Long-serving NT trainer Dick Leech estimates that he has tried 15 or 16 times to win the Red Centre’s biggest race, and that patience was finally rewarded on Sunday when Write Your Name took out the $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) at Pioneer Park.
The landmark moment came after the son of Written Tycoon, who had hardly raced beyond 1400m throughout his career, hit the front at the top of the home straight and survived the final 350m.
It was also the first NT feature for Darwin apprentice Jade Hampson, who produced a superb ride on the $3.70 favourite.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Leech said.
“Was able to win the Pioneer Sprint three or four times, but never the Cup.
“It was a tough effort by the horse – he was terrific.
“Good ride by the kid, she rides the way you want.
“We had planned the Alice Springs Cup for Write Your Name for a while.
“We’ve been trying to step him up.
“Here in Alice he’s been going alright, getting over ground.
“Everyone reckoned he wouldn’t get past 1400m.”
Write Your Name settled in fifth place as stablemate Lunch Session (Phillip Crich) held sway from Carrol Hunter’s Desert Lass (Casey Hunter), Kym Healy’s Wicked Edition (Sonja Wiseman) and Gary Clarke’s Group Think (Todd) for the first half of the race.
Chief Minister’s Cup winner Saccharo (Wayne Davis) and Write Your Name made their move leaving the back straight with 800m to go.
Lunch Session ($26) and Desert Lass ($31) weren’t going anywhere as Write Your Name and Saccharo made ground down the side – Wicked Edition and Group Think had hit the wall.
Leech’s NT Guineas winner Century Fox (Kyra Yuill), Michael Hickmott’s $8.50 raider Lake’s Folly (Sairyn Fawke) from South Australia, and Tayarn Halter’s $7.50 contender I Am The Fox (Paul Denton) were on the move swinging for home, but they were seemingly giving the leaders too much start.
Write Your Name passed Lunch Session at the 350m once completing the final bend, but Desert Lass held firm as Saccharo ($6.50) and Century Fox ($26) started winding up – and before you knew it Lake’s Folly was storming home down the extreme outside.
In the end it was the courageous Desert Lass, a winner over 2050m on Darwin Cup Day last August, who challenged Write Your Name over the concluding stages with Hunter producing a mighty ride before falling just a length short.
Saccharo was a further three lengths adrift in third place from Lake’s Folly, Century Fox and Lunch Session, who had a specific role in the race.
“I wanted to put the pressure on early with Lunch Session, bring them undone a bit,” Leech said.
“The three-year-old Century Fox ran a good race – he’ll be a nice horse for the Guineas and Derby in Darwin.
“Write Your Name was good in that 1900m race, he was a big chance today.”
2023 Alice Springs Cup – Write Your Name (1st)
For Hampson, it capped off a spectacular 12 months since winning her first race in her very first start in Darwin last April.
The 19-year-old had an injury concern not long after kick-starting her career, but she continues to ride winners in Darwin and Alice Springs, and has also tasted success in WA, SA and Victoria.
The Cup win was her 40th victory and it wasn’t all that long ago she dead-heated for first when representing the NT in the National Apprentice Race Series at Sandown Hillside in Melbourne.
Naturally, Hampson was over the moon after Sunday’s success.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet, I’m buzzing, a huge thrill, especially as a second year apprentice,” she said.
“It’s not an opportunity that a lot of people get, I’m so grateful.
“We had a plan, we didn’t want him to get on the fence because we know the horse doesn’t like the fence.
“It was always going to be a bit tricky from barrier three – I had to sort of let some come across to push him wide.
“I made my move along the back straight – Dick still thinks I went early and I still think that I went early.
“I was just lucky I had the horse under me, it was a super effort.”
Hampson admitted that when turning for home she was waiting for another horse to make a move.
“I was screaming, hitting the horse as hard as I could waiting for someone to come,” she said.
“It was an adrenalin rush, I got a bit excited there.
“I didn’t look at the big screen in the home straight, I was just too worried about trying to get past the post.”
Leech and Hampson ended the Alice Springs Cup Carnival as the leading trainer and jockey with 10 and eight wins, respectively.
The pair combined to win the Queen Of The Desert Handicap (1200m) – the feature race for the fillies and mares – last Friday with Madam Mischief.
With the Alice Springs Cup now part of the revamped Triple Crown in the NT, Write Your Name can seal a $100,000 bonus for connections with victory in Darwin’s Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m) on July 15 and the Darwin Cup (2050m) on August 5.
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