Jockey Sonja Wiseman and trainer Tom Logan are eyeing the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on April 30 at the end of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival with five-year-old mare Poupee.
The daughter of Better Than Ready has impressed since arriving in the Top End, and on Saturday – with Wiseman aboard – she won by five lengths in open company over 1100m in her Red Centre debut.
Greg Connor’s Flying Start and Kym Healy’s I’m A Legend were late scratchings prior to the start, but the manner of victory suggests that even they may have struggled to match the former Queensland galloper.
Formerly trained at Caloundra by Stuart Kendrick, Poupee had 21 starts at Eagle Farm, Doomben and the Sunshine Coast for three wins and seven minor placings from 1000-1400m.
Logan, equal third in the Top End trainers’ premiership with 15 wins, and partner Wiseman, leading the way in the Top End (27) and Alice Springs jockeys’ premierships (26), purchased the mare for $15,000 at the end of summer last year.
Debuting at Fannie Bay in March, Poupee won three straight before finishing unplaced in her next two starts, which included a fifth during the Darwin Cup Carnival.
She returned in November for three starts for a win and two seconds and sealed her Alice Springs ticket with victory over 1300m (BM76) in early March.
Wiseman, based in Alice for the carnival, is caring for the mare with Logan remaining in Darwin to attend to the other horses in the stable.
“Sonja knows what she’s doing,” Logan said.
“Poupee heads to the (Pioneer) Sprint now, the plan was to have one run.
“I think she’s got the ability to be very competitive.
“She’s come back really well since her last preparation.
“She gives 110 per cent every time she goes out – just seems to be getting better and better every start.
“We just had little problems with her bumpers.
“After Saturday she went down a little bit, but not too bad.”
Alice Springs R6 replay | 8/4/2023 | Poupee (1st)
Logan is genuinely excited about starting Poupee in the Pioneer Sprint.
“She’s won six races for us now, a lovely horse and a stable favourite,” he said.
“She’s so quiet, nice and kind – we picked her out from the sales, myself and Sonja.
“Watched the replays, did a bit of homework and got her up here.
“She’s just been a little machine.”
Logan believes Poupee’s best attribute is her ability to start well, which could prove effective in a pressure-charged race such as the Pioneer Sprint.
“Hopefully in the Sprint, draw a bit of a good barrier, jump on the speed and I don’t think she’ll be too far away,” he said.
“Three weeks between runs is ideal – she seems to go that little bit better with that space between runs.
“She’s won over 1400m in Queensland, she’s a freak – run her over 1000m, she’s going to be there or roundabout.
“Throw her into a mile race and she probably won’t be too far away either I’d say, she’s just one of those horses.
“She’ll probably get the minimum weight in the Sprint (54kg) or just off the minimum I would say.”
Wiseman, who rode a treble on Saturday, admitted that taking care of Poupee has had its moments.
“I was stressed thinking I’d fed her too much and got her a bit too fat, but she just proved too good,” she said.
“We finally get to race in a feature and hopefully she goes good.
“Win, lose or draw, we’re just excited to have a horse in it.
“We’ve slowly been building the stable, so to have a horse good enough to come to Alice is great in itself.
“We’ve won some decent races in Darwin, but Poupee is actually our first winner over a carnival.
“Tom’s coming down for the Sprint, so he can deal with the stress.
“I said to him after the race on Saturday that I felt sick – all I wanted was to know that I did a good job with her.
“I was pretty stressed going out and I was lucky enough to have trainer Mark Nyhan and strapper Taylor Pope help me out.
“He brought her over for me and wrapped her bumpers – I’m lucky that I have the support here.
“The day doesn’t run without help and I’m grateful to Mark and Taylor, but it’s too nerve-wracking.
“I won’t make a trainer, put it that way.”
There were a few dramas before the race on Saturday, but according to Wiseman it didn’t seem to faze Poupee.
She added that she has rarely had a problem with the mare since she relocated to the NT.
“With Flying Start, it went off right beside me,” she said.
“She kind of thought that we were going to jump, but she just stood there before calmly backing out of the gates and going straight back in.
“She’s just so placid, which makes the job of a trainer and jockey that much easier.
“It’s just a bonus that she’s fast – she’s a horse that will stay with us forever I think.
“She’s honestly just a pretty casual and cruisy, an absolutely beautiful little mare.
“She surprises me, but I never have to worry about her carrying on.”
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