South Australian trainers in the spotlight in Alice Springs

Trainers Trevor Montgomerie and Kym Healy flew the flag for South Australia during Friday’s Pioneer Park meeting at Alice Springs.

Port Augusta’s Montgomerie celebrated victory in the $30,000 JJ’s Waste Queen Of The Desert 0-76 Handicap (1200m) – the feature race for fillies and mares during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival – when five-year-old mare Addictions produced a superb effort.

Strathalbyn’s Healy trained three winners on the five-event program, and in one of the races he managed to achieve the quinella.

Jumping from a wide gate, Addictions (Michael Heagney) – assigned with a 60kg impost – basically travelled four wide for a major portion of the race before finding an inside gap turning into the home straight.

By that stage, Darwin five-year-old mare Mini Boom ($4.20 with horse racing betting apps) from the Phil Cole stable held a handy lead with 150m to go before Addictions ($4.20) rallied to seal a stunning win by the narrowest of margins.

The in-form Mini Boom (Wayne Davis) was desperately unlucky having sat between fellow leaders and home-town duo Cut It Out ($3.70 fav) and Arrogant Miss ($11) for about 800m before hitting the front turning for home.

However, it was hard not to admire the win by Addictions, who was spotting Mini Boom 4.5kg.

2022 $30,000 Queen Of The Desert 0-76 Handicap (Pioneer Park, Alice Springs, 1200m) – Addictions


Boasting good form in open company since arriving for the Alice Carnival, Addictions received an extra 5.5kg after a last start second behind impressive Alice Springs sprinter Supreme Times over 1100m.

“It was a good tough win – she didn’t have anything easy go her way,” Montgomerie said.

“She drew a wide gate, got caught wide and the way – but she fought on at the end and got up, so it was really good.

“Everything was sort of going against me, I thought at the 500m mark I was in big trouble because she was out wide – but once she got her rhythm going and got in there she fought on quite nice.

“She carried the weight – the jockey hadn’t been on her for a while. The owner flew him over from Canberra.”

Alice Springs-trained pair Valenciano (Ianish Luximon), a $61 outsider with online bookmakers from the Barry Cooke stable, and Celtic Belle (Paul Denton), who also started at $61, from the Lisa Whittle yard, stormed home from the back of the field to finish third and fourth, respectively.

Meanwhile, Healy’s memorable day started well when $5 hope Shame Shame Shame (Sairyn Fawke) won the opening race – the $20,000 AUS Projects Class 2 Handicap (1600m).

$20,000 Class 2 Handicap (Pioneer Park, Alice Springs, 1600m) – Shame Shame Shame


It was a one-two finish in the $20,000 Alice Springs Toyota 0-58 Handicap (1200m) with $6 chance Caitlin’s Angel (Sairyn Fawke), who has excelled in the Red Centre previously, and $4.80 favourite Real Valentia (Wayne Davis).

$20,000 Alice Springs Toyota 0-58 Handicap (Pioneer Park, Alice Springs, 1200m) – Caitlin’s Angel


The day ended in style when Starlite Rebel (Sairyn Fawke), who jumped at $6, tasted success for the first time in the $20,000 TekCom Maiden Plate (1100m).

20,000 TekCom Maiden Plate (Pioneer Park, Alice Springs, 1100m) – Starlite Rebel


“Couldn’t have got much better – four runners for three winners and a quinella, so it was a good day out,” Healy said.

“I only got here a week or so ago after I’d been to Birdsville.
“We had a bit of bad luck in the first.

“Shame Shame Shame actually broke down – so he’s probably finished racing which is a bit disappointing after he won.

“I thought my best of the day was actually the one in the last – Starlite Rebel.

“I couldn’t really be confident with Caitlin’s Angel or Real Valentia drawing the outside two gates.

“I know they go well, but they’ve been to Birdsville and they really surprised me.

“That Caitlin’s Angel, she’s just unbelievable and as tough as you can get them.

“She won and beat Real Valentia – it was an amazing run. She’s only a pony.

“Dylan Bairstow the racecaller, he came over to the stables and saw the horse the day before the race and said ‘why have you got a pony with you?’.

“I said, ‘no that’s Caitlin’s Angel’. There’s not much of her, but gee she’s got heart.”

Montgomerie now looks ahead to the $100,000 Alice Springs Toyota Pioneer Sprint (1200m) on Sunday with five-year-old gelding Tanner, who is flying after three straight wins.

“He’s trained on pretty good. I’m really happy with him,” he said.

“I know it’s a tough race for him to be jumping up into that grade.

“He’s a really tough horse, I’m pleased with the way he is going.

“I think they will want to be on their game because he will shake it up to them.

“I haven’t really studied the form, but Eastwood ran a nice race the other day – he’s a nice type of horse.”

Come Monday, first-time Alice Springs visitor Montgomerie and regular NT visitor Healy head home.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time up here,” Montgomerie said.

“To have won 10 races thus far is really good – if I had won two or three I would have been happy, so 10 is even better.”

Healy said: “I’ve been coming here for a lot of years now and I’ve won the Cup here twice and once in Darwin with Pretty Blonde.

“I’ll be back up soon bringing up a couple for Tennant Creek and then I’ve got to go to Darwin.

“Then it’s back down home and then I’ll be back up for the Darwin Carnival as well.”

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