He cleaned up during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival in April and now trainer Dick Leech is eyeing off the riches in the Top End.
Leech, who has stables in Darwin and Alice Springs, might well see his charger Century Fox start as bookmaker favourite in the $75,000 Darwin Guineas (1600m) after a dominant win at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
The son of Eurozone, who won the $50,000 NT Guineas (1600m) in his first Red Centre start on April 17, made his Darwin debut and overpowered his fellow three-year-olds emphatically over 1300m (BM66).
After two unplaced starts for Mornington trainers David Brideoake and Matt Jenkins a year ago, Century Fox had 11 starts for Wagga Wagga trainer Michael Travers for three thirds.
In his 12th and final NSW start on March 23, the gelding was victorious in a 1400m maiden at Albury and has only excelled since arriving in the NT.
To win the NT Guineas first up on the dirt was outstanding, but to then back up and finish fifth behind stablemate Write Your Name in the Alice Spring Cup (2000m) on April 30 was exceptional.
Leech, the leading trainer during the Alice Springs Carnival (10 wins) from five meetings and who is a mile in front in the Alice Springs and Provincial premiership (27 wins), would fancy Century Fox’s hopes in the Darwin Guineas which kicks off the Darwin Cup Carnival on July 8.
Sitting ninth at one stage on Saturday in the 11-horse field, Century Fox ($7.50) made his move down the side at the 500m when pilot Paul Shiers left the fence in search of a gap.
Once straightening and with 350m to go, Century Fox started winding up down the middle of the track as Chole Baxter’s Aplomado held sway from Jason Manning’s Arch Of Titius and Gary Clarke’s Magnetic Tycoon.
Century Fox was in full flight at the 100m before winning by two lengths from $41 outsider Arch Of Titus (Vanessa Arnott), who was making it’s NT debut, and Kevin Lamprecht’s fast-finishing $4.40 hope Iknowhatyouredoing (Mark Pegus), a further 0.2 lengths adrift.
Looking ahead to the Guineas there were other runners who caught the eye with barn-storming finishing bursts over the concluding 400m.
24/6/23 Darwin Race 2 Replay – Century Fox (1st)
Kerry’s Petrick’s Perisseuo (Wayne Davis), who tailed the field after missing the start for the second time in the space of a week, motored home for fourth, while stablemate and $3.90 favourite Anphina (Paul Denton), who brought respectable Adelaide form to Darwin, was not far away (seventh).
Arch Of Titus was terrific after matching it with the early pacemakers and Peter Stennett’s Bluffed was the only horse in front of Perisseuo before flying home for fifth, while Magnetic Tycoon (sixth), yet another NT debutante, and Aplamado (eighth), a noted sprinter, were far from disgraced.
Meanwhile, Phil Cole’s Tubthumper (Davis) qualified for the Guineas after saluting over 1600m (0-58) with fellow three-year-olds Field Commander and Fierce Legend – both making their Darwin debuts for the respective Clarke and Neil Dyer stables – finishing unplaced.
Tubthumper, a last start winner on its Darwin debut in a 1200m maiden on June 3 after proving a handful before entering the gates, once again played up at the barriers, but jumped well and settled third on the rails behind Benevolent and Lady Tucan entering the back straight.
Little changed down the side, but Chris Pollard’s $3 favourite All Hard Wood (Adam Nicholls) was winding up at the 600m after easily trailing the leaders in the seven-horse field by eight lengths passing the 900m.
In the home straight, Pegus’ Benevolent (Casey Hunter) still led on the fence thus forcing Tubthumper to leave the rails at the 300m and in the process the three-year-old filly bumped Heather Lehmann’s Lady Tucan (Sonja Wiseman) which in turn impeded All Hard Wood.
Tubthumper, the daughter of Zoustar, proved too good in the final 200m to sink All Hard Wood, who clearly lost momentum at the 300m, by 0.85 lengths with Benevolent ($16) hanging on gamely for third.
It’s shaping as a quality Guineas field this year as Daniher from Lamprehct’s Alice Springs stable is expected to line up after finishing second in the NT Guineas before a first up Darwin win over 1200m (BM64) against his own age group two weeks ago.
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