It was desperately sad for the Gary Clarke stable last weekend when former champion Darwin sprinter The Captain, who had only retired in early January, passed away.
The 10-year-old gelding had a rating that continually hovered round 100 and he would regularly carry big weights, but that didn’t stop him from winning 17 races from 33 starts after Clarke purchased him in 2018.
The Captain was being re-trained in Queensland to start an equestrian career, but sadly he succumbed to the effects of colic last Sunday morning.
It was also devastating for NT racing, but Clarke, the 10-time champion Top End and Country premiership trainer, had cause to smile on Saturday after landing a winning treble.
Thankfully, sunny conditions prevailed after relentless rain since late February with Fannie Bay’s dirt surface receiving in excess of 450mm.
Clarke had only trained two winners from five meetings in 2023, but he bounced back to make it 26 wins for the 2022/23 season to extend his lead over Tayarn Halter and Phil Cole (14).
The Darwin Turf Club also hosted the first leg in the 2023 National Apprentice Race Series on the five-event program, with Clarke’s pair Thunder Peak and Doc O’Connor winning both heats.
After sitting just off the pace in seventh place, Thunder Park ($5.50), with NT’s Jade Hampson aboard, finished strongly along the rails in the home straight to catch Chris Nash’s $2.30 favourite with betting sites Archie James (Emma Lines) right on the line to win by a nose in the first heat over 1200m (BM54).
Archie James, aiming for three straight wins, was never far away in the running and looked the winner once straightening and with 200m to go before Lines, yet another NT apprentice, incurred complications.
The saddle slipped which undoubtedly cost Archie James the race, with Lines dismounting safely once pulling up before walking her mount back to scale.
It didn’t end there for Lines as she then forfeited the rest of her rides due to heat stress.
Cole’s $5.50 hope Colhoun, with Victoria’s Matthew Chadwick aboard, finished third in the first heat, while Dakota-Lee Gillett, the only NT rider who could poll points, was fifth on Tom Logan’s Ye Hella ($8).
Queensland’s Sophie Wilcock, who employed daring tactics on Cole’s Looking For You in the first heat when competing for the lead until her mount faded with 250m to go, didn’t do much differently in the second heat – only this time it worked.
Clarke’s Doc O’Connor ($3.60), making his Darwin debut after winning a recent trial, led after 200m over 1100m (Class 2) with Wilcock seemingly having full control of proceedings before holding off the fast-finishing Del Viento ($1.85), partnered by WA’s Cassey Martinan, by a length.
Del Viento, trained by Chloe Baxter, won a 1200m maiden in his Top End debut by seven lengths on February 17 did little wrong on Saturday, while Halter’s $20 pop Real Reason (Hampson) bounced back to form to finish third – 4.8 lengths behind the winner.
Gillett’s mount, Cole’s Sodbuster ($14), started well and looked set to make an impact before losing touch to finish seventh.
Other interstate apprentices to contest the heats included Jade Doyle (SA) and Brooke Hanham (Tasmania), while Alice Springs apprentices Ianish Luximon and Lek Maloney also competed.
Speaking of Luximon, he produced a super ride to get El Magnificence ($2.90 fav) home for Team Cole after leading from start to finish to win Heat 7 of the Summer Sprint Series over 1100m (0-64).
It was El Magnificence’s first win since last May – when he made it three wins in his first five Darwin starts – and for Luximon it was his third Darwin win after replacing the indisposed Lines.
Happy to have Clarke’s Papalet for company, El Magnificence, an improving commodity in recent weeks, found another gear in the home straight to seal victory by 4.3 lengths from Clarke’s Patria (Casey Hunter) and Cole’s Familja (Wayne Davis), who both started respectively at $12 and $26.
The final heat in the Summer Sprint Series over 1300m for open company is on St Patrick’s Cup Day (March 18) with Chris Pollard’s Cudjerie (24 points) and El Magnificence (19) the only two capable of winning the $2000 prize.
Clarke’s third winner occurred in the final race over 1100m for the three and four-year-olds when a dominating Henestrosa (Jarrod Todd), starting at $15, was never headed after flying the gates.
The four-year-old held a massive lead over 1200m back in November against Class 2 and maiden performers aged three-year-old and upwards before inexplicably collapsing in the final stages to finish second behind Flying Deputy, but that’s in the past after posting his third win.
Halter’s Raffalli (Paul Shiers), jumping at $21, finally showed his potential in his third Darwin start by finishing 1.8 lengths away in second place, while Cole’s ever-consistent Bartolini (Martinan), a $5.50 candidate, was third.
Victory made it 19 wins for the season for Todd, but he still trails Sonja Wiseman (22) after she too piloted $2.30 favourite Poupee to an all the way win for trainer and partner Logan in the opening event over 1300m (BM76).
Fantastic over the short course after posting four wins and two seconds from eight starts since arriving in Darwin, the former Queenslander’s record over 1300m was average at best.
In her first NT start over 1300m, Poupee led comfortably throughout and was never in danger of defeat before Jason Manning’s $4.80 hopeful Noir Due (Vanessa Arnott), who lumped 64kg compared to the winner’s 56kg, cut the margin of victory to half a length.
For Logan, it was his 12th win for the season, with his five-year-old simply running her rivals off their legs in a time of 1.14.42 in lieu of all the recent rain – the track record is 1.13.59 – with Clarke’s $6.50 debutante Influential Jack (Todd) three lengths away in third place.
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