Emma Lines claims riding double at Darwin, brings up 50th winner
After a debut win 12 months ago, Darwin apprentice Emma Lines made it 50 career wins at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
The 17-year-old now has 51 wins in the bank after booting stablemates Cielo D’Oro ($2.30 fav) and Whitten ($14) home for trainer Phil Cole.
Lines, also a regular rider in Alice Springs, has been remarkably consistent since guiding Cole’s Looking For You to victory in her first race start on December 9 last year.
Injuries have kept her sidelined, but the teenager finished third in the 2021/22 Top End and Country jockeys’ premiership with 21 wins behind Jarrod Todd (42) and Sonja Logan (30).
Todd (26) currently leads the way this season, but Lines – who won the 2023 Darwin Guineas on Cole’s Tubthumper – is second with 16 wins.
Cielo D’Oro, a seven-year-old gelding by Medaglia D’Oro, had never finished outside the top four in 14 Fannie Bay starts and made it four wins for Cole after outclassing his three opponents over 1100m (BM75).
Trailing frontrunners Doc O’Connor ($4.20) and Spanish Heirloom ($8), Cielo D’Oro swooped at the 200m to win by two lengths from Jason Manning’s Spanish Heirloom, an arrival from SA, and Dick Leech’s Prince Of Mercia ($2.80).
Lines also took a sit in the special conditions race over 1100m before four-year-old gelding Whitten, fourth approaching the final bend, pursued Chris Pollard’s Full Damage ($16), who led from the outset, in the home straight.
Whitten, who had only managed a fourth in four Darwin starts after four unplaced starts in Victoria, and Chole Baxter’s Enuff Red ($1.50 fav) headed for the fence in their quest for victory.
NT debutante Enuff Red was impeded by Whitten passing the 100m before Cole’s son of Written Tycoon nailed Full Damage by 0.05 lengths at the post – Patrick Johnston’s backmarker Gelata ($61) was third.
Visiting Ipswich apprentice Olivia Kendal’s first Darwin excursion was eventful after guiding Johnston’s Ankle Rolex ($5), who won on debut at the corresponding meeting last year, home by a length from Gary Clarke’s Prince Ruban ($3.80) and Angela Forster’s Spielberg ($4.40) over 1600m (0-64).
Flight cancellations in Brisbane on Friday delayed Kendal’s arrival, but all ended well after Ankle Rolex, a four-year-old gelding by Cable Bay, celebrated his first win since April and claimed his first win over 1600m after taking command passing the 1100m.
Kendal, who provided Johnston with his first win in eight months after Ankle Rolex saluted in Alice Springs, headed home on Saturday night as she is riding at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
For Wellington apprentice Dylan Stanley, returning to the NT after two years, it wasn’t a good day as he was dislodged from the bucking Hey Little Sister, Pollard’s $51 hope, soon after the start over 1000m (0-58).
Stanley avoided serious injury, but complained of neck soreness and was transported by ambulance to Royal Darwin Hospital for further observation.
Following the demise of Hey Little Sister, who started well, Leech’s Pride Of Limassol ($7.50) dominated as from the 600m after dispensing with four other pacesetters before outclassing Jo Banks’ Colour De Roy ($3.90) – sixth at the 400m – and Tom Logan’s Make An Effort ($41) by 2.4 lengths.
Pride Of Limassol, a five-year-old gelding by Pride Of Dubai, was second (1100m) and fourth (1000m) at 0-58 level during December after arriving from Victoria.
After four previous failures over 1600m, Clarke’s Wilsons Prom ($1.50 fav) finally saluted when he overcame Kerry Petrick’s gallant Zoutellus ($6.50) by a length at 0-64 level with Cole’s Charretera ($15) a distant third.
Petrick did celebrate when seven-year-old gelding New Roman ($12) won over 1100m (0-64) to make it seven wins from 28 Darwin starts – for jockey Phil Crich it was his first Top End win since January 14, when he also partnered New Roman.
Logan’s Beatification ($2.15 fav) had posted two seconds following his arrival from Victoria before Impending’s four-year-old gelding finally achieved victory at the 12th attempt after downing Johnston’s Barty Aya ($6) and Manning’s Palentino Rossi ($21) in a 1200m maiden.