CLARKE HOOKS A WINNER
AT last, the Gary Clarke stable can celebrate a win for Hook Me Up after the eight-year-old saluted comfortably in the feature $20,500 Magic Millions BM76 Handicap (1200m) race two at Fannie Bay yesterday.
After four top-three finishes in seven races in the Territory since April 8, the gelding powered home on the straight to win by two and a half lengths and break his drought for Darwin’s premier trainer yesterday.
The $5 outsider in the small four-horse field beat trainerjockey Carl Spry’s El Toranado across the line.
“I expected him to do that. He’s been going quite well on the track,” Clarke said.
“He’s been running good times behind good horses.
“The old bloke who owns him (Peter Medhurst) had a bit of faith sending him up here and this win was good to cover his costs.”
Clarke believes Hook Me Up is set for more wins over the wet season.
“I first got him in Alice Springs when he came up for the Pioneer Sprint. He’s not up to that, but this is his time of year,” he said. “I’ll keep ticking him through the wet season.”
Earlier, six-year-old Bridgey Flyer also broke a winning drought to salute in the raceone Darwin Corporate Park Handicap (1300m) by almost two lengths over Chris Pollard’s Howdee. It was the gelding’s first victory in 13 starts for trainer Tayarn Halter, since October 22 also in Darwin last year.
“Super run. I’m really happy with him,” Halter said.
“With the rain coming, he’s a horse that likes the harder track because then he doesn’t get the kickback. That’s his biggest problem, he doesn’t like the kickback here.
“(Yesterday) it suited him. (Jockey) Kayla (Cross) worked on him and got him to that position where he wasn’t getting the dirt and he just kept going.
“He’s been up for a while, but he’s a horse we don’t do a lot of work with.
“I’ll probably keep him going until Christmas and then he’ll go to the paddock again.”
Alsoadamas (Spry), Heart Of Eden (Halter) and Redwood Gardens (Dick Leech) were the other winning horses, with newly arrived Darwin jockey Michelle Hagley saluting on Redwood Gardens.
Ray Vigar rode a winning double on Hook Me Up and Heart Of Eden.