Darwin’s Gary Clarke and Jarrod Todd look set to defend their Top End and Country trainer and jockey premierships.
Clarke, unstoppable for the past 11 years, and his No.1 rider Todd, untouchable for the past four years, landed a winning treble at Fannie Bay on Friday.
That’s 41 wins for the season for Clarke; he now holds an unassailable lead over Phil Cole (21).
Todd has 35 wins for the 2023–24 campaign; he’s well clear of apprentice Emma Lines (20).
Clarke and Todd claimed the main race on Friday when eight-year-old mare Bel’s Banner ($3.20) made it back-to-back wins over 1100m (BM76).
Bel’s Banner was sitting outside Tayarn Halter’s $2.90 favourite with horse racing bookmakers Pocket Pistol (Jade Hampson) passing the 900m and their dog-fight continued before they battled it out in the home straight.
Bel’s Banner edged clear at the 200m before downing Pocket Pistol by a length, with Clarke’s $6 hope Influential Jack (Ianish Luximon) third.
That made it seven wins from 21 Darwin starts for Bel’s Banner, after two wins from 23 starts in Queensland and Victoria.
Starspangledancer ($2.70 fav), a four-year-old mare by Starspangledbanner, got the ball rolling for Clarke and Todd with victory over 1200m (0-58).
Starspangledancer, boasting two wins from nine Darwin starts, led after 200 metres before Halter’s I’m A Dreamer (Hampson) applied the heat leaving the back straight.
At the 300m, Starspangledancer skipped two lengths clear before I’m A Dreamer ($3.50) got to within 0.6 lengths at the finish with Chris Pollard’s $14 chance Go Barney Go (Luximon), a distant third.
It was a big day for Clarke’s mares, with five-year-old Extreme Emotion ($3.10) finishing strongly in a 1000m maiden after coming third in a similar race on her NT debut in March.
Extreme Emotion, the daughter of Extreme Choice, settled fourth before making ground and catching Chloe Baxter’s $4.80 prospect Siberian Larch (Wayne Davis), who led for a long time, to win by 1.3 lengths with Cole’s $2.80 favourite Miami Vice (Luximon) third.
It was on from the outset between Nash’s $1.60 favourite Mr Have A Chat (Sonja Logan) and Clarke’s $2.50 second pick Patriotic King (Todd) over 1000m (0-64).
Patriotic King, who held the fence, lost rhythm at the 500m with Mr Have A Chat, skipping two lengths clear.
Mr Have A Chat, a solid performer in Victoria and SA (34:5-7-2), had to lift over the final 100m as Patriotic King, the 1100m track record holder, rallied before prevailing by 1.1 lengths, with Halter’s $8.50 contender Raffalli (Hampson) working home nicely for third.
Peter Stennett’s New Enterprise ($3.60) lined up over 1300m (0-64) and left it late before winning by length from Cole’s $4.40 chance Merseyside (Luximon) and Clarke’s $3.20 fancy Global Wonder (Todd).
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