‘It has been a bit of a shitshow’: Brave jockey Sonja Logan dreams of fairytale Darwin Cup

Sonja Logan has been to hell and back in the last 12 months, but the brave jockey can put an exclamation point on a fairytale Top End carnival by scoring Monday’s Darwin Cup.

Emotional jockey Sonja Logan wins the Palmerston Sprint on Early Crow, a year after being brutally bashed. Picture: Greg Irvine, Magic Millions.

Sonja Logan says her last 12 months has “been a bit of a shitshow”, having to deal with the physical and mental trauma of being brutally bashed outside her own home.

But the courageous Darwin jockey is now daring to dream of a fairytale Darwin Cup win, not long after scoring an emotion-charged Palmerston Sprint triumph which saw her break down in tears.

Everything Logan has been through in the last 12 months came flooding back as she crossed the line on Early Crow in the sprint feature at Darwin on Saturday.

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Only a month ago, Logan told Racenet “this will be my carnival” and “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” as she reflected on her journey back from the year from hell after being smashed in the face by a rock as a group of men circled her car.

12 months ago, Sonja Logan was the victim of a savage assault. Today, she's the winner of the Palmerston Sprint.

An emotional Sonja spoke to Greg Radley following today's victory on Early Crow. An incredible comeback ❤️ pic.twitter.com/cdi2YidfeV

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 3, 2024

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Logan’s words proved prophetic as she added the Palmerston Sprint to her 2024 carnival haul which has also included a Darwin Guineas triumph.

“The last 12 months has been a bit of a shitshow for me, so for that horse to come out and win, I was like ‘how did that happen’?” Logan told Racenet.

“I don’t cry very often, but this time it just hit me.

“This should have been my race last year.

“I was due to ride him in the Palmerston Sprint last year, but then I got assaulted and lost the ride.

“I had done all the work on the horse and it was a bit hard to watch on from the sidelines when he won, even though I was happy for everyone involved.

“So it was a bit surreal on Saturday when I won on the horse, I didn’t expect the emotion to come flooding out of me but it just hit me all of a sudden.”

Darwin-based jockey Sonja Logan was bashed by a group of men as she sat in her car outside her home last year.

Chris Pollard-trained Early Crow became the fifth back-to-back winner of the Palmerston Sprint after blitzing his rivals by more than two lengths.

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Logan is now aiming to score another fairytale when riding Starspangled Baby in Monday’s Darwin Cup.

The Andrew Perdon-trained mare is rated a $19 chance on TAB fixed odds but Logan has already beaten the odds in her incredible personal journey over the last 12 months.

“I would absolutely love to win the Cup, although I do think Bear Story ($2.30 favourite) will be very hard to beat,” Logan said.

“My mare’s lead-up runs haven’t been the greatest but at her last start she ran third and it wasn’t a disappointing run.

“She just hasn’t had that sprint in her legs the same way she did in Victoria but if she rediscovers that, she will be right in it.”

Originally published as ‘It has been a bit of a shitshow’: Brave jockey Sonja Logan dreams of fairytale Darwin Cup