Sonja Wiseman’s star in the Northern Territory continues to shine after the 30-year-old jockey sealed a winning treble at Fannie Bay on Tuesday.
The Darwin-based hoop is now the leading rider in both the Top End and Alice Springs jockey premierships.
Wiseman has now ridden 13 winners in the Top End after eight meetings in Darwin and one in Katherine to overtake Jarrod Todd (12), who has won the premiership for the past three years.
After eight meetings in Alice Springs, along with the annual Tennant Creek meeting in May, Wiseman has ridden 11 winners in the NT provincial premiership to lead the way from Jessie Philpot (7).
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Wiseman (29) finished third in the Top End premiership behind Todd (44) and Paul Shiers (30.5) and fourth in the provincial premiership behind Stan Tsaikos (35), Paul Denton (28), and Philpot (23) with 20 wins.
Not bad considering she missed the first three months of the season because of injury following a fall during the 2021 Darwin Cup Carnival.
Wiseman (49), who celebrated her 400th career win at the previous Fannie Bay meeting on October 22 when she saluted on Blueant for trainer and partner Tom Logan, ended the 2021/22 campaign with the second-most wins in the NT behind Tsaikos (53).
The always smiling Wiseman, who kicked off her career in Queensland in 2010, won’t forget 2022 Melbourne Cup Day in a hurry after riding a double for Logan before getting the cash for Mark Nyhan.
Malibu Edition ($8.50) overcame 0-58 class (1300m) and Virtuous Miss ($2.20 fav) toppled Class 2 opposition (1100m) for Logan, while Bat Pad ($2.30 fav) was too good for his rivals over 1100m (0-70) for Nyhan.
“Sonja is in tremendous form right now and she has made an excellent start to the season,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole said.
“It’s not very often you see a jockey leading the way in Darwin and Alice Springs, and although it’s still early days she looks like having a good season if her current form is any guide.
“Anything can happen in the racing game and Sonja had her injury concerns last year, but she’s currently enjoying a purple patch.
“She is also riding good horses, which is a credit to the trainers, but Sonja is clearly a good rider and at the moment you expect her to make an impact in a race no matter who she is riding.
“I realise that’s not possible, but the horses she rides never seem to be out of it – always competitive.
“Credit to Tom Logan as well, he is getting his fair share of winners of late – Tom and Sonja are developing into a very successful combination.”
Wiseman has had 305 rides in the Top End for 52 wins, 38 seconds and 36 thirds, while in the Red Centre her record stands at 260 rides for 48 wins, 39 seconds and 42 thirds.
Logan, who has posted 15 wins, eight seconds and five thirds from 54 starts in the Top End, has trained seven winners for the 2022/23 season and sits in equal second place with Tayarn Halter behind 10-time Darwin premiership winner Gary Clarke (16).
Despite not training a winner in Alice Springs and South Australia in 13 other races, Logan has recorded four minor placings and the likes of Blueant, Blueberry Boy, Freddy The Eagle, Poupee, Bear Forever, Brazen Boy, Fromthenevernever, Malibu Edition and Virtuous Miss form a very healthy stable.
Malibu Edition, a four-year-old gelding, arrived in the Top End in December last year after having three trials in Victoria before winning a 1300m maiden at his fourth start with Todd in the saddle.
His form fluctuated and Logan elected not to start him in the Darwin Guineas (1600m) in early July.
Kick back on the Fannie Bay dirt track has caused Malibu Edition problems, but Logan was confident that once the horse got used to it he would show his true colours.
Malibu Edition has been racing well of late, and on Tuesday he and Afternoon Tea ($3.20 fav) were parked just behind the front-runner Lucky Dog ($15) before sharing the lead when sitting outside the leader exiting the back straight.
Down the side and turning for home, little separated the two leaders before Malibu Edition kicked away with 100m to go to overcome Chris Pollard’s Lucky Dog (Tsaikos) by over a length with Phil Cole’s $31 hope Great Boulder (Ianish Luximon) flashing home to finish two lengths adrift in third place.
Darwin R1 replay | November 1, 2022 | Malibu Edition (1st)
Virtuous Miss, who jumped from the inside gate, was a first-up third on her Darwin debut over 1000m (Class 2) on October 15, but on Tuesday she cruised to victory after sharing the early lead with Ella Clarke’s $26 hope Son Of Utred (Denton) and Chris Nash’s $8.50 runner Air Command (Luximon).
Once shaking Air Command approaching the final corner, Virtuous Miss kicked clear in the home straight to win by almost six lengths from $6 debutante Hokolesqua (Adam Nicholls) from the Angela Forster stable with Nash’s $6.50 chance Champs D’Or (Tsaikos) well behind in third place.
Virtuous Miss, a five-year-old mare, won over 1000m (Class 1) at Eagle Farm on Melbourne Cup Day last year.
Bat Pad finished among the minor placegetters in her first four starts at Fannie Bay, but she has now won three straight after outclassing her rivals by almost four lengths.
Jumping well from gate two, Bat Pad trailed Gary Clarke’s $10 chance Belmont Day (Todd) before the five-year-old mare loomed up effortlessly turning out of the back straight.
Down the side and turning into the home straight, Bat Pad remained outside Belmont Day before kicking clear to win comfortably from fast-finishing duo Swing With Junior (Casey Hunter), a $21 hope, from the Chloe Baxter stable and Signor Fangio (Philpot), a $6 chance, from the Dick Leech yard.
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