Sunday Territorian

It’s happy holidays for winning Jollience pair

- By DOUG BOOTH — DOUG BOOTH

at Fannie Bay TRAINER Chris Pollard and his partner, jockey Felicia Bergstrand, head to Sweden on holiday this week with that winning feeling.

The duo won the last race at Fannie Bay yesterday, the Endfire Engineerin­g Handicap, before they fly to northern Europe for a cold Christmas.

Apprentice Bergstrand, who was born in Sweden, and Jollience came from last to first in the 1200m race to give the six-year-old gelding the fifth win of his career.

Jollience pipped Hamish Boy (Rian Mageean) by threequart­ers of a length, with Pollard’s Magnificen­t Seven (Wayne Davis) third.

Bergstrand and Pollard agreed the win was a good going away Christmas present. JOCKEY Barry Huppatz won his first race at Fannie Bay in more than a month yesterday when the Gary Clarke- trained It’s Home got home in a close finish to the feature race, the NT News Handicap (1600m).

Huppatz needed all his experience to stave off the efforts of Savannah Prince, trained by Scott Hillebrand and

‘‘ He always comes from behind,’’ Bergstrand said. ‘‘Every time I try to ride him with the rest of the field, he never seems to have much left in the tank up the straight.’’

Pollard was impressed with the performanc­e of both horse and jockey.

‘‘He does not come out to lead,’’ he said. ‘‘He likes to do ridden by apprentice Rian Mageean.

The winning margin after the field had completed a mile was a neck with Faldane ( Wayne Davis) third, three quarters of a length behind the second- placed Savannah Prince.

‘‘His best distance is probably between 1300m and a it at his own pace. Send him hard early and he doesn’t finish off. Let him do his own thing and he catches them.’’

In the opener, the Gusher TROBIS Maiden Plate, apprentice jockey Alana Brown celebrated winning her first race in four months when Sea Horse romped home.

The four-year-old mare was mile,’’ Huppatz said. ‘‘He had a nice run in transit and the other horse ( Savannah Prince) came up but he caught on well.’’

It was It’s Home’s 10th win from 53 starts and the first for the six-year-old gelding since he came to Darwin three months ago. having her first start in Darwin after being relocated from Victoria.

Second, three lengths behind the winner, was Stylish Cruiser ( Scott Hillebrand) with Bullock Heart ( Mageean) third.

Brown said that despite a sluggish start, the result was never in doubt.

‘‘She did jump well,’’ said Brown, who suffered a back injury after this year’s Darwin Cup Carnival. ‘‘She can be quite lazy at trackwork. She did it pretty easy really.’’

There was a thrilling finish to the second race, the Crocosauru­s Cove Handicap ( 1300m), with less than a length separating the first three in the five-horse field.

Honours went to the Pollard-trained Huracan (Hillebrand), whose late lunge at the line was enough to defeat the fast- finishing Sakhero (Vanessa Arnott), trained by Jason Manning.

Bugsy, the second of three Pollard runners, was third, with Bergstrand on board.

Hillebrand was pleased with the win after he finished sixth of six last Saturday.

‘‘I told Chris last week to back him up because he needed the run,’’ Hillebrand said.

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