Darwin Cup 2024: Hadouken blazes with hoofs on fire to clinch Cup victory

Hadouken overcame an unfortunate outside barrier and a race filled with winners to claim the 2024 edition of the Darwin Cup. READ THE DETAILS.

Number 11 - Hadouken winner of the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival, Fannie Bay. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Hadouken overcame an unfortunate outside barrier and a race filled with winners to claim the 2024 edition of the Darwin Cup.

The galloper who has had nothing but winners in its brief stint in the Top End triumphed again for Peter Robl with often triumphant jockey Tyler Schiller on board.

Hadouken squeaked home, beating Gary Clarke’s Wolfburn on the line.

It didn’t look likely at first with Bear Story the favourite and Hadouken’s job to come in from the outermost barrier.

Number 11 - Hadouken and Tyler Schiller winner of the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival, Fannie Bay. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Gary Clarke trained Wolfburn, with Darwin’s leading jockey Jarrod Todd on-board, kicked out into the early lead befitting it’s recent form.

But with Sydney jockey Tyler Schiller in the saddle it was Hadouken who emerged as the big foe on the final straight.

The Peter Robl trained horse took the challenge to Wolfburn in the closing metres and squeaked the win on the line.

Meanwhile, the early short favourite Bear Story, from the stable of three-time Darwin Cup winner Neil Dyer went on to finish third.

Number 11 - Hadouken winner of the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival, Fannie Bay. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Schiller had never ridden in the Top End before and had only arrived in Darwin the morning of the big race, but said he was confident in the runner’s ability to see it through.

“I thought I had it in the bag a long way out, but the other horse stayed in the fight, it was super tough,” he said.

“I was actually happy to have been drawn out rather than in, because the pace up here can be pretty hectic, so I could let him flow and do his thing rather than force him to be somewhere.

“Darwin is terrific, I haven’t been on a dirt track for a long time, but this is a lovely track for dirt and it’s to get up here where it’s lovely and sunny is great.”

Trainer Robl said he had been on edge all day knowing all the prep had come down to what needed to be a win.

“He’d won two from two up here, but this is the race we had come to win, so I was nervous but I had the horse the best I could have him,” he said.

“The barrier was the only real downer, everything had gone perfect for us except for the barrier draw, but we had to deal with it.

“We had a fit horse with 54kg on his back, we had seven kilos on the favourite (Bear Story), which meant he had to run us down, we weren’t going to be running him down.

“It was won when he straightened up because I thought his toughness would out cut the horse inside him, because he’s a genuine top animal.”

Clarke triumphs in jockey memorial race at Darwin Cup

Earlier: Champion trainer Gary Clarke has taken home another Simone Montgomerie Lightning Plate in stunning fashion.

Under the sun on the track at Fannie Bay, the Clarke-trained Rising Sphere claimed victory after a magnificent ride from jockey Carleen Hefel steered home the seven year old gelding at the line.

After a poor start placed the horse wide and at the rear, he began to work himself back into the mix, hitting his straps in the final hundred.

Hefel claimed her maiden Darwin victory after crossing the line by less than a length.

Over the moon with the ride and eventual result, the jockey said the victory was all the more sweet being the memorial race.

The Gary Clarke trained Rising Sphere took out the 2024 Simone Montgomerie Lightning Plate with jockey Carleen Hefel winning her maiden ride in the Darwin Cup. Picture: Darcy Jennings.

“It’s a very special race,” said.

“You come up here for the Cup but it’s way more special winning these ones (memorial races).”

Impressed by her horses effort, the jockey said it was his work in the final 100m that really shocked her.

“He was just too strong,” she said.

“The last hundred was the best of his race.

“But once he straightened up, he swapped legs, I saw the leader out the front and I thought we were just going to run into a nice second (place).

“But every stride he just kept picking up more and more and was too strong for the others through the line.”

The day of racing kicked off under the deafening hum of jets flying above the track before a brilliant victory by the Paul Gardner trained Red Wraith in Race 1, who won the 1000m Schweppes Sprint after leading from the off and crossing the line by two lengths.

The Jason Manning trained Royal Signal clinched the 1200m Atomic Trobis before the Kym Healy trained Cyclonite upset clear favourite Polarising in the third.

Padacow crossed the line first after a tough battle in the Designer Kitchens 1600m to win by less than a length.

And it was a similar story in sixth when Hamlet Von Snitzel crossed the finish first by less than a length.

Dummy Spit rode to victory in the seventh after an utterly dominant ride saw the Andrew Perdon trained horse cross the finish two and a half lengths ahead of second.

Race 8 saw Bon’s Pride seal victory in the 1300m Magic Millions, upsetting favourite Yaki Ishi.

Race 9 and the last run before the Cup was taken out by the Kevin Lamprecht trained Iknowhatyouredoing.