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Andrew O’Toole’s Saturday best bets at Darwin (04/09)
Andrew O’Toole • September 6th, 2025 12:30 pm
A quality six-race card awaits us at Fannie Bay today, and despite 31 NT-trained horses having raced at Kununurra in WA in the last couple of weekends, some 40 horses have accepted to compete in the Top End this week. A race was added to the programme a couple of weeks ago – a Benchmark 76 1300m – and it has attracted some eight runners, while the open 1200m, the highest graded race of the day, has just the five acceptors.
The $25,500 Bendigo Bank Coolalinga Handicap (1200m) is the feature event of the day, and Boldinho, one of three in the event from the powerful Gary Clarke stable, looks the testing material.
The son of Brazen Beau has had just three starts in Darwin since relocating from NSW, and he has yet to go a bad race. He won first-up on 12 July in a 0-76 1200m, rattled home from an impossible position to finish fifth, and beaten just 2.3 lengths, in the Palmerston Sprint on 2 August, and then failed by a narrow margin to catch stablemate Field Of Flutes over 1000m a fortnight ago. He will be all the better getting back to 1200m and Jarrod Todd, who was aboard last time, retains the mount and the combination looks exceedingly hard to beat.
One of his stablemates, Devils Delight, has been in superb form lately and has won three of his last five starts, the most recent on Darwin Cup Day when he defeated Vinnie’s Spirit by two lengths. That was over this distance and he has a good record at the trip – 12 starts for three wins, two seconds and two thirds. This is a step-up on his recent outings but winning form is good form and he should give Boldinho plenty of opposition.
Beau Factor is one of two in the event trained by Terry Gillett, which means that between he and Clarke, they have the whole field! Beau Factor was a solid third behind Mr Marrakech last time, and although that was only a four-horse field, he has only one more rival here. That was over 1100m too, and the extra 100m should be to his liking, especially with the way he hit the line last time from some distance off the leaders on the home turn. He has won twice at the trip and with Stan Tsaikos aboard, the grey son of The Factor should make his presence felt.
His stablemate Great Buy is a fine performer, having won 14 races up to 1400m. He won a division of the ROANT Cup here pre-Carnival and although unplaced twice since in good company over 1600m, he can never be left out of calculations. Dakota Gillett will claim 1.5kg from his book weight of 60kg, which will certainly bring him right into this.
The fifth of the five is the third of the Clarke Racing representatives, Shakattak, to be ridden by Hannah Le Blanc. His latest form has not been up to his usual standard, but an improved showing would come as no great surprise. He is talented on his day.
The $23,400 Advance Civil Engineering Handicap (1300m) has attracted a decent line-up, with topweight Hello World looking one of the leading chances.
Trained by Chris Nash and to be ridden for the first time by Le Blanc in the absence of regular rider Sonja Logan, Hello World will be having his fifth start in the Top End, and has yet to disappoint. He won first-up before finishing third on 26 July, a fast-finishing fourth in the Palmerston Sprint and then was closing late again when third to Field Of Flutes on 23 August in a quick time for 1000m. Nash had the option of either the open 1200m or this event over 100m further, and has opted for this assignment, at which Hello World has been a winner from just three attempts. He has drawn nicely in barrier three and should be very hard to beat in the fourth on the card.
Vinnie’s Spirit has done little wrong in four starts to date in Darwin, with two seconds, a third and a last-start fifth. Stan Tsaikos takes the mount for the Gillett stable and he promises to again give a good account of himself. Tubthumper showed something akin to her best form at her most recent start when second over 1700m in the Katherine Cup on 16 August. She has always had plenty of talent but a dislike of the starting stalls has not helped her in recent times. Crazy Brave is another with claims – his last-start fourth on 23 August was excellent.
The weather in Darwin this week has been fine and warm, with a noticeable increase in the heat and humidity which is common at this time of the year. The official forecast for today reads: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming east to north easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then tending northwest to north easterly during the afternoon. The temperature is forecast to reach a warm 34 degrees during the day, and it will be 23 overnight. There is a 40% chance of 0-1mm of rainfall.
The first race on the six-race card gets underway at 2.28pm (NT time), which is 2.58pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 5.24pm (NT time), or 5.54pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R1 # 1 PATRIOTIC KINGLooked to be returning to something like his best form when beaten less than a length into third behind Real Divine over 1000m in 0-62 grade on 2 August. The 1100m will suit here (he was a previous track record holder at the distance) and from a middle gate of four, he should be able to either lead or be outside leader for Jarrod Todd. The winner of six of his 34 starts looks very hard to beat in the day’s opener.
R4 # 1 HELLO WORLDQuality sprinter who finished off well from midfield to take fourth, beaten less than two lengths behind Early Crow, in the Palmerston Sprint on 2 August. Ran on well again on 23 August over 1000m but was four lengths adrift of Field Of Flutes. Getting out to a more suitable trip here and this looks a winnable race for the son of Written Tycoon. Hannah Le Blanc takes the mount for Chris Nash, and from a nice barrier of three, should take plenty of holding out.
R5 # 2 BOLDINHOJust beaten by stablemate Field Of Flutes here a fortnight ago over 1000m, and the extra furlong here will be right up his alley. Previous effort produced a fine fifth in the Palmerston, and although drawn the outside here, he has only four rivals to face. Won at his first start here in the Top End and the son of Brazen Beau, trained by Gary Clarke, looks well placed to make it two wins from four attempts at Fannie Bay.
SELECTIONS
FANNIE BAY RACECOURSE (DARWIN) – GOODRACE 1 – 1, 4, 5, 3RACE 2 – 3, 4, 1, 5RACE 3 – 6, 2, 4, 1RACE 4 – 1, 4, 8, 7RACE 5 – 2, 3, 5, 1RACE 6 – 1, 2, 6, 3
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