Debutants ball on track

DARWIN debutants will be the big talking points at Fannie Bay in race five, the PrintForce TROBIS three-years-old BENT 56 Handicap over 1100m.

Darwin trainer Kerry Petrick is planning on taking last weekend's winner Ornithologist to

DARWIN debutants will be the big talking points at Fannie Bay in race five, the PrintForce TROBIS three-years-old BENT 56 Handicap over 1100m.

No fewer than four horses will be making their first Top End appearances in the race, the fifth on a six-race card sponsored by the First National real estate company.

Trainer Dick Leech will saddle up top weight Zocalos (Kim Gladwin) who has had nine runs for two wins and two seconds.

The three-year-old son of Exceed And Excel has an impressive first-up record and should go well if he can handle the track.

He trialled on the track on Tuesday morning behind stablemate Adynata, who will take his place in the opening race over 1300m with Gladwin in the saddle.

The Greg Connor-trained Blue Shore (Melanie Tyndall) has had three runs in Alice Springs for a win, a second and a third and may start favourite.

King DeJour (Vanessa Arnott) has had two starts in Victoria for two third placings while the Tayarn Halter-trained Alpha Cat is still looking to lose her maiden status after 10 attempts.

Devil’s Dream (Paul Shiers) will be in the mix if the son of Lohnro, who has enjoyed four wins and a second placing from four starts at Fannie Bay, can match that form. He has been freshened and has not raced since late March when he was sixth of 12 in Alice Springs.

Kerry Petrick should dominate the Open Handicap, the last race on the card, saddling up three of the five runners in the 1200m race. Courting Magic (Samantha Rowley), Ornithologist (Felicia Bergstrand) and Welldoya (Philip Crich) are her three runners while the Gary Clarke-trained Dreaming of Nepal (Paul Shiers) will carry a whopping nine kilos more than his nearest rival.

Dreaming of Nepal has won 10 of his 37 starts, including five at Fannie Bay, one of which was over this distance.

Sahara Sunrise (Melanie Tyndall) will be looking for back-to-back wins in the 58-rated 1200m handicap.

The John Peacock-trained Always Russian and Kerry Petrick’s Sparkling Sky will also be making their Top End debuts.

PIONEER Park will welcome two new trainers for its meeting tomorrow.

Russell Green from Wangaratta and John Carlo Iuele from Western Australia have arrived in the Red Centre to bolster the training ranks.

Green, who completed the 2300km journey from country Victoria on Wednesday, will run all three horses he brought up from down south at Sunday’s meeting.

The Youngfella, who ran second at Young last week, will be ridden by apprentice Megan Taylor in race two over 1200 metres.

War Horse (Samantha Rowley) and Dacowboyway (Taylor) will go around in race four.

Green said the move to Alice Springs, his first venture to the Red Centre, was part of his plan to race on drier tracks.

“It is also a great opportunity to get away from the Wangaratta winter and enjoy the hospitality that Alice has to offer,” he said.

Green, who still has six horses in work in country Victoria, took three days to complete the journey.

“There are plans to move on to Darwin for the Cup Carnival but I am playing it by ear,” he said.

Meanwhile, Green will be joined by former WA trainer John Carlo Iuele, who has accepted with Fericelle in race two and Big Ego Roc in race three.

Both gallopers will be ridden by apprentice Luke Dittman, the son of legendary jockey Mick, who will be making his Pioneer Park debut.

The Mark Nyhan-trained Tudor Glen (Jan Cameron) will be looking for his fifth win at the track in his sixth start.

River Kwai, which was bought at the Tried Horse Sale two weeks ago, will also make his track debut after running second at Tennant Creek last week.

The four-year-old gelding will face tough opposition in the last race, the Imparja Maiden Plate over 1400m with the Kevin Lamprecht-trained Gemset (Dittman) the top fancy.