In a remarkable coincidence, both Paul Shiers and Sonja Wiseman rode their 400th winner during the Darwin Turf Club’s meeting at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
Shiers, 50, got the ball rolling aboard The Kid in the opening event on the five-race program, while Wiseman, 30, achieved the feat in the very next race with Blueant.
The Kid, a three-year-old gelding, was having just his second start in the Top End after having just one start in Victoria and was in dire straits when trailing the field by a big margin in the Silks Darwin TROBIS Maiden Plate (1300m).
The son of Sebring, trained by Tayarn Halter, was easily 10 lengths behind the leaders turning out of the back straight before making his move approaching the home turn.
Shiers had stuck to the rails rounding the final bend, but once turning for home he headed for the outside in pursuit of the leaders as The Kid continued to gain momentum.
He may have started as a $3.80 second favourite, but The Kid was honestly a 100-1 shot after the first 400m before he burned his rivals over the final 200m to seal a sensational win by almost two and a half lengths.
Wiseman finished fourth in the race on Debasement for trainer and partner Tom Logan, while Ella Clarke’s $2 favourite Cisalpine (Jarrod Todd) and Laylah’s Wish (Vanessa Arnott) from the Phil Cole yard filled the minor placings.
Darwin R1 replay | October 22, 2022 | The Kid (1st)
“Everyone was thrilled for Shiersy and as soon as he came in after the race everyone was patting him on the back,” Wiseman said.
“It was pretty well known that he was on the verge of getting his 400th win.
“Everyone backed him, he’s a gentleman and he’s always first to congratulate you if you have a good day and with every winner you get.
“He’s just a great bloke all-round and to see him reach the milestone is a great achievement.
“We only race once a week here and he used to miss out on the wet season – he never used to ride then.
“He’s not one to be up and about cheering over everything that he gets, but he was very happy to get the win.
“I don’t know if he expected it on The Kid, he was a long way back in the race.
“He almost looked like he was not even going to run a place, but the way the horse stormed home Paul was real happy.
“A lot of people were screaming with joy when The Kid hit the front.
“Paul had other chances on the day and they didn’t aim up, but isn’t that always the way.”
Wiseman got to join Shiers in celebration when Blueant, the $3.20 second favourite, held on to edge out Jason Manning’s $11 hope Kirakat (Arnott) – who was making her NT debut – by a nostril in the Ladbroke It 0-58 Handicap (1100m).
Blueant, a six-year-old gelding trained by Logan, sat comfortably in second place along the rails with Halter’s $2.35 favourite Yowza (Shiers) and Kirakat on his outside, while Cole’s Northern Factor (Wayne Davis) held a handy lead.
Heading for home, Blueant and Kirakat fought it out over the final 200m with Wiseman getting the former NSW and Queensland galloper home – with Chris Nash’s Champs D’or (Stan Tsaikos) finishing strongly along the rails for third.
Darwin R2 replay | October 22, 2022 | Blueant (1st)
“It was incredible,” Wiseman said.
“Definitely not something that I was going around telling everyone, but race caller Craig Sant knew and announced it as soon as I went over the line.
“We only just got there, but it doesn’t matter how much you win by it’s still a win.
“You don’t take any win for granted.
“We all have our highs and lows, but at the moment I’m on a high and I’ve just been very lucky.”
Wiseman, who started her career 12 years ago in Queensland, has had her fair share of injuries which have kept her out of the saddle.
It was only last year that she was sidelined for three months following a fall during the Darwin Cup Carnival.
“Blueant, who won his first race in Darwin in March, hasn’t really ran a race for me yet and we have had a few little issues with him, so I was hoping he would win for me – but just didn’t know if the horse would actually perform for me,” she said.
“Tom really rates the horse highly, he’s probably the favourite of the stable.
“He’s always had a big opinion about him, but we had a few little things like a virus go through the stable which was unfortunate.”
Wiseman had her first start as a rider aboard the Tony Nutley-trained Ollein at Nanango in August 2010 and finished second before booting home her first winner two weeks later on the Sheree McEwan-trained Leica Lion at Gatton.
“It was obviously a very big high riding your first winner – I’ve actually got Leica Lion tattooed on my foot,” she laughed.
“Brooke Richardson ran a close second that day, which was a highlight as we were best mates at the time.
“It was great to beat her, bit of friendly competition.”
Wiseman is easily the leading rider in the NT this season with 21 winners.
Jarrod Todd (12) leads the Top End jockeys’ premiership from Wiseman (10) and Shiers (7), while Wiseman (11) is a clear leader in the Alice Springs premiership standings.
Todd (44), Shiers (30.5) and Wiseman (29), who missed the first three months of the season, dominated the 2021/22 campaign in the Top End, while Wiseman (20) had to settle for fourth in the Red Centre behind Stan Tsaikos (35), Paul Denton (28) and Jessie Philpot (23).
“I’ve got a lot of support from a few good teams in Darwin and Alice Springs that back me week in, week out,” Wiseman said.
“We just seem to be getting winners together, which is great.
“All the horses are looking well, feeling well, well presented and performing which helps.”
Those teams include Logan, of course, and Mark Nyhan in Darwin, as well as Lisa Whittle and Will Savage in Alice Springs.
“I know Tommy’s team inside and out, we’ve built up a really good little team,” Wiseman said.
“Mark has also built up a good little team over the past year since relocating from Alice Springs.
“Then you go down to Alice Springs, I couldn’t be happier with the way things are.
“Lisa and Will continue to put me on and I’ve got rides for them again this weekend.
“That’s why you have good runs, you have stables that back you and I’m grateful.”
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