The juggernaut that is Supreme Attraction keeps delivering the goods with yet another victory at Alice Springs on Sunday.
In recent times Paul Gardner’s 10-year-old mare Roughly was the Red Centre’s shining light, but Terry Gillett’s seven-year-old gelding is now grabbing the headlines.
After taking out the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on Alice Springs Cup Day in April at $26, Supreme Attraction has now won four straight with success in an open 1200m handicap.
His previous two wins at Pioneer Park were over 1000m (BM75) on May 28 by 0.5 lengths before demolishing his rivals over 1400m (BM76) on two weeks ago by 5.3 lengths.
The son of Supreme Class, who has now won eight races from 15 starts in Central Australia, has also been placed three times in the Alice and is undoubtedly in the form of his life.
When in the care of Nyngan trainer Rodney Robb, Supreme Attraction won three from three when he debuted at Pioneer Park in 2021 before the Red Centre became his permanent home last spring.
The big question now is whether or not the former NSW galloper, who had one win from eights starts when he relocated to the NT, will head north to contest the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) during the Darwin Cup Carnival on August 5.
Robb, who raced the horse in outback Queensland, took Supreme Attraction to Darwin before he appeared at Alice Springs for the first time where he managed a second, a third and a fourth from three starts.
18/6/23 Alice Springs Race 1 Replay – Supreme Attraction
Starting as a $2.05 bookmaker favourite on Sunday, Supreme Attraction (Mark Pegus) settled fourth on the rails behind Scott Whittle’s leader Liberty Blue (Jade Hampson), a last start winner, and Gillett’s stablemates Supreme Times (Sonja Wiseman) and That’s Justified (Dakota Gillett).
As Supreme Times ($6.50) made a move on Liberty Blue ($6) at the 400m approaching the home turn Supreme Attraction left the fence and made a move on That’s Justified just as Greg Connor’s $14 hope Flying Start (Dan Morgan) – Alice Springs’ horse of the year for 2022 – made ground from the rear.
Once straightening, Supreme Attraction (61.5kg) had 350m to catch the leaders and he achieved that objective passing the 200m before going on to win comfortably by 1.5 lengths from the fast-finishing Flying Start (55kg), who bounced back to his best, and Supreme Times (55kg).
18/6/23 Alice Springs Race 2 Replay – Brat (1st)
It was back to back wins for Gillett when four-year-old gelding Brat ($6.50), a last start winner, left it late before saluting over 1100m (0-64) in race where only 0.85 lengths separated the first four horses across the line.
Will Savage’s The Last Charge (Emma Lines) and Barry Cooke’s Beatbox (Casey Hunter) held a big lead with Ray Viney’s $1.60 favourite Rock Of Kryptonite (Morgan) and Brat (Gillett) well adrift in sixth and seventh place.
The Last Charge ($19) and Beatbox ($18) were still joined at the hip at the 200m, but Brat and Rock Of Kryptonite were motoring home after finding clear and a big finish loomed.
Brat got there to win Heat 3 of the Red Centre Winter Series – he won Heat 1 on May 28 – by 0.36 lengths with The Last Charge and Rock Of Kryptonite dead-heating for second from Beatbox.
18/6/23 Alice Springs Race 3 Replay – Kummerlings (1st)
The form of Viney’s Kummerlings (Jessie Philpot) has fluctuated over the years, but the eight-year-old mare made it eight wins from 55 starts when she led from start to finish to seal victory over 1400m (0-64).
Apart from a 1000m maiden at Tennant Creek in 2019, Kummerlings has raced entirely at Pioneer Park and it was March 2022 when last she achieved victory.
Kummerlings ($11) held on to overcome Carrol Hunter’s $2.80 favourite Norse Mythology (Gillett), who was held up at the 200m, by 0.55 lengths with Connor’s $12 runner Bold Tropic (Paul Denton) a close third from Boy Big – trained and ridden by Morgan.
18/6/23 Alice Springs Race 5 Replay – Barocca Bar (1st)
Morgan celebrated his third win as a trainer when $11 hope Barocco Bar (Lek Maloney) snuck home by 0.04 lengths from Savage’s $3 fancy Broad Outlook (Lines) over 1600m (BM54).
Barocco Bar, a last start winner in a 1200m maiden, and Broad Outlook, a recent NSW arrival, controlled matters out in front for a major portion of the race before the former caught the latter in the shadows of the post – Gardner’s $3.90 pick Miss McGregor (Gillett) was 1.5 lengths adrift in third place.
18/6/23 Alice Springs Race 4 Replay – Pariah Conviction (1st)
It was a quinella for the Savage stable when $2.40 favourite Pariah Conviction (Ianish Luximon), who settled in fourth place, stormed home with 200m to go to edge out Bon Bandeau (Hampson), starting at $16, by 1.5 lengths in a 1400m maiden with Leanne Gillett’s $3.50 candidate Li’lmissprancealot (Gillett) coming third.
Bon Bandeau (rails), Savage’s Paketta (middle) and Li’lmissprancealot (outside) led the five-horse field, but once hitting the front in the home straight Li’lmissprancealot tired with Bon Bandeau doing well to hang on for second.
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