Top End trainer Tayarn Halter hasn’t been in the spotlight in the weeks leading up to the Darwin Cup Carnival, but that all changed when Tyquendo, Zou Der Zee, Noble War and Expert Witness saluted at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
“That’s a personal best over Carnival and to get four was absolutely great,” she said.
“My best day ever was five at Wyndham in WA.”
The Halter stablemates were never far from the lead before producing solid wins.
According to the trainer, that’s just how the cards fell.
“The riders know the horses and I basically left it up to them,” Halter said.
“Just said to get them in nice positions and hopefully they could finish off, and they did.”
Paul Shiers, a star at this time of year, was aboard Tyquendo ($16), Noble War ($6.50) and Expert Witness ($2.20), while Stan Tsaikos on Zou Der Dee ($21) proved yet again how efficiently he can control a race when he gets to an early lead.
Tyquendo, a four-year-old gelding, got the ball rolling in race three when he sat outside the early leader Del Viento ($3.30 fav) before kicking clear at the 250m to overcome Mark Nyhan’s $21 hope Tuffnut (Alice Lindsay) and Heather Lehmann’s $16 chance Lady Tucan (Sonja Wiseman) in a 1300m 0-58 Handicap.
Darwin R3 replay – Tyquendo
Up next under the same race conditions was Zou Der Zee, a striking 10-year-old grey gelding, who got to the fence at the 900m before hitting the front and was never headed with Gary Clarke’s $6.50 fancy Bel Suono (Jarrod Todd) and Kym Healy’s $2.60 favourite Equal Balance (Mark Pegus) filling the minor placings.
Darwin R4 replay – Zou Der Dee
Noble War jumped from gate one in race six – a 1200m 0-62 Handicap for fillies and mares – and stuck to the rails in second place behind Afternoon Tea ($2.50 fav) before sprinting clear in the home straight to win comfortably from Lehmann’s $6 prospect Lucky Fortuna (Adam Nicholls) and Clarke’s $14 contender Zourisky (Lindsay).
Darwin R6 replay – Noble War
In race seven, Expert Witness jumped well and hit the front in a small field of five running over 1100m, and in what proved to be an excellent Palmerston Sprint (1200m) trial the four-year-old gelding snuck home from Phil Cole’s $5.50 runner Cielo D’Oro (Emma Lines) and Clarke’s $5 candidate Syncline (Todd).
Darwin R7 replay – Expert Witness
“It was a super effort on Saturday and it’s good to get the results for the owners,” Halter said.
“Thanks once again to my staff, the jockeys, the track work riders and my partner Lindsay (Schmidt) – it’s hard work.
“Had a couple of fresh ones in – Noble War and Expert Witness.
“For Noble War to be back in that fillies and mares race, she had her foot on the till over her pet distance of 1200m.
“Tyquendo and Zou Der Zee were unlucky last start – they got caught up in a bit of back wash and it was a forgettable day for both.
“Old Zou Der Zee always goes good on the track and Tyquendo’s form before his last start was excellent.
“I had a good day and the horses acquitted themselves really well – four tough wins, it was fantastic.”
Despite her big Saturday, Halter remains respectful of the opposition with seven meetings remaining in the 2023 Darwin Cup Carnival.
“There’s so many good horses and the results can change from week to week,” she said.
“The surface of the track changes and the form of a horse can change.
“The races are going to get stronger and there’s plenty of other good trainers out there who haven’t shown their wares yet.
“They’ve got plenty of talent in the stable.”
As always, Halter had plenty of praise for Shiers, but she also highlighted the work of star apprentice Jade Hampson, who will miss the carnival after injuring her back in a fall the previous weekend.
“Disappointing for Jade, but to her credit she showed up at the track every morning and helped me do some race planning,” Halter said.
“She was at the track on Saturday taking all the videos and doing the media for me.
“Jade is also at track work doing media for me, so I take my hat off to her.
“She’s just a great person and her work ethic is incredible.”
There’s every chance Hampson, who won the Alice Springs Cup (2000m) on Write Your Name for trainer Dick Leech, may have landed a double on Saturday.
“Noble War, Jade’s done all the work on her leading up to Carnival and she rides rides Zou Der Zee 90 per cent of the time,” Halter said.
“Shiersy is Tyquendo and Expert Witness, but Jade did a lot of work on Expert Witness leading up to Alice Springs and rode him through the carnival.”
Halter now has 23 winners for the season in the Top End trainers’ premiership and sits third behind Clarke (45) and Cole (30).
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