Dick Leech dominates Alice Springs awards
Trainer Dick Leech has claimed an accomplishment in NT racing that is unlikely to be repeated.
Leech secured the same four awards for the 2022/23 season following the Top End Racing Awards in Darwin and the Alice Springs Turf Club’s presentation night.
Write Your Name was named Horse of the Year at the Top End Racing Awards in September and the Alice Springs Turf Club’s presentation night on Saturday.
Write Your Name, who won the $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) in April before winning the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) in August, also picked up the Middle Distance/Stayer of the Year award at both venues.
The eight-year-old gelding by Written Tycoon became the first horse since Pretty Blonde in 2014 to win the Alice Springs and Darwin Cups.
Pretty Blonde, trained by Kym Healy from Strathalbyn, who finished second nine years ago, was awarded the Darwin Cup when Saturday Sorcerer, first past the post, was disqualified after returning a positive swab.
The last horse to win the Alice Springs and Darwin Cups when first across the line was Lothaway County in 1994.
Write Your Name, who won four straight in Alice Springs and was third in Darwin’s Chief Ministers Cup (1600m), won the Red Centre’s Middle Distance/Stayer of the Year award from Paul Gardner’s Roughly and Sheila Arnold’s Qualis.
Early Crow, victorious in two starts during the Alice Springs Carnival before finishing eighth in the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m), impressed during the Darwin Carnival culminating with victory in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m).
That was enough for the five-year-old gelding by Kuroshio to seal the Sprinter of the Year award in the Top End and Red Centre.
Early Crow won the Alice award from Terry Gillett’s Pioneer Sprint winner Supreme Attraction, Brat, trained by Gillett and wife Leanne, and Liberty Blue, who had stints with trainers Lisa Whittle, Scott Whittle and Rene Taylor.
Century Fox was adjudged as Three-Year-Old of the Year in Darwin and Alice Springs after winning the NT Guineas (1600m) and finishing fifth in the Alice Springs Cup before a narrow second in the Darwin Guineas (1600m).
The son of Eurozone, now a four-year-old, pipped Kerry Petrick’s NT Derby (2050m) winner Anphina, Phil Cole’s Darwin Guineas winner Tubthumper, Gary Clarke’s Doc O’Connor and Patrick Johnston’s Ankle Rolex for the Top End award.
Kevin Lamprecht’s Daniher, second in the NT Guineas, was the other nomination for Alice Springs’ Three-Year-Old of the Year award after winning two races from four Fannie Bay starts – he was eighth in the Darwin Guineas.
The only NT equine award Leech didn’t win was the Top End’s Out Of Carnival Performer of the Year, which went to Gary Clarke’s Siakam.
Leech, who watched his horse Club Liquid win the 2008 Darwin Cup by 13 lengths, was not present in Alice Springs on Saturday night as he is holidaying in Bali.
With stables in Darwin and Alice Springs, Leech’s foreman Lorraine Edwards accepted all four awards on his behalf, as well as the award as the leading Alice Springs and Provincial trainer for the 2022/23 period with 27 wins.
Despite spending so many years racing horses in the NT, Leech had never won a trainers’ premiership previously in Darwin or Alice Springs.
“It’s a wonderful effort by Dick, and it would be remarkable if a trainer won all four awards again in Darwin and Alice Springs in the same year,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole said.
“To have his horses peaking at the right time in Alice Springs before heading to Darwin where he enjoyed further success was outstanding.
“Dick is a colourful character, but he is an experienced horseman and has supported Territory racing for years and is always investing in horses, so it’s hard to begrudge his success.
“He was also the Alice Springs Cup Carnival’s leading trainer.”
Meanwhile, Darwin rider Sonja Logan, formerly Sonja Wiseman before her marriage in August, won her first NT title as the leading jockey in the Alice Springs and Provincial premiership with 26 victories for the season.
Dakota Gillett, second in the jockeys’ premiership, was the leading apprentice with 24 wins, while the Women in TRNT leading trainer and jockey awards went to Lisa Whittle (16) and Logan.
Darwin’s Jade Hampson, the NT’s leading apprentice for 2022/23, received an Achievement Award after partnering Write Your Name in the Alice Springs Cup and by becoming the first apprentice to end the Alice Springs Carnival as the leading jockey.
ASTC vice-chairman Mark Jackman, who is involved in various projects at Pioneer Park, was honoured with the Appreciation Award as he was instrumental in having the new Tie Up stalls erected.
Absent from the Top End Racing Awards where she was awarded the Aftercare Award for her efforts re-educating and rehoming thoroughbreds after racing, Alice Springs-based Ayla Stevens was honoured on Saturday night.