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Sport Nation
Andrew O’Toole’s Monday best for Darwin Cup Day (04/08)
Andrew O’Toole • August 4th, 2025 1:04 pm
The big dance has arrived! Great Northern Darwin Cup Day, the culmination of five weeks and eight racedays during the month of July and the first week of August. A stellar card has been assembled for Cup Day, with ten races up for decision with the Cup, as usual, the last of the day at 5.30pm NT time. A full field of 12 runners looks set to contest the richest race in the NT, and once again history will be written once they cross the line at the end of the 2050m.
At $200,000 total stake, the Darwin Cup is the richest race in the Northern Territory and the race that all owners, trainers and jockeys want to win. Last year’s winner, Hadouken, trained by former top rider Peter Robl on the Gold Coast and ridden to victory 12 months ago by Sydney hoop Tyler Schiller (on his first and only visit to date to the Top End), will this time have the services of leading Victorian rider Blake Shinn, the winner of 31 Group 1 races, and he is my selection to go back-to-back in the big race.
Robl and Shinn are great mates, having ridden together for many years in New South Wales before Robl retired and has since taken up training. Shinn has just completed another stellar season, taking out the metropolitan premiership in Victoria and teaming with some of the best gallopers in the land in a number of the feature races on the Australian calendar. He has ridden in Darwin previously, but not since 2017 when he was unplaced in the Darwin Cup aboard Unbreakable, trained by Michael Hickmott. Three years prior to that, he finished third aboard Neil Dyer’s Cantonese in the Cup and will be looking to go two places better this time.
Hadouken has had two runs in the Top End this campaign, finishing at the rear in the ROANT Cup (1300m) won by Great Buy when he resented the kickback and was most disappointing. However, at long odds, he turned his form around in devastating fashion, covering a heap of extra ground before getting the better of Cinque Torri in the Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m).
Robl elected not to give his charge another run in the interim, and is confident he has the son of Real Impact as ready and as fit as he can possibly be for the Cup. He has drawn an inside barrier of three, but his trainer was not concerned, indicating his charge would go forward and take up a leading position passing the winning post the first time. He has good gate speed and is such a strong stayer that as long as he does not get crossed and get any kickback, he will take a power of beating. And even if something wants to cross him, he will have Shinn to steer a path to the outer to avoid any impediments that may come his way.
Hardest to beat looks likely to be last year’s runner-up Wolfburn, who will represent the Gary Clarke stable and have Jarrod Todd in the saddle. The now 7yo son of Snitzel will be contesting the Cup for the third time and is looking for the fairytale win after a third behind Write Your Name and Sanblas in 2023 and a game second to Hadouken 12 months ago. He had been a little off his game until repeating last year’s win in the Metric Mile, and he should be cherry ripe to put her best foot forward as he seeks that elusive Cup win. He will jump from a middle barrier of nine, but that should not worry him and he seems set to go forward and possibly sit outside Hadouken in a reversal of the roles of 2024.
Motorace, who may well jump favourite, has an undeniable chance judged on his fourth behind Wolfburn in the Metric Mile. Trained by three-time Cup-winning trainer Michael Hickmott in South Australia, the son of Denman was hitting the line solidly after getting held up around the home turn in his first start on the Fannie Bay surface, and will have the services of top rider Todd Pannell this time. He has been on a Darwin Cup path for some months now and Hickmott certainly knows how to get them right on the big day. He jumps from barrier seven and should be in a midfield position during the run.
Awash, who was fifth in the Metric Mile and like Motorace, finding the line well, gives Clarke a strong second string. The three-time Cup winner has four horses engaged in the event – Cacofonix and Pink Panther are the others – and Awash certainly looks a place chance if he can overcome the extreme outside barrier.
Bear Story, third in the event when favourite 12 months ago and trained by another Cups King in Neil Dyer (three previous Cup wins as well), has been very disappointing so far this campaign and will need to turn his form around dramatically to figure in the finish. However, he will have the services of Nash Rawiller, who is one of the best riders in Australia, to guide his fortunes and if he brings his A-game, Bear Story could get some of it.
Of the others, Write Your Name, the 2023 winner, Picaroon and Prince Jofra look hopes on their best form, while if any of the emergencies – He’s Maverick, Funnyifitwon or Unquestionably – gained a start, they could fill a place at long odds.
If promises to be a great race as it always is, and another chapter in the rich tapestry that is the Great Northern Darwin Cup will be etched into history.
The weather in the Top End this week has again been nice and fine, with some cloudy mornings preceding fine, but a little humid, days. However, the official forecast for today reads: Sunny. Light winds. The temperature is forecast to reach 31 degrees during the day, and a beautiful 17 overnight, which should provide for perfect racing conditions. There is no chance of any rain – surprise, surprise.
The first race on the bumper 10-race card gets underway at 11.52pm (NT time), which is 12.22pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last, the Cup, is timed to go at 5.30pm (NT time), or 6.00pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R1 # 6 CRAZY BRAVE
Last two efforts behind Hello World and Pharoah Magic on Days 1 and 4 of the Carnival were first-class, and this more than capable 6yo looks set to break through for a well-deserved win. Drawn to get a nice run in transit and trainer-rider Paul Shiers the best in the business. This 1200m looks ideal too and he promises to be very hard to beat in the opener.
R4 # 3 WILD BEAU
Absolutely flying of late and his last two starts have resulted in all-the-way wins on 28 June and 26 July. Up in grade but has a good draw, top rider and will only have a small number of rivals. Young trainer Ella Clarke has this speedster racing at the peak of his powers and will be a surprise if he has his colours lowered here.
R10 # 3 HADOUKEN
The reigning Cup champ showed he is at the peak of his powers with a hard-fought win in the Chief Minister’s Cup after covering plenty of extra ground. Peter Robl, who has done such a fine job with the son of Real Impact, has engaged leading rider Blake Shinn for the mount and the two close friends form a lethal partnership. Has drawn inside and will go forward from the start, and it will take a good one to outstay him. The horse to beat.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 6, 2, 8, 4RACE 2 – 7, 5, 1, 13RACE 3 – 1, 5, 6, 2RACE 4 – 3, 1, 2, 4RACE 5 – 1, 5, 2, 7RACE 6 – 2, 1, 3, 12RACE 7 – 1, 2, 5, 4RACE 8 – 3, 8, 7, 1RACE 9 – 4, 2, 1, 7RACE 10 – 3, 2, 5, 11
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