Like everyone associated with NT racing, leading Top End jockey Jarrod Todd will be thinking of the late Melanie Tyndall on Saturday.
Tyndall passed away at 32 years of age on August 31, 2019, when falling from the Phil Cole-trained Restless during a Fannie Bay race meeting.
The Darwin Turf Club honoured the popular Tyndall, who was also a police officer, by naming a race after her in 2020, and it’s the feature event this weekend.
The $24,500 Melanie Tyndall Memorial Handicap (1200m) has attracted a top field, including last year’s Palmerston Sprint winner, Syncline, from the Gary Clarke yard.
Chris Nash’s in-form Ideas Man and Clarke’s Mr Cashman, who finished second and third respectively behind Dick Leech’s Early Crow in this year’s $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on August 5, are also confirmed starters.
Todd rode Syncline in this year’s Palmerston, but he is booked to ride Mr Cashman this weekend.
“Ideas Man is going really good and he’s done a super job,” Todd said.
“He’s the benchmark horse and the one to beat, but to be fair you could probably say that he is coming to the end of his prep.
“The advantage we’ve got this week, I believe, is that we’ve drawn a good gate, and Mr Cashman’s got no weight (55kg) and has fresh legs.
“Hopefully, that might be enough to get him over the line.
“Ideas Man is backing up from a good win last week, but he’s still backing up.”
Todd said it was fitting that the Darwin Turf Club had named a race after Tyndall, who was “loved by everyone” in the Top End racing community.
“I didn’t know her a long time, as I had just moved to Darwin, but during the time I knew her she was a good person and easygoing,” he said.
“Great to get along with – friendly, bright, cheery and could definitely ride.
“You don’t like seeing anything like that happen – just thinking about it is quite upsetting.
“It’s special and touching that they have a race, as they should, honoured in her name and I’m hoping it will be a good day.”
Todd rode My Snip for the Cole stable in the same race four years ago when Melanie, who hailed from Murray Bridge, had her accident.
“It’s part and parcel of being a jockey,” he said.
“You don’t like saying that, but they’re the high risks we have in our sport.
“It happens all around the world – it’s not nice and obviously it would be nice for it to never happen.
“It’s even more gut-wrenching when it’s someone pretty close to you that you know and you ride with and work with every day.
“Words can’t describe the feeling.
“When that time comes up at that time of year again, it brings back some bad memories that you wish couldn’t happen and you could wish you could bring her back.
“If we can all honour Melanie, well, that will be something that we’ll all be proud of.”
On Darwin Cup Day this year, Todd took out the Simone Montgomerie Lightning Plate (1000m) aboard Doc O’Connor.
That race is named for another popular rider who lost her life on the track, and Todd said winning those events in honour of Montgomerie and Tyndall would be special for any jockey.
“I’m pleased those races are on because it’s also acknowledging them as wonderful sportspeople,” he said.
“It’s nice to know that they’re never forgotten and they’re always with us, so to win a race like that is always very special and it would be great to do it this weekend in Melanie’s honour.”
After winning the Top End jockeys’ premiership for the fourth year in a row, Todd has already booted home nine winners for the 2023/24 season after five meetings.
It also helps when you ride for Clarke, who won the Top End trainers’ premiership for the 11th-straight year.
Todd chose to ride Syncline, named Horse of the Year at the 2022 Top End Racing Awards, in the 2023 Palmerston Sprint, with Paul Denton partnering Mr Cashman.
“They always say jockeys are the worse judges, but I had ridden both horses and had to pick one for the Palmerston,” Todd said.
“Syncline, he’s a very good horse, but he got poleaxed at the start and that was his chances gone.
“For the ultra consistent Mr Cashman that was his biggest test compared to what he had been running against – he ran out of his skin.
“I’m looking forward to riding him this weekend.”
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