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Andrew O’Toole’s Saturday best bets at Alice Springs (07/08)
Andrew O’Toole • August 9th, 2025 12:00 pm
The first meeting of the new racing season in the Red Centre takes place today, and it is Jockey Celebration Day, when the riders who guide our hopes are celebrated and those who are not now with us remembered. It is always a symbolic day and the second straight year that the Alice Springs Turf Club has been the flag-bearer for the Territory to celebrate the role that jockeys play in the industry.
The $25,500 Jockey Celebration Day Handicap, an open sprint over 1200m, is the feature event of the day and Greg Connor, who has had a tremendous run lately with 11 wins at the last five meetings in Alice Springs, has something of a stranglehold on the event with three of the five runners engaged. Luskin Hero, looking for four straight wins, would appear the leading hope, but he also has the resuming Flying Start and last-start winner La Vesuvius to represent the stable.
Luskin Hero, an 8yo gelding by Kaphero, has really come solid lately, winning his last three starts in impressive fashion. It did take him a while to hit top form at Pioneer Park, but he has certainly worked out the surface now and Danielle Hirini, who has been aboard at his last two winning efforts, is not surprisingly the pilot again. He has drawn to get a lovely run from barrier two, and should be very hard to beat again.
Flying Start has been a fine money-spinner for the stable, and returns to racing action for the first time since early December. The winner of six races and placed a further 13 times from his 32 career starts, has yet to win first-up and will no doubt derive plenty of benefit from this outing, his first in eight months. But he is a classy conveyance on his day and Paul Denton, who was in good form in the Top End during the last week of the Darwin Cup Carnival, has the mount.
La Vesuvius has had just the four starts in the Red Centre, for two wins and two third placings, and was a strong winner with 59kg when last produced on 27 June. That was in a 0-76 event and now in the open grade, he drops significantly in weight, and will carry just 54kg due to Hannah Le Blanc’s apprentice claim. He should prove highly competitive again.
Kickatorp hardly ever goes a bad race, and has been twice third and second last start since resuming from a break. Kristo Sardelic, who has been doing some riding for the Ray Viney stable since being based in Darwin for the Cup Carnival, travels to the Red Centre again to take the mount and is another with definite claims in an even line-up.
Expert Witness, a former runner-up in the Pioneer Sprint, resumed from a long spell when last behind Luskin Hero on 13 July. However, he should be much improved for that outing and with Sonja Logan, last season’s leading jockey in Alice Springs, taking the mount, he should be watched as he is a quality sprinter at his best.
Speaking of Logan, she has some good chances on the day, with Jamaican Gold a top chance in the first, Incivility an each-way hope in the second, Hebel looks one of the leading lights in the fourth and last-start winner Super Sharp, trained by Lisa Whittle, one of the hardest to beat in the last on the card.
The weather in the Red Centre this week has been a mixture of fine days, cool nights and some cloudy periods, and a shower of rain was even forecast for a couple of days ago. The official forecast for today reads: Sunny. The chance of morning frost. Light winds becoming south easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach 20 degrees during the day, and it will be down to 2 overnight. There no chance of any rainfall.
The first race on the five-race card gets underway at 2.38pm (NT time), which is 3.08pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 4.58pm (NT time), or 5.28pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R1 # 4 JAMAICAN GOLDTook a few runs to hit his straps in Alice but was a strong winner last time over 1100m in 0-58 grade on 27 July. The extra trip here should not be an issue and has drawn ideally in barrier two. Sonja Logan, who rode three from three here at the last meeting, retains the mount and Lisa Whittle’s charge looks a top hope to go back to back in the opener.
R3 # 1 LUSKIN HEROHas not put a foot wrong since resuming from a let-up in mid-June, winning in impressive fashion on 16 June, 30 June and 13 July. Has had four weeks between runs but in this small line-up and in his current form, he looks a good bet to make it four on the bounce. Greg Connor’s stable has had a great run recently, with 11 winners since the end of May, and can continue the run of success in this.
R4 # 2 HEBELHas won two of his last four starts, and both by big margins, the most recent in class 2 company over this trip on 27 July. Was in a different league and scored by just short of eight lengths on that occasion. Up to a 0-64 here, but this field looks within the 5yo’s scope and Sonja Logan retains the mount. Has taken a while to mature but there now and should be very hard to head off.
SELECTIONS
LADBROKES PIONEER PARK (ALICE SPRINGS) – GOODRACE 1 – 4, 6, 2, 3RACE 2 – 3, 2, 1, 5RACE 3 – 1, 2, 4, 5RACE 4 – 2, 3, 5, 4RACE 5 – 2, 1, 3, 4
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