The Gary Clarke-trained Rising Sphere once again had too much speed for his rivals in the feature race at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
Fresh from his win in the Simone Montgomerie Lightning Plate (1000m) on Darwin Cup Day on August 5 – where he broke the track record (55.96) – the seven-year-old gelding returned to seal the National Jockeys Celebration Day Melanie Tyndall Memorial BM76 Handicap (1000m).
The race honoured former Top End jockey Melanie Tyndall, who tragically lost her life following a fall at Fannie Bay on August 31, 2019.
Starting at $4 with online bookmakers in an open five-horse field, Rising Sphere (Ianish Luximon) jumped from the inside gate and settled on the fence before sharing the lead with Lisa Whittle’s Expert Witness ($4.20) and Chris Nash’s Ideas Man ($3.90).
Clarke’s Doc O’Connor ($3.30 fav) butchered the start, but made up ground and wasn’t all that far behind the leaders exiting the back straight, but he looked to go four deep and with 400m to go he was shot.
Swinging for home at the 350m, Rising Sphere (59.5kg) had skipped two lengths clear of Ideas Man (64kg) – third in the Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on August 3 – and was never troubled before prevailing by 2.5 lengths with Whittle’s $7 hope Canton Kid (56kg), a distant fifth passing the 800m, finishing nicely along the fence to grab third place.
Runaway leader Doc O’Connor set a ferocious pace in the Montgomerie Lightning before wilting at the 200m, thus allowing backmarkers Rising Sphere and Expert Witness to swoop.
Rising Sphere, who had an off day when eighth in open company over 1200m on July 27, has starred for the Clarke stable with the son of Exosphere posting seven wins and eight minor placings from 20 starts.
Victorian trainer Neil Dyer, who is now operating a fulltime stable in Darwin, celebrated success at the first meeting held since Cup Day when five-year-old gelding Yaki Ishi (Stan Tsaikos) finally claimed that first win from five starts since arriving in the Top End.
A first up third over 1100m (0-62) in June was followed by a third and a second once Cup Carnival started in July before finishing third in the $40,000 Dabble Cup (1300m) and second in the $50,000 Magic Millions Top End Classic (1300m) on Cup Day.
Settling three deep after sharing the early lead on Saturday, Yaki Ishi ($2.40) and Phil Cole’s Hadrian’s Wall ($2.05 fav), hugging the rails, held sway leaving the back straight before Dyer’s horse kicked three lengths clear at the 400m approaching the home turn.
Well ahead at the 100m, the son of Japanese sire Maurice was never in danger of defeat before overcoming Clarke’s fast-finishing Extreme Edition ($8.50) by 0.9 lengths with Hadrian’s Wall a further 3.5 lengths adrift in third place.
Dyer, a long-time supporter of Top End racing, returned home following this year’s Darwin Cup Carnival, but intends to farewell Victoria permanently once selling his Kyneton stables.
His son James is currently taking care of a small team of horses that remained in Darwin following Cup Carnival.
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