Most trainers put their feet up after the eight-meeting extravaganza that is the Darwin Cup Carnival, but Tayarn Halter and her team, along with three horses, headed to Western Australia and will feature at today’s race meeting at Broome.
It is day eight – Ladies Day – of the 2022 Broome racing season, culminating with Broome Cup Day on Saturday, and according to Halter, plans to return to WA emanated at the end of last year’s trip.
The Broome Turf Club hosts nine meetings on its dirt track from May to August.
Representing the Halter stable after making the 1873km trip to the Kimberley region of WA are nine-year-old gelding Eastwood – one of the NT’s best sprinters – seven-year-old gelding Don’t Wait and four-year-old gelding Raffalli.
Apprentice jockey Jade Hampson, who has made a serious impact in the NT since making her riding debut in April, has made the trip as well and will partner all three horses.
I Am The Fox, last year’s Alice Springs Cup winner, was meant to make the trip as well, but those plans have been revised after he ran 11th in the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) on August 1.
A post-race veterinary examination revealed that the nine-year-old gelding, a $15 hope in the race, had experienced a cardiac arrhythmia, and he has since been sent to the paddock.
“I’ve been here a couple of times,” Halter said from Broome on Monday.
“We brought Eastwood over for the Broome Sprint.
“Intentionally, I Am The Fox was going to come for the (Broome) Cup.
“Since we don’t have a Cup horse, we’re just here for the Sprint on Tuesday.
“I’ve ridden over here and won races, but I’ve never trained a winner here.
“I brought Your Excellency over for the Sprint in 2017, but he didn’t run anywhere.”
The $40,000 Broome Sprint (1300m) is the feature race on Ladies Day with the $70,000 Broome Cup (2200m) scheduled for Saturday.
Twelve months ago, Eastwood ($12) finished a length and three quarters behind the winner – the locally trained Diamond Tonique from the John Gangemi stable – in fifth place in the Broome Sprint.
Eastwood ($11) and Diamond Tonique ($21) are backing up again this year with the Darryn Pateman-trained Powerful (Jessica Gray) from Karnup, located 60km south of Perth, the $3.40 favourite.
In his last appearance, Eastwood ($16) finished eighth behind Syncline in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint at Fannie Bay on July 30.
“The 1300m should be right up his alley,” Halter said.
“He’s once again got a good horse’s weight (62kg), but Jade’s 3kg claim helps him.
“These races are hard to win – he’s drawn nine – but he’s well, he looks well, he’s travelled well and everything is right with him, so we’re hoping he puts his best foot forward.
“As he gets older, I think he’s wanted the 1300m for a while now.
“He only got beaten by six lengths in the Palmerston – the extra 100m will help him I think.”
Looking back at the Palmerston Sprint, Halter said that Eastwood’s performance was “pretty good”.
“He got out of his ground early and then in the straight he really didn’t get a crack at them until later in the straight, so I don’t think he had a lot of luck in the run,” she said.
“He checked off heels at about the 700m and then in the straight he was just behind a wall of horses – when it opened up he ran home good.
“I’m thinking the extra 100m will suit him on Tuesday.”
Halter indicated that Don’t Wait was always making the trip, while she decided that Raffalli – a recent purchase from Queensland – would debut for the stable in Broome.
“Don’t Wait travelled well and raced well when we took him to the Alice Springs Cup Carnival last year,” Halter said.
“I sort of told the owners of Don’t Wait that it was my intention to bring him to Broome.”
From December-April, Don’t Wait posted three wins, three seconds and a third in Darwin before a fifth over 1100m (0-70) on July 16 and a seventh over 1300m in open company on Darwin Cup Day.
He will compete at 0-58 level over 1100m on Tuesday and one of his opponents will be the Robert Gulberti-trained Isola Bay from Broome, who finished second behind the Alice Springs-trained Flying Start in a $40,000 race for the three-year-olds over 1200m (0-68) in the Top End on July 23.
“And we brought Raffalli – there was a Class 2 race on the program over 1000m and we thought here’s a nice race for him,” Halter added.
“He hasn’t raced for us yet and we thought, well he’s only had three runs back from a spell, so he’s a fresher horse too.
“It will be interesting to see how he goes first up, don’t know a lot about him – he won a 1050m maiden at Toowoomba.”
For 18-year-old Hampson, it is bound to be an unforgettable occasion on Tuesday as she lived in Broome for five years before relocating to Darwin.
Hampson has been surrounded by horse racing all her life as her mother, Katrina, was a trainer and the teenager started riding racehorses when she resided in Broome.
“Jade is looking forward to it, she’s quite excited about it and she knows everybody,” Halter said.
“She’s ridden plenty around the track here doing track work and stuff growing up.
“She actually gets to step out in Broome as a professional for the first time.”
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