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SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Friday best bets at Darwin (07/02)
Andrew O’Toole • February 7th, 2025 12:00 pm
The first of a handful of Friday meetings during the next three months takes place at Fannie Bay today, with a solid five-event card featuring 38 acceptors and no less than ten riders in attendance. Queensland apprentice Erin Molloy again makes the trip, as does fellow senior rider Wanderson D’Avila, while Victorian apprentice Hannah Le Blanc, who has ridden with good success in the NT in recent months, will ride in both Darwin today and Alice Springs tomorrow.
The feature event is the third on the card, the fifth heat of the Ladbrokes Summer Sprint Series for the 0-76 sprinters over 1100m, and a good quality eight-horse field has been assembled.
Of the eight runners engaged, leading trainers Gary Clarke and Phil Cole have three apiece, and I have put the Clarke-trained topweight Field Of Flutes clearly on top. The 5yo son of Deep Field from a Bel Esprit mare, formerly trained by Ciaron Maher, created a big impression on his Top End debut when coming from just off the pace to down He’s The Ultimate (a rival again) by three-quarters of a length over this same trip on 28 December.
It was a real test for the newcomer, who had not trialled previously on the track, and his trainer and rider Jarrod Todd were delighted with their charge, who they believe will derive plenty of improvement from his first-up assignment. He has the joint topweight of 61kg to carry this time, up from the minimum of 55kg when scoring in open grade at his first Darwin start, but he has drawn ideally in barrier four and certainly looks a horse with a future. He may well make the trip to the AS Cup Carnival for the Pioneer Sprint in early April should he perform as expected today.
Hardest to beat looks likely to be Cole’s quality performer Conclave Prince, who also won at this last start on 11 January over 1200m in 0-70 grade. He chased down La Boqueria on that occasion carrying the topweight, and drops in weight by a kilo and a-half for today’s contest. He will have the services again of senior rider Wayne Davis, who teamed with the 5yo son of Written Tycoon last time out. The fifth placegetter in the Palmerston Sprint last year looks to have come back well for his latest campaign, and will give Field Of Flutes plenty of opposition.
Pink Panther, the second of the Clarke-trained runners, resumes here after a break, having last started when second behind Venting in the Katherine Cup on 17 August. He has had a good spell and although surely not at his best at this stage of his preparation, he looks certain to run well in this in a fresh state. He make a good impression during his first preparation in the Top End, winning on Day 1 of the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival and was never out of the first three in four subsequent starts.
Flying Annie is Clarke’s third representative, and the 6yo daughter of Flying Artie, like Pink Panther, is first-up. She too raced well during last year’s Darwin Cup Carnival, and scored post-Carnival over this distance on 14 September before finishing down the track at her last run of the campaign on 5 October.
He's The Ultimate has done nothing wrong in two starts this preparation, chasing home Field Of Flutes first-up before filling the same position behind Funnyifitwon over 1300m on 25 January. The drop back in distance may not be ideal for the 6yo son of Fastnet Rock, but he is a quality galloper who cannot be discounted. Paul Shiers takes the mount for trainer Chloe Baxter.
Underhand is another with claims, finishing third at her first run in the Top End behind Field Of Flutes before a four-length fifth to Conclave Prince last time out. She is obviously speedy and the 1100m should suit.
The other pair in the event, Saccharo and Exceedingly Magic, are both from the Cole yard and good performers on their day. Saccharo is better known over more ground than this but has raced well fresh previously, while Exceedingly Magic was a winner two starts back in early January but this is a good deal harder.
The weather in the Top End this week has been a bit wetter than drier, although we have still to see the onset of the monsoon in this part of Australia. Some decent rain was forecast for late in the week. The official forecast for today reads: Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds north westerly 15 to 25km/h. The temperature is forecast to reach 30 degrees during the day, and 26 overnight, while 10-45mm of rain is forecast, with a 90% chance of rainfall. If the forecasters are right – which is always a question mark – we could be in for a wet afternoon.
The first race on the five-race card gets underway at the mid-afternoon time of 3.08pm (NT time), which is 4.38pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 5.25pm (NT time), or 6.55pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R1 # 3 QUEEN IN THE NORTHAbsolutely flying for trainer Tommy Logan during the past couple of months. Has won her last three outings, each of them over this trip of 1300m. Was a last-start winner in this 0-64 grade on 11 January, and seems to race best with a break between runs. Up 2kg in weight for that last victory, but will have that extinguished with Hannah Le Blanc’s 2kg apprentice claim. Sonja Logan has been aboard for the mare’s last three wins, however, takes the mount on stablemate Crown Waters. Could well be a Logan quinella.
R2 # 1 MR HAVE A CHATConsistent sprinter who has had a freshen-up since last racing on 28 December. Finished fifth of six that day behind the smart Field Of Flutes, but drops in grade for this 0-70 1200m and was only beaten 4.3 lengths in an open handicap when last produced by trainer Chris Nash. Outside draw should not be an impediment in this six-horse field, and Sonja Logan, who rode her 500th career winner last weekend in the Red Centre, takes the mount. Should make his presence felt here.
R3 # 1 FIELD OF FLUTESMade a sizeable impression when scoring on his Top End debut on 28 December. Had to be good to win that day as not all went according to plan, but hit the line strongly in a decent open field and seemed to have plenty of improvement to come. Carrying a decent weight here but has the services of Jarrod Todd again and drawn ideally in barrier four. Look to him to maintain his unbeaten run in Darwin and could be a Carnival contender in either Alice Springs or Darwin, or both, in the coming months.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 3, 6, 2, 1RACE 2 – 1, 6, 4, 3RACE 3 – 1, 5, 4, 6RACE 4 – 4, 2, 3, 1RACE 5 – 5, 4, 1, 7
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