Long-time NT trainer Kerry Petrick has won feature races in Alice Springs in the past and has two live hopes in the $31,500 St Patrick’s Day Cup (1600m) at Pioneer Park on Sunday.
The Alice Springs Cup and Pioneer Sprint winning trainer will saddle up Boom Boom Sweet (Paul Denton) and Dip Me Lid (Phillip Crich) in an excellent eight-horse field at 0-70 level.
Boom Boom Sweet arrives back in the NT from the stable of Stawell trainer Andrew Bobbin in Victoria, while Dip Me Lid debuts in Central Australia after 39 starts for Canberra trainer Keith Dryden.
Six-year-old gelding Boom Boom Sweet (34-6-8-5) had five starts in Darwin from June-August last year for a win and two thirds before a fourth in the Katherine Cup (1700m) and a second in the Kununurra Cup (1800m) in WA.
Returning from a spell on February 3, the son of Jakkalberry managed a third, fourth and a second before a last start win over 1600m (0-64) at Ballarat on March 7.
After 42 starts (6-9-7) in NSW and the ACT, Dip Me Lid caught the eye in his first Alice Springs start on March 11 over 1400m (0-70) when he settled at the tail of the field before storming home to finish two lengths adrift of Valley Prince in second place.
In his last five starts before heading north, the seven-year-old son of Helmet had a win, three thirds and a fourth, and just like stablemate Boom Boom Sweet the engine is ticking over just nicely.
Venting (16-2-2-0), winner of the NT Derby (2050m) in the Top End last July for Petrick and Denton, has also returned to the NT from the Bobbin stable and lines up over 1400m (0-64) on Sunday.
The four-year-old gelding, seventh in the 2022 Darwin Cup (2050m) behind Playoffs, has had six starts back in Victoria with his best result a second over 2387m (BM64) at Warrnambool on January 25.
“It’s absolutely lovely to have Boom Boom Sweet and Venting back in the stable,” Petrick said.
“They look amazing, so it’s going to be an exciting preparation with them both.
“Providing everything goes to plan they’ll go through to Darwin and then return to Victoria.
“The ultimate goal right now is the Alice Springs Cup, but we’ve got a long way to go before we get there.
“Just tick off this weekend with Boom Boom Sweet being the top weight in the St Paddy’s Cup, a last start winner – he went really well in provincial Victoria.
“I love his barrier draw (2), so it’s going to be interesting – although he has never raced on this track and that’s probably the only difference.”
Petrick, the 1999 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) winner with Mister Cheval and the 2015 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) winner with Planet Voyage, could only praise Dip Me Lid’s effort last weekend.
“He did an amazing job and he usually races on the pace, but that’s when it gets up over further distance,” she said.
“I watched one of his replays over 1400 about five starts ago and he did a very similar thing – got to the tail of the field and rattled home.
“Then once he got up over the mile and 1800 he was able to get up on the lead and dictate, but in saying that that’s down there on the grass – not here in our Territory style racing.
“In all honesty, I quite like where he’s drawn (7) because he probably doesn’t jump the greatest, so I believe that he’ll find his feet and he’ll be somewhere a lot closer than what he was last start.
“Unfortunately, he jumped OK last start and just copped a little bit of a squeeze which pushed him out the back.
“The jockey believes that he would have been up racing a lot closer had that not happened, so we would assume that he’ll probably race a little bit closer on Sunday.”
Darwin hosts its own St Patrick’s Day Cup on Saturday, but you could make a case that the Alice Springs field is stronger as Festival Of Light and Lethal Encounter are in great form – Lunch Session, Fantasy Eagle and Jet Jackson can also mix it with the best.
“I think Boom Boom Sweet and Dip Me Lid will be competitive, but it’s a really tough St Paddy’s Cup – it’s going to be a really good race, it’s going to come down to a bit of luck in running,” Petrick added.
Petrick remains hopeful that Venting will bounce back.
“He’s been marginally disappointing in Victoria, but he seems to have had a completely different racing pattern down there whereas here in the Territory he was getting a long way off the leaders and rattling home,” she said.
“He has dropped in the ratings quite a bit, so we’re just going to play it by ear and just see if we can get him back to his best form – the fierce pace here may just suit him.”
Petrick, who normally bases herself in Alice Springs despite frequent trips to Darwin, has two other runners on Sunday – the ever-consistent Real Devine and NT debutante Flash Fiorente.
Real Devine, a four-year-old mare, will appear over 1200m (0-58), while Flash Fiorente, a gelding, the son of 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente, takes on fellow three-year-olds over 1200m.
“Flash Fiorente, he’s also a lovely horse, but he’s only ever had the two starts and he’s just an absolute child,” she said.
“He really doesn’t know what he’s doing and generally the bred probably gets further and I think that will be his game.
“We’ve done a gear change on him and put some blinkers on him to try and get him to concentrate a little bit better.
“I don’t expect any wonders with him on Sunday, but I think whatever he does he’ll certainly improve.
“As far as Real Devine goes, she’s just been so consistent.
“She ran really bad at the beginning of her last start and that pretty much blew her out of that which is why we’ve given her a short freshen up.
“She’s a wonderful mare and has been doing everything right once again, and Paul (Denton) is back on board.
“Although we’ve drawn the outside barrier I’m not disappointed with that because she can get a bit fractious and hopefully that will land her in a forward position, but hopefully she may have the sit on them.”
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