Lek Maloney continues winning trend for apprentices in Darwin
Lek Maloney continued the astonishing success rate of apprentice jockeys tasting success first up at Darwin by landing a double at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
The 19-year-old piloted the New Roman ($4.20) to victory for trainer Kerry Petrick over 1100m in Heat 4 of the Summer Sprint Series (0-64) before backing up on bookie favourite One For Anna for trainer Chris Nash over 1000m (0-58).
The son of Alice Springs Turf Club chairman Andrew Maloney, Lek sat out the first two races on the five-event card before finishing sixth on Mark Nyhan’s Against The Tide ($20) in his first Top End engagement behind Jo Banks’ Sweet Cheval (Sonja Wiseman) over 1200m (BM54).
Apprenticed to trainer Greg Connor in the Red Centre, the teenager made his debut on October 8 at Pioneer Park before winning his first race in just his sixth start at his third ever meeting on Russell Bell’s Arrogant Miss on October 29.
Darwin apprentice Jade Hampson won her first race in her first ever race ride on April 14 last year at Fannie Bay aboard Pointo’s Pick for her master Tayarn Halter.
Hampson, 18, now has 25 wins from 137 starts in the NT, WA and SA, which also includes a winning double the first time she rode at Alice Springs in June before winning on debut at Broome, Kununurra and Jamestown.
Returning to Darwin recently from SA, Hampson has secured winning trebles at Alice Springs, Kununurra and Jamestown – including victory on Kalamon in the Jamestown Cup (1800m) last October for Adelaide trainers Richard and Chantelle Jolly.
04/02/23 Darwin Race 4 Replay – New Roman
It was a memorable Top End debut for Alice Springs apprentice Dakota-Lee Gillett with success on Halter’s Noble War on December 31 before returning a fortnight later to post a win on Cudjerie for Chris Pollard.
Gillett, 17, is the daughter of trainers Terry and Leanne Gillett and after kick-starting her career on July 17 she celebrated her first win on Leah Walling-Denton’s Hard Work Rewards at Pioneer Park on August 20 in just her 12th ride at her fourth meeting.
It’s early days for Gillett, who has five career wins from 55 starts in the NT, after she spent time with Wyong trainer Damien Lane in September and October where she also had the opportunity to ride at Dubbo and Coonamble.
Emma Lines, yet another promising Darwin apprentice, replicated Hampson’s feat by winning her first race in her first ever career start aboard Looking For You for her master Phil Cole at Fannie Bay on December 9.
Lines, 16, also had the distinction of winning a race at three consecutive Darwin meetings after saluting on Cole’s stablemates Brazenpine (January 14) and Nokondi (January 26).
With three wins from 22 starts, which also includes five rides at two Alice Springs meetings, Lines has only featured at six meetings in a career that has spanned eight weeks.
The only other NT apprentice on the books, the Red Centre-based Ianish Luximon, arrived in November 2021 to ride for trainer Kevin Lamprecht and had his first Pioneer Park win on Military Road for Terry Gillett a month later before his first Fannie Bay win on Archie James for Nash on Melbourne Cup Day last year.
Hailing from Mauritius via Tasmania, Luximon has 13 wins from 186 starts in the NT.
Maloney, who has featured in 31 races at 10 Alice Springs meetings, arrived in the Top End during the week and participated in track work before Saturday’s meeting.
New Roman, a six-year-old gelding, had won two straight in Darwin after a disappointing eighth in Alice Springs on December 18 before finishing 10th in the $40,000 Lightning Wet Season Series Final (0-70) over 1200m on Australia Day behind Angela Forster’s Zoumist.
Jumping from a wide gate and sitting four wide for the first 800m proved too much for New Roman, but he bounced back on Saturday and Maloney’s 4kg claim certainly helped.
04/02/23 Darwin Race 5 Replay – One For Anna
Gary Clarke’s Papalet (Jarrod Todd) led early by two lengths and New Roman was able to settle on the rails with Halter’s $1.80 favourite Canton Kid (Hampson), Cole’s Exceedingly Magic (Lines) and Clarke’s Patria (Paul Denton) travelling on his outside.
Leaving the back straight New Roman (55kg) eased off a fraction as Canton Kid set sail after Papalet.
Turning for home and with 300m to go, Maloney looked for an inside path as Clarke’s Thunder Peak (Casey Hunter) started making ground along the rails.
Papalet ($9) was sandwiched between New Roman and Canton Kid and at the 100m a blanket finish loomed before Maloney’s mount prevailed by half a length from Canton Kid (56kg) and the gallant Papalet (59.5kg).
Todd made a point to shake Maloney’s hand when the jockey’s dismounted and in all the excitement Denton ensured Maloney weighed-in before celebrating with the winning connections.
The fact that Hampson, Lines and Gillett also featured in the race was poignant.
One For Anna basically threw away victory over 1000m (BM54) on January 14 when she led the field clearly into the home straight before drifting to the outside and finishing third behind Cole’s stablemates Brazenpine and Colhoun, who pounced along the fence.
It was almost déjà vu on Saturday with the four-year-old mare exploding out of the gates and leading comfortably before Pollard’s Dream Chance (Gillett) moved up to sit on her girth once turning down the side.
Cole’s Mystery Flyer (Lines) and Clarke’s Henestrosa (Todd) were next in a race where the pace was genuine as Halter’s Pocket Pistol (Hampson) and Pollard’s Stars The Limit (Wayne Davis) started to make ground.
One For Anna (52.5kg) was easily three lengths clear turning for home and in good shape, but at the 200m she once again drifted wide and much to Maloney’s relief Nash’s galloper got home by just over a length from Stars The Limit ($10) and Pocket Pistol ($4.20).