The much-anticipated return of the unbeaten Dakota Lee on Saturday generated immense excitement in Alice Springs, but disastrously déjà vu struck.
As was the case last April when a red-hot favourite for the $50,000 NT Guineas (1600m), Dakota Lee was scratched when she refused to enter the gates.
And as was the case when the daughter of Kuroshio failed to contest the Red Centre’s feature for the three-year-olds during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival, Pioneer Park patrons were left deflated a second time.
A four-year-old these days, the Terry Gillett-trained mare was returning after 10 months and leading up to her first race in open company over 1000m she was at one stage a $1.80 favourite before drifting to a $3.90 second pick prior to Saturday’s feature race.
The in-form Roughly (Sonja Wiseman), from the Paul Gardner stable, assumed favourtism at $3.60 with the top online bookmakers just as the nine-horse field were about to be called up for a start.
With the market fluctuating, Dakota Lee, with Gillett’s daughter and first-year apprentice Dakota-Lee in the saddle, regained the confidence of the betting public and was favourite before drama ensued.
The Will Savage-trained Cut It Out (Ianish Luximon), who has also had issues entering the barriers before getting approval from stewards to resume racing after winning a recent trial, refused to take her place and was scratched.
Up next was Dakota Lee, Alice Springs’ Sprinter of the Year for 2022, but she too declined to take her place after three minutes and was withdrawn.
The other seven starters were loaded quickly, but the race was delayed by some seven minutes.
After spending time in South Australia to further her education after the NT Guineas episode, Dakota Lee returned to Alice Springs and after a meticulous preparation it was all systems go as she strived to make it eight straight wins.
With all due respect to Cut It Out, Dakota Lee’s scratching was met with disbelief and looking to the future there’s every chance she may never race again in Alice Springs unless the problem can be rectified.
For lightning to strike twice is a bitter pill to swallow for the Gillett stable and family.
A sympathetic Dylan Bairstow, the Alice Springs racecaller, hopes the mare won’t be lost to the Red Centre, but has a “gut feeling” that when the dust settles she could relocate south on a permanent basis.
“The Gilletts will probably be left scratching their heads right now – I don’t know what they will do with her from here,” he said on Saturday night.
“I’m only speculating, but I would say that they will probably send her away and she’ll acquit herself well down south where there’s more help for her.
“It’s not a great sign when a horse keeps refusing to go in – they’re trying to tell you something.
“Unfortunately, it might be the last time we see her in the Territory – her racing career up here looks bleak.
“My gut feel would be that you’re probably trying to get blood out of a stone up here – maybe down south with extra teams and extra staff they might be able to get her in.”
Like everyone else, Bairstow was looking forward to Dakota Lee’s return as you want to see a horse that’s won seven from seven – most of them achieved by a comprehensive margin.
However, there was apprehension in the air and concerns that the mare’s big day could be soured.
“You can’t believe it, but I did half expect it and the reaction at the track after the race was indifferent,” he said.
“In that 1400m race – the start before the Guineas – she took a long time to load that day.
“She was very lucky that she didn’t get scratched.
“She was starting to get worse and worse as her preparation went on.
“By the looks of it she’s developed a bad habit which is hard to break.
“From what I could see from my angle today she only got to about five metres from the gates and wouldn’t go any closer.
“Horses are funny creatures, they seem to know the difference between race day and trial day.
“Trial days in the morning and they don’t get as stirred up, I suppose.”
When the race finally got under way, Kerry Petrick’s Our Luca (Phillip Crich) and Lisa Whittle’s Cyclonite (Casey Hunter) made it a two-act affair when they cleared right away from their rivals.
Our Luca ($6.50), third in last year’s $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival, boasts four wins at Moonee Valley and Petrick rates the horse over 1000m.
Cyclonite ($4.60) has certainly performed admirably at the top level of late and despite sitting on Our Luca’s girth he missed out by a nose with the winner clocking a brisk 56.95.
Dick Leech’s $19 hope Halgard (Jarrod Todd) ran well for third and without making excuses for the fourth-placed Roughly ($3.50 fav) the 1000m, a wide gate and a 62.5kg impost proved a burden.
“Cut It Out and Dakota Lee had their chance to load safely and in a correct manner,” Bairstow said.
“With them coming out – they were actually the two fastest horses – that changed the whole complexion of the race and Our Luca and Cyclonite were able to come across from wide gates and control the race.”
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