Bear Story, Ideas Man top weights for Darwin Cup, Palmerston Sprint

Bear Story
Darwin Cup favourite Bear Story. Picture: Caroline Camilleri (Fotofinish Racepix)

The Neil Dyer-trained Bear Story is top-weight for the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) at Fannie Bay on Monday after being handed 61kg.

A six-year-old gelding by Kodiac, Bear Story has only had one Top End start when he blitzed his rivals by 4.3 lengths in the Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m) at weight-for-age on July 13.

Victory guaranteed the former Irish galloper an automatic start in the NT’s biggest race and he is the $2.25 favourite with online bookmakers as Dyer eyes his fourth Cup.

The Kyneton-based trainer has already celebrated Cup victories with Hawks Bay (2011 and 2012) and Royal Request (2017).

A last start fourth over 1800m (BM100) at Sandown in May before heading to the NT, Bear Story had three wins in Ireland before debuting in Australia in March 2023 when 11th for Cranbourne trainer Clinton McDonald in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.

The gelding’s first win was over 1609m at Dundalk as a two-year-old in December 2020 before posting back to back wins at the track in the Group 3 Dubai Diamond Stakes (2149m) in September 2021 and 2022.

Bear Story also finished among the minor placings on eight occasions in 18 Irish starts.

Gary Clarke’s five-year-old gelding Wolfburn (56.5kg), third in last year’s Darwin Cup, has had four wins from five starts from 1200-1600m since returning from SA, including victory in the Metric Mile (1600m) by 2.5 lengths on Saturday.

Wolfburn, the son of Snitzel, is flying, but will need to find another gear after finishing second behind Bear Story in the Chief Minister’s Cup.

Victory in the Cup will also make it four wins for Clarke, Darwin’s leading trainer, following the success of Lightinthenite (2015), Zahspeed (2018) and Playoffs (2022).

Other winners of feature races leading up to the Darwin Cup include Wolfburn (ROANT Gold Cup), He’s Maverick (Darwin Guineas), Hettinger (Toyota Finance Cup), Masatora (NT Derby) and Hadouken (Buntine Handicap).

Kerry Petrick’s Venting won the Alice Springs Cup (2000m) in April.

Meanwhile, Chris Nash’s six-year-old gelding Ideas Man is top-weight for the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on Saturday after being assigned 61kg.

Ideas Man, the son of Brazen Beau, finished second behind Dick Leech’s Early Crow in the Palmerston last year and in 22 Fannie Bay starts from 1000-1200m his record stands at 22: 9-6-1.

In 11 Darwin starts since May 2023, Ideas Man has never missed the top four and he was a last start winner over 1100m (BM76) on July 17.

Early Crow, currently the $5 favourite, now trained by Chris Pollard, completed his Palmerston preparations on July 20 with a last start win over 1200m at weight-for-age.

Other likely Palmerston starters to taste success against quality opposition over the short course since May include Spaceship, Rising Sphere, Canton Kid, Kerioth and the in-form Star Magnum.

Terry Gillett’s Dakota Lee, who has won 10 races from as many starts in Alice Springs, makes her Fannie Bay debut, while Kym Healy’s Mathematics is unlikely to get a start despite winning the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) in the Red Centre in April.

  • Palmertson Sprint

    • Saturday August 3rd
    • 1200m
    • 12 Starters (3 Emergencies)
    No. Horse Age/Sex Trainer Weight Rating Price
    1 IDEAS MAN 6g Chris Nash 61.0kg 91 $6.00
    2 DAKOTA LEE 5m Terry Gillett 57.5kg 88 $6.00
    3 EARLY CROW 5g Chris Pollard 56.5kg 82 $5.00
    4 STAR MAGNUM 6g Phil Cole 56.5kg 82 $15
    5 SEGUSO 6g Gary Clarke 56.0kg 81 $8.00
    6 SPACESHIP 4g Gary Clarke 54.5kg 78 $11
    7 KERIOTH 6g Chris Pollard 54.0kg 77 $8.00
    8 SON OF BIELSKI 7g Chris Nash 54.0kg 76 $34
    9 LUMBER PUNK 5g Gary Clarke 54.0kg 74 $8.00
    10 EXPERT WITNESS 5g Lisa Whittle 54.0kg 74 $26
    11 CIELO D’ORO 7g Phil Cole 54.0kg 74 $26
    12 CONCLAVE PRINCE 4g Phil Cole 54.0kg 73 $15
    13 ZOURATA 4g Lisa Whittle 54.0kg 72 $21
    14 FLYING ANNIE 5m Gary Clarke 54.0kg 72 $26
    15 RISING SPHERE 6g Gary Clarke 54.0kg 72 $26
    16 CANTON KID 6g Lisa Whittle 54.0kg 71 $26
    17 CITY REGAL 5g Tayarn Halter 54.0kg 70 $51
    18 POP MAGIC 5g Ella Clarke 54.0kg 68 $26
    19 POMPEII EMPIRE 4g Kym Healy 54.0kg 66 $15
    20 MATHEMATICS 7g Kym Healy 54.0kg 66 $51
    21 NOBLE MAGNATE 4g Kym Healy 54.0kg 65 $34
    22 SWING WITH JUNIOR 6m Chloe Baxter 54.0kg 65 $101
    23 POLARISING 4m Tom Logan 54.0kg 62 $34

  • Darwin Cup

    • Monday August 5th
    • 2050m
    • 12 Starters (3 Emergencies)
    No. Horse Age/Sex Trainer Weight Rating Price
    1 BEAR STORY (Ire) 6g Neil Dyer 61.0kg 97 $2.25
    2 NOIR DE RUE 9g Jason Manning 60.0kg 95 $18
    3 WOLFBURN 5g Gary Clarke 56.5kg 88 $8.00
    4 DESERT LASS 7m Carrol Hunter 54.0kg 87 $51
    5 PLAYOFFS (NZ) 7g Gary Clarke 55.5kg 86 $15
    6 WRITE YOUR NAME 8g Chris Pollard 54.5kg 84 $26
    7 SACCHARO 8g Phil Cole 54.0kg 82 $34
    8 CASTLEREAGH KID 5g Dan Morgan 54.0kg 78 $101
    9 STARSPANGLED BABY 6m Andrew Perdon 54.0kg 78 $26
    10 HETTINGER (NZ) 5g Neil Dyer 54.0kg 76 $11
    11 HADOUKEN 5g Peter Robl 54.0kg 75 $4.50
    12 MASATORA 3g Gary Clarke 54.0kg 70 $11
    13 HE’S THE ULTIMATE 5g Chloe Baxter 54.0kg 76 $21
    14 SON OF BIELSKI 7g Chris Nash 54.0kg 76 $51
    15 VENTING 5g Kerry Petrick 54.0kg 75 $26
    16 PINK PANTHER 5g Gary Clarke 54.0kg 74 $21
    17 ZIGGI ROCKS 7g Neil Dyer 54.0kg 74 $26
    18 HE’S MAVERICK 3g Kym Healy 54.0kg 70 $34
    19 CORMORANT (Ire) 7g Lisa Whittle 54.0kg 68 $101
    20 TANAAWOL (NZ) 6g Gary Clarke 54.0kg 64 $15

Horse racing news

Topics

Races Darwin Cup | Palmerston Sprint
Racecourses Darwin
States NT

Topics: Bear Story, Darwin, Darwin Cup, Ideas Man, NT, Palmerston Sprint

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