A week after winning the Katherine Cup, Alice Springs trainer Kerry Petrick secured the Ladies Day feature on Day 1 of the Kununurra Carnival on Saturday.
Throw At Da Stumps, ridden by Alice Springs jockey Paul Denton and a $3.40 hope with horse racing bookmakers, finished strongly to seal a narrow victory in the $20,000 Slipper Handicap (1100m).
Petrick and Denton, a powerful duo in the NT, claimed last Saturday’s Katherine Cup with NT Derby and Alice Springs Cup winner Venting.
Last year, Petrick and Denton won the Kununurra Cup (1800m) with Boom Boom Sweet.
Petrick had four wins on Saturday to make it 26 wins on the grass track in north-east WA.
It appeared that the Tom Logan-trained Miss Black Diamond ($8.50) from Darwin, ridden by Sonja Logan, would prevail in the Slipper after taking an early lead.
Throw At Da Stumps swooped late to get home by a nose with Tayarn Halter’s Raffalli ($2.90), from the Top End, a further half length away in third place.
Although the Slipper only attracted six starters, Chris Pollard’s Kumicho ($3.60) and Roy Rogers’ Prince Ragnar ($14) were in contention at the 100m.
Throw At Da Stumps, a six-year-old gelding by Rich Enuff, debuted at Kununurra last year and finished second on Ladies Day before winning on Cup Day.
The Girl’s Boy ($5), ridden by Queensland jockey Chris Taylor, had battled since March but saluted by half a length from Rogers’ Ezelove ($2.50) and Petrick’s Soonali ($5) over 1350m (RTG48) with a late finishing burst.
Dip Me Lid ($4.80), with Darwin hoop Adam Nicholls aboard, rallied in the home straight to win its first race since the corresponding meeting last year by pipping Halter’s I’m A Dreamer ($2.80) by a nose over 1600m (RTG56) – Rogers’ Playin’ Hardball ($5.50) was third.
It was a Petrick trifecta over 1200m (RTG56) when Kikuyu ($4.80) powered home from the rear to outclass stablemates Black Zous ($3.70 fav) and Hellivit ($4.80) by three lengths.
The Stifmeister ($2.25) made it 23 Kununurra wins for Halter and a debut victory for Top End jockey Aaron Sweeney at the WA venue when finishing with a wet sail to topple Petrick’s Princess Pancakes ($1.90) and Rogers’ King Hallowell ($12) by 0.8 lengths over 1350m (RTG56).
Rogers, from Albany in WA, ended the day with a winning double.
Rose Of Denmark ($4.80), who raced at Broome on Tuesday, never left the fence before rattling home with Taylor in the saddle to overcome stablemate Romero ($6.50) and Petrick’s Old Mate Smithy ($7) by 1.6 lengths over 1100m (RTG48).
In a prelude to next Saturday’s Kununurra Cup, Rogers’ Mr Mt Walker led all the way over 1600m (RTG62) before downing Petrick’s Boom Boom Sweet ($3.20) and Pollard’s Corden ($3.90).
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