Big wins in Alice, Leech and Hampson combine for winning double
Comprehensive wins were the order of the day at Alice Springs on Saturday.
Just like the hot weather – it was 37C for the Pioneer Park meeting – Garrucha ($1.45 fav), Asahi Bearing ($4), Esahi ($4) and Write Your Name ($5.50) sizzled as they overwhelmed the opposition.
In-form trainer Dick Leech managed a winning double with Halgard ($4) and Write Your Name to take over as the leading trainer in the Alice Springs and Provincial premiership with 16 wins.
Leech leap-frogged Lisa Whittle (15), who only recently relocated to South Australia after achieving endless success in Central Australia for some 25 years.
Whittle, in fact, was the Red Centre’s champion trainer last season, but the way Leech is going he might well be top dog by the end of the 2022/23 campaign unless Greg Connor (11), Paul Gardner (8), Kerry Petrick (8) and Leanne Gillett (8) can produce something special.
Darwin-based apprentice Jade Hampson, who can claim 3kg, partnered Leech’s stablemates as the 19-year-old prepares to represent the NT in Heat 5 of the National Apprentice Race Series at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm on Wednesday.
The two $23,100 features on the Alice Springs six-event program were a Benchmark 73 handicap (1000m), which went to Esashi, and an open handicap (1400m), which was won by Write Your Name.
Esashi, a four-year-old mare trained by Leanne Gillett, made it three straight wins after getting to an early lead and establishing a healthy advantage turning for home before prevailing by 2.5 lengths from Trevor Montgomerie’s $8.50 hope Tanner (Casey Hunter) and Whittle’s $4.80 betting site chance Harpuna (Paul Denton).
Apprentice Dakota-Lee Gillett was able to seal victory for her mum and to lump just 52kg certainly made the task much easier for Esahi, who definitely tired in the final 100m, but continues to impress as she works her way through the grades.
24/3/23 Alice Springs Race 4 Replay – Esashi (1st)
Write Your Name (54kg) sat on the fence and shared the lead with Terry Gillett’s $3 favourite Supreme Attraction (Sonja Wiseman) for a major portion of the race before edging away at the 500m approaching the home turn.
Once straightening and with 300m left to go, Write Your Name – boasting moderate form at best of late – extended his lead before sealing victory by a staggering 8.8 lengths with Supreme Attraction hanging on for second and Carrol Hunter’s $8 contender Desert Lass (Jessie Philpot), a clear last when they jumped, finishing with zest for third.
For Write Your Name, a seven-year-old gelding, it was a delightfully unexpected return to form after winning three races from as many starts on the Kununurra grass in late August and early September.
24/3/23 Alice Springs Race 6 Replay – Write Your Name (1st)
Halgard missed the start over 1200m (0-70), but ended up settling midfield along the rails as Ray Viney’s Unpredicted (Philpot) held sway out in front by three lengths leaving the back straight.
Unpredicted was wobbling nearing the final bend and once turning for home started to drift wide as the opposition converged – that left a yawning gap on the inside and Halgard, a five-year-old gelding, pounced to seal victory by a length.
Greg Connor’s $4.40 runner Miles Prower (Lek Maloney) and Gary Clarke’s $2.80 favourite Marimenko (Jarrod Todd) filled the minor placings, and for Halgard it was his first win since saluting over 1350m (RTG56) at Kununurra on August 27.
24/3/23 Alice Springs Race 2 Replay – Halgard (1st)
Asahi Bearing, victorious over 1100m (0-70) when last she raced in the Red Centre on 2022 Alice Springs Cup Day on May 1, was returning from a spell after failing to impress in two Darwin starts last June and July.
Despite an eight-month break, the Clarke-trained six-year-old mare – with trusty stable rider Todd on board – made it five wins from nine starts at Pioneer Park with an exceptional win over 1000m (0-64).
With many vying for the early lead, Asahi Bearing – jumping from the inside gate – found her way to the front and not only did she look at ease exiting the back straight she looked just as comfortable down the side approaching the final corner.
There was bunch trailing the leader turning for home, but with some 320m left to go they couldn’t bridge the gap as Asahi Bearing got home by four lengths from Leech’s last start winner Madam Mischief (Philpot), who started at $9, and Montgomerie’s $7.50 hopeful A Thousand Degrees (Ianish Luximon).
24/3/23 Alice Springs Race 3 Replay – Asahi Bearing (1st)
Viney’s Quizzle ($3.60 fav) continues to go from strength to strength since arriving in the NT by making it back to back wins over 1400m (BM54) after winning a 1400m maiden just a fortnight ago by six lengths.
The four-year-old gelding, runner-up in his first two Alice starts in January and February, carried 60kg and was happy to settle midfield in sixth place before accelerating brilliantly at the 600m once the 10-horse field farewelled the back straight.
As the home turn neared, Quizzle (Philpot) had headed three wide to make ground on the leading pack, but Kerry Petrick’s $19 Red Centre debutante Dissmagic (Phillip Crich) held firm after settling in front once entering the back straight.
Half way down the home straight, Quizzle was in full flight and never in danger of defeat as Leech’s $4.20 elect Yowza (Luximon), who jumped from a wide gate, stormed home to finish 1.5 lengths adrift of the winner with Mark Nyhan’s $4.40 candidate Rojo Boom (Wiseman) rallying to eclipse Dissmagic for third.
24/3/23 Alice Springs Race 5 Replay – Quizzle (1st)
After finishing third in his Alice debut over 1100m (Class 2) last Sunday, Russell Bell’s three-year-old gelding Garrucha (Dan Morgan) justified his prohibitive quote by annihilating his rivals by seven lengths in a 1200m maiden.
Garrucha, who was placed in two Victorian maidens last June, jumped to an early lead and was basically cruising as he controlled proceedings before sprinting clear in the home straight with Gardner’s $17 prospect Final Jedi (Gillett) and Rene Taylor’s $51 outsider Eight On The Dot (Maloney) filling the minor placings.