Stan Tsaikos broke his Alice Springs Cup Carnival duck on Sunday when the Victoria-based rider won the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on the Terry Gillett-trained $26 outsider Supreme Attraction.
It appeared as though the Tayarn Halter-trained Expert Witness (Jade Hampson), a $5.50 hope, would seal victory after hitting the front turning for home, but Supreme Attraction stormed home over the final 350m to catch the leader to win by 0.3 lengths.
Expert Witness was desperately unlucky after jumping from the outside gate in the field of 12 and clearly tired in the final 100m, but full credit to Supreme Attraction, Gillett and Tsaikos.
Supreme Attraction, a seven-year-old gelding by Supreme Class, returned for a second stint in Central Australia last October after racing in NSW and Queensland for Dubbo trainer Rodney Robb.
Under the guidance of Robb, Supreme Attraction had three starts in Darwin in June and July two years ago for two minor placings before winning three straight in Alice Springs in August and September.
Before the Pioneer Sprint, he had posted just one win and three minor placings back in the Red Centre from eight starts – which included a last-start fourth over 1400m in open company on April 8.
For Gillett, the champion trainer in the Alice Springs premiership for the 2020/21 season, it was just his second win of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival, after he and Tsaikos teamed up to win with the handy That’s Justified ($15) earlier in the day.
It was a mad dash at the start with Nicole Irwin’s Masterati (Dakota-Lee Gillett), who settled on the rails, Phil Cole’s Ideas Man (Ianish Luximon), Tom Logan’s $2.70 favourite Poupee (Sonja Wiseman), who jumped from gate 11, and Expert Witness sharing the lead.
Supreme Attraction was a fair way back in ninth place at the 800m and as the field was about to farewell the back straight Expert Witness edged his way to the front from Ideas Man ($61), Masterati ($26) and Poupee.
Down the side and with 600m to go Expert Witness and Ideas Man kicked clear with Poupee two lengths adrift in third place as Supreme Attraction started to make ground after getting a saloon passage along the rails.
Straightening for home, Expert Witness held a two- to three-length lead as Poupee and Supreme Attraction, who was accelerating after leaving the fence at the 500m, gave chase after catching Ideas Man.
After pushing Savatoxl to the limit in the 1200m WFA on April 22 when camped three wide for the duration of the trip before finishing second, it was the perhaps the outside gate and not the fact that Expert Witness was contesting a 1200m for just the second time that decided the race.
Supreme Attraction caught Expert Witness when it really mattered to cap off a big day for Tsaikos, who surprisingly has lacked rides in Alice Springs and Darwin of late, as it was his third win on the nine-event card after also piloting Taipan Tommy ($2.10 fav) home for Strathalbyn trainer Kym Healy.
2023 Pioneer Sprint – Supreme Attraction (1st)
Tsaikos, 45, has travelled to the NT for the past six years, and Sunday was his biggest win after taking out the NT Guineas (1600m) in Alice Springs on Valley Prince and the Metric Mile (1600m) in Darwin on That’s Justified in 2021 for Gillett.
Just like Expert Witness, Poupee brought good form to the table from the Top End and was cherry ripe for the Pioneer Sprint after rolling the opposition by five lengths in her debut Alice Springs appearance in open company (1100m) on April 8.
Poupee finished two a half lengths behind Supreme Attraction in third place on Sunday and was far from disgraced, but she tired over the concluding 200m and maybe a wide gate affected her hopes.
Gillett’s Supreme Times (Phillip Crich), who started at $31, made a poor start and was in last place leaving the back straight before making ground along the rails to finish strongly in fourth place.
Phil Cole’s 10-year-old Smuggling (Wayne Davis), who was aiming for his third-straight Pioneer Sprint win, finished seventh.
Although disappointed, 19-year-old apprentice Hampson could only congratulate the winning team.
“Supreme Attraction was too good, well done to Terry who has done a lot for racing in Alice, and congratulations to Stan who has starred in Alice in recent years,” the teenager said.
“It was a huge run by Expert Witness, super proud of him, we were just unlucky we couldn’t quite get there.
“I thought he was going to hang on – we got beaten by a head, I can’t complain about that.
“Barrier 12 didn’t help – it was a huge ask, especially for a horse that we didn’t even think would get the 1200m to start with.
“I thought I went a bit early on him, but I spoke to the boss (Halter) and I spoke to the senior jockey in the stable (Paul Shiers) and they assured me that it was a good ride.”
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