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The Ashes Day 2 LIVE on SN ExtraAndrew O’Toole’s SATURDAY best at Alice Springs (21/11)
Andrew O’Toole • November 22nd, 2025 2:00 pm
After a fortnight’s break, racing returns to the Red Centre today with a six-race card and some smart horses down to do battle. The only unknown is the cyclone forecast for Darwin over the weekend, and if that will prevent riders Sonja Logan, Raymond Vigar and Deborah Barton from making the trip to Alice Springs on Saturday morning. Hopefully it is slower moving than forecast and the 6.30am flight can leave Darwin safely and make it to its destination on schedule.
The two feature events on the card – the $25,500 Ladbrokes Fast Payouts Handicap (1400m) and the Rimfire Energy Handicap (1200m) – have attracted some quality gallopers and both should produce excellent contests.
Kerry Petrick holds a strong hand in both races, with three and four representatives respectively, but in the 1400m event, I favour Altar Boy, trained by Paul Gardner, to go back-to-back. The 6yo son of The Mission is a specialist at this distance, having won seven times from 12 attempts, and he was very good winning here over the exact same trip on 1 November. He beat The Girl’s Boy and Flying Start on that occasion by 4.5 lengths, and although up against some decent opposition here, can repeat the dose in the hands of Raymond Vigar, who has been aboard at the horse’s last two starts.
Petrick’s The Men Went Home and Our Couver should provide stiff opposition to the topweight. They quinellaed their last outing over 1600m on 8 November and although dropping back in trip by 200m, both are more than capable. The Men Went Home was very impressive when beating his stablemate by almost five lengths last time, and the 4yo is improving with age and racing, while Our Couver won first-up in AS over 1200m on 26 October before his second placing to his The Men Went Home. Ironically, he has yet to win at 1400m from six attempts, but nevertheless rates highly here.
Grinzinger Lass is up in grade for this assignment but was very good when winning in 0-64 grade a fortnight ago. Sonja Logan is building a good rapport with the daughter of Shalaa and with just 55.5kg, has a good pull in the weights on the majority of her rivals and must be favoured to race well again.
Super Sharp, another last-start winner – there are no less than four in the event – also won in 0-64 company last time out, on 1 November, and is racing well for Lisa Whittle. Lek Maloney did the riding last time and his 2kg claim will reduce his mount’s weight to 55.5kg, 3.5kg less than he won with last time. Venting completes the line-up and even though this trip is probably short of his best these days, the former AS Cup winner can never be left out of calculations.
The day’s opener, the Rimfire Energy Handicap, is dominated by just three trainers – Petrick has four runners, while Greg Connor and Lisa Whittle have two each in the eight-horse field. It promises to be a highly-competitive affair, but Boy Big gets my vote to keep up his fine run of recent form.
Trained by Connor, Boy Big has won 12 times from some 57 starts, and he arrived late to score at his most recent outing on 8 November. That was over this trip of 1200m and he got the better of O’Tycoon in the shadows of the post, with Bahama Bay a good third second-up. Maloney has a tremendous relationship with the 8yo, who is racing better than ever, and with just 56kg to carry after the apprentice claim, there is no reason he won’t prove very hard to beat again.
Bahama Bay should be ready now to show his best after a couple of runs following a break, and Vigar will be the pilot on this occasion. He has only finished out of the first four once in six starts from the Petrick stable, and should give his rivals plenty to worry about in this.
Demiquaver has been impressive in both Red Centre runs to date, winning in lower grade on 1 and 8 November. She has taken to the sand and oil-based surface really well, and although this is a good deal harder, mares in form can never be left out of calculations.
Petrick’s other three runners, Great Gust, Magic Defense and Tellez, are all returning from let-ups and all have claims on their best form. Great Gust has been beaten just once from four starts on the track, while Magic Defense is a four-time winner here, and twice second, from just seven attempts. Tellez has yet to race on his home track, but showed his quality during the recent Darwin Cup Carnival, before being placed second in two starts in Kununurra.
Delago Lad and Expert Witness have been a little below their best in recent starts but would not surprise if they showed up in this.
The weather in Alice Springs this week has been fine and sunny, with increasing temperatures. The official forecast for today reads: Mostly sunny day. Slight chance of a shower in the evening. The chance of a thunderstorm in the evening. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the day. The temperature is forecast to reach very warm 41 degrees, and it will be 24 degrees overnight. There is a 20% chance of any rain.
The first race on the six-race card gets underway at the earlier time of 12.32pm (NT time), which is 2.02pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 3.19pm (NT time), or 5.49pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R2 # 1 DYNASTY REWARDJust beaten by King Bling here over 1000m three weeks ago at second start in the Red Centre. Senior rider goes on this time and although drawn the outside, this looks a winnable race for the son of Reward For Effort. The 1100m should be suitable and with just five rivals, will be a surprise if he doesn’t come out on top in the second on the card.
R3 # 3 EVEN SHARPERHas done little wrong in two Alice Springs starts to date, chasing home Demiquaver on both occasions. This looks no harder and Danielle Hirini retains the mount for Greg Connor, who is having a good run with his team at present. Drawn in the middle of the line and the son of More Than Ready looks primed to break through for his first win in the NT.
R6 # 2 THE BIG FREEZETook a while to hit his straps but now racing in fine heart, with two wins form his last four starts. Both of those wins, on 22 September and 26 October, were over 1400m and steps up to 1600m here for the first time. Carrol Hunter has done a fine job with the son of Pride Of Dubai and if he performs as he has been lately, he should take plenty of holding out.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 2, 5, 8, 1RACE 2 – 1, 5, 6, 2RACE 3 – 3, 1, 6, 5RACE 4 – 6, 1, 2, 7RACE 5 – 1, 4, 3, 6RACE 6 – 2, 1, 5, 7
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