Warrego Melody is on song

PUNTERS looking for an early black-booker for the Darwin Cup Carnival could do a lot worse than checking out the credentials of Warrego Melody.

Horse racing at Fannie Bay. Simone Montgomerie tribute raceday. Barry Huppatz brings Warrego Melody back to scale

PUNTERS looking for an early black-booker for the Darwin Cup Carnival could do a lot worse than checking out the credentials of Warrego Melody.

The five-year-old gelding, trained by leading Top End trainer Gary Clarke, impressed in winning race six, the Noonamah Tavern Handicap over 1200m at Adelaide River on Saturday.

It was not just the win that had racing enthusiasts gazing into their crystal balls.

It was the manner in which the son of Lion Heart, brilliantly ridden by Paul Shiers, defeated Frisky Albert (Brendon Davis) and Ornithologist (Felicia Bergstrand) that set tongues wagging.

Warrego Melody, which won a mile race at Adelaide River 12 months ago with the late Simone Montgomerie on board, has enjoyed five wins from his eight starts in the Northern Territory since heading north.

The son of Lion Heart also won over a mile at Fannie Bay on July 27 last year, the first of a hat-trick of successive wins and Montgomerie’s last race victory before her tragic death on Darwin Cup Day.

Warrego Melody will pose several interesting but much-desired questions for trainer Clarke and connections.

The horse, whose career record now stands at seven wins and six seconds from 27 starts, has proven form over 1600m so the Metric Mile on July 26 may be the prime target.

Although Warrego Melody has never raced beyond a mile in distance, who is to say, on the horse’s strong showing in the NT to date, that he could not be competitive in the 2014 Darwin Cup field.