Trainer Chris Pollard and jockey Stan Tsaikos combined for a winning double during the Darwin Turf Club’s meeting at Fannie Bay last Friday.
Dream Weaver ($5.50), a five-year-old mare, and Cudjerie ($13), a four-year-old mare, basically led from start to finish in their respective races.
Pollard had both horses prepared in magnificent fashion.
The form of Dream Weaver has fluctuated since late July after saluting on three occasions in six starts, and victory over 1300m (BM54) was certainly a welcome return to form.
A second in August and a third in September over 1100m (0-64) in five starts since her last win were the only times the daughter of Dawn Approach caught the eye.
For Dream Weaver, who jumped from gate two, it was her fifth win in 25 starts in the Top End, where she has raced exclusively since debuting in a 1200m maiden in July last year.
Tsaikos, the back-to-back winner in the Alice Springs jockeys’ premiership, has been in good form of late and he settled Dream Weaver out in front once the field pinged out of the gates.
Phil Cole’s Meadows Young Buck (Emma Lines) sat outside Dream Weaver along the back straight and down the side before swinging into the home straight as third-placed Malibu Edition (Ashley Butler), the $3.20 favourite from the Tom Logan stable, began to lose touch.
Dream Weaver’s $13 stablemate Zap (Jarrod Todd) made a move approaching the final bend before Cole’s Great Boulder (Ianish Luximon) rallied in the home straight.
In the end only a length separated the first three horses across the line, with Dream Weaver overcoming the fast-finishing Great Boulder ($9) by a neck with Meadows Young Buck ($3.50) third.
Darwin R5 replay | 9/12/2022 | Dream Weaver (1st)
Tsaikos, who has this incredible knack of getting a horse over the line if allowed to control the tempo out in front, did it again when the in-form Cudjerie made it four wins from her past five starts with victory over 1100m (0-70).
Against a handy bunch of sprinters, the mare jumped well from the inside gate and camped herself on the fence with Cole’s $26 runner Vunivalu (Wayne Davis) – who was returning from a spell – sitting on her outside in second place.
Down the side and with 500m to go, Cudjerie sprinted well clear and once turning for home the daughter of Star Turn was going to prove hard to beat after holding a four to five length lead with 350m to go.
Cudjerie, unplaced in her first four starts in Darwin before springing to life, understandably tired close to home before overcoming Chloe Baxter’s stablemates First Crusade (Casey Hunter) and Swing With Junior (Luximon) with two lengths to spare.
Darwin R2 replay | 9/12/2022 | Cudjerie (1st)
It was a step up in grade for Cudjerie, but she has been racing well with her only failure occurring when fourth over 1100m (Class 2) on Melbourne Cup Day, and the fact she started at $13 was surprising.
Meanwhile, popular jockey Wayne Davis returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since recovering from injury when he saluted on Cole’s Brazenpine ($7.50) over 1000m (0-58).
Davis suffered neck, shoulder and leg injuries, as well as concussion, when he was thrown from his horse during trackwork in late October after his mount Rock Wave was struck in the head by a plover.
The 51-year-old returned to action at Fannie Bay on December 3 before heading to Alice Springs on December 4, and it only took him until his 13th start back to celebrate a win.
Brazenpine, impressive last start despite finishing third over 1000m (0-58) on November 12, sat outside Pollard’s $16 runner Dream Chance (Hunter) before kicking clear turning for home.
The six-year-old mare skipped away to win by a length and a half from Gary Clarke’s $7.50 hope Chief Mondo (Todd), who made an outstanding recovery after blowing the start, with Dream Chance ($16) hanging on for third.
Darwin R6 replay | 9/12/2022 | Brazenpine (1st)
A regular Darwin campaigner and a new face to the NT also enjoyed success when Clarke’s Raazou (Todd) prevailed over 1200m (0-64) and Tayarn Halter’s Beachhaven (Hunter) triumphed over 1200m (Class 2).
In his 12th start for Clarke after winning on debut at Fannie Bay in December last year, Raazou ($2.10 fav) led from start to finish to make it four wins for the champion Darwin trainer – it was also the four-year-old gelding’s first win over 1200m at the track.
The former Victorian galloper, who had gone four races without a win after saluting over 1300m (0-64) on May 28, ended up winning by almost seven lengths from Cole’s $6.50 hope Crazy Lad (Luximon) and Clarke’s $4.40 chance Ice Ice Baby (Butler).
Darwin R3 replay | 9/12/2022 | Raazou (1st)
After racing in NSW, Victoria and South Australia for just one win at Geelong before arriving in Darwin, Beachhaven settled at the rear in the six-horse field as the front-runners burned plenty of petrol in their quest to find the lead.
Zip Lane (Tessa Townsend) and Chris Nash’s $3.90 fancy Archie James (Mark Pegus), who won a 1200m maiden on debut in Darwin on November 1, held sway down the side before the backmarkers made their move turning for home.
Tsugaru (Luximon), Cole’s $1.80 favourite, was clearly fading with 500m to go and was sitting in last place, while Beachhaven had clicked into gear as he started circling the field.
Once turning for home and with 200m to go, Mark Nyhan’s Rojo Boom (Tasikos) had caught Zip Lane and Archie James as Tsugaru regrouped along the rails and Beachhaven swooped down the outside.
Beachhaven ($13) went on to win Heat 4 of the 2022/23 Lightning Wet Season Series by a length from Rojo Boom ($7), a solid performer in Darwin and Alice Springs at the start of the year, with Tsugaru a further length and a half away in third place.
Darwin R4 replay | 9/12/2022 | Beachhaven (1st)
More horse racing news
