Nothing like Alice Springs horse racing

HORSE racing guru Doug Booth shares his top ten highlights after spending two great days at Pioneer Park in Alice Springs.

The winning team of Cassie Healy holding Pretty Blonde, Jorja Healy, Kym Healy,Tara O'Don

1.

DES Friedrich was beaming late into the night after the hugely successful Alice Springs Cup finale on Monday.

Day five was a triumph in organisation after limited preparation time, and the Alice Springs Turf Club chief executive should take a huge slice of the credit for the success of the Carnival overall.

Friedrich only answered the call to run the show at Pioneer Park on Australia Day, so the efforts of he and his team are to be commended.

And the Kiwi-born former Darwin Turf Club man in charge is looking forward to doing even better in 2015 and beyond now he has come through this year’s Carnival with flying colours.

“It’s the best Carnival I have had the pleasure of being involved in,” said Friedrich as he consumed only his second stubbie of XXXX since arriving in the Red Centre.

Friedrich promises it will be even bigger and better next year. I can’t wait to come back, because when he says something he rarely disappoints.

2. IRISH apprentice Tara O’Donnell set the tone for a magnificent day for Kym Healy and his family with a special ride in the opening race on Monday.

O’Donnell and Cruzeiro managed to weave their way through a jungle of horses in the home straight to win by one-and-a-half lengths from the David and Ryan Balfour-trained Nadaka (Joe Bowditch), co-owned by Chief Minister Adam Giles.

Knightline, trained by Greg Connor and ridden by his wife Kacie, was a half-length third.

The Healy-trained gelding has had his problems over the past couple of years but he repaid the faith shown him with a strong win.

“He won at Tennant Creek the last time I was up here,” Healy said.

“We kept the faith in him and we got there today.

“He’ll go home now and will probably go to Western Australia later in the year.”

It was O’Donnell’s only ride for the day but she made the very most of it.

3. THE seemingly effortless win by outstanding prospect Purrfect Paragon in race three, the Inglis Red Centre 2YO Classic over 1200m.

It was the irrepressible double act of jockey Kim Gladwin and leading trainer Lisa Lefoe who combined for a 10-lengths win in a four-horse field.

The two-year-old gelding dominated the race as his rivals turned into the finishing straight for his fourth straight win slowing down.

Lefoe said Purrfect Parragon would probably now head to the paddock. “We will have to talk to the owners whether we keep racing him here or give him a try down there (in Adelaide),” she said.

Gladwin said the horse has a lot to learn but yesterday’s win, his fourth straight, was his best yet. “He’s going to be a better three-year-old than what he is showing at the moment,” he said.

There was a distinct Darwin flavour to the outcome of race four – the 0-62 Handicap run over 1100m.

4. ANOTHER impressive performance came in race five, the Lasseters 0-62 Handicap over 1100m, when the Gary Clarke-trained WalkingaroundMoney absolutely demolished his rivals.

The four-year-old gelding, who had two wins in Darwin last August, collected his fourth career win and gave apprentice jockey Kate Brooks her first win in her first start at Pioneer Park.

Clarke jokingly said he had tried to keep a lid on just how good this horse is but he failed as WalkingaroundMoney won by six-and-a-half lengths.

“He is a good horse,” Brooks said.

“When they get on the dirt first time they usually start to weaken, but this horse just loves the dirt.

“I won’t come back here because I have a 100 per cent strike rate,” she joked.

Brooks followed Clarke’s instructions to the letter: find the front and let him roll. He doesn’t like to be held up.

Clarke was equally impressed with the son of Strategic. “He suits this style of racing up here. He’s a jump and run horse,” he said.

5. TRAINER Kerry Petrick could not hide her excitement about her win with I Am Magic in race seven over 1400m.

I Am Magic (Paul Denton) won in a bobbing finish from the Leanne Gillett-trained favourite Blazing Comet (Kayla Cross) with Roman Eye (Samantha Rowley) third.

“It was brilliant! I was so worried as it was the only claiming race other than the apprentice race,” she said.

“The loose horse seemed to give us a bit of a check down the back and my horse’s head was up at the back, but he managed to muster up enough to get home.”

6. JOCKEY Justin Potter set the standards for his winning ride in the Cup with success in the $30,000 Unibet Queen of the Desert Stakes on Artie’s Angel.

Trained by Simon Drewitt at Port Lincoln, the five-year-old mare broke away right at the top of the straight and could not be overhauled.

The fast-finishing Miss Written, trained by Kath North and ridden by Paul Marks, was second with Daschem Halo (Jan Cameron) third, one-and-a-half lengths behind the second horse.

Potter and Artie’s Angel broke clear at the top of the straight and ran on well.

7. POTTER and trainer Kym Healy succeeded in making every post a winner in the feature event, the $110,000.

It was the perfect finale to a month of great racing which began way back on April 12.

The sight of Healy, his family and delightful daughter Ruby celebrating his first Red Centre Cup win was well worth the wait as the sun started to set and the temperatures quickly began to drop.

Ruby and winning jockey Potter obviously have a special bond, highlighted by this special photograph (above) taken by Phil Williams.

Potter is three-year-old Ruby’s No. 1 fan and she adores him.

I think the same can be said about Healy and Potter, who has now ridden Pretty Blonde eight times for eight wins and four wins in succession.

“I never tell Justin how to ride Pretty Blonde because he knows best,” Healy said.

8. WAGGABILLA, trained by the elusive Terry Huish, produced arguably the local performance of the Carnival in running third behind Pretty Blonde and Chieftain Jack in the finale to a thoroughly enjoyable month of racing.

The widely respected jockey Barry Huppatz summed it up perfectly: “We had a beautiful run in transit. He tried his best, and it took two good horses to beat him.”

Champion South Australian hoop Dominic Tourneur had given fans and punters a scare in the race before, over 1400m, when he and Adynata parted company a short time after the start.

Fortunately, the Mauritian Magician was OK and was back in the jockeys’ room well before the hoops from the race had weighed in.

“My horse ran super and had good speed early, but then they backed the tempo right off which didn’t suit my horse. It was tough but the winner was too good,” was his assessment of his runner-up placing.

Potter was also straightforward: “Dom was good on Chieftain Jack but he was always in my sights and I was pretty confident that I could pick him up.”

9. YOU need a little bit of luck in life, particularly in horse racing, and Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon thought he had kissed the Blarney stone when he drew barrier three with horse number three, Chieftain Jack, in the feature race.

Dixon, who co-owns Chieftain Jack with several other Darwin racing identities including Shenanigans owner Justin Coleman, wanted to draw gate three. And that’s exactly what happened.

Dixon’s only other success in the race that stops the Red Centre came with Tristace in 2000, who also carried number three on that day.

10. TAKE a bow Alice Springs people, because your behaviour on Monday was exemplary. With the rest of Australia watching on through national TV, it was pleasing to see the crowd of more than 2000 thoroughly enjoying the day and not finding trouble.