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SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Friday best bets at Darwin (21/02)
Andrew O’Toole • February 21st, 2025 12:00 pm
An excellent five-race card awaits us at Fannie Bay in Darwin today, with 40 acceptors set to do battle. With fortnightly racing in the Top End at this time of the year (while Alice Springs races weekly in the lead-up to and during the AS Cup Carnival), it allows for decent-sized, quality fields, and today is definitely no exception. With ten riders in attendance, all horses will get a start, and there is plenty to look forward to, with a number of horses either looking to the $40,000 St Patrick’s Cup (1600m) in three weeks’ time, and the AS Carnival is also on the horizon.
There are two high-grade races on the day, the Sportsbet Handicap for the open sprinters over 1200m, and the Sky Racing Handicap (1600m) for the 0-76 gallopers, and both have attracted very competitive fields.
In the open sprint, Crazy Brave, trained and to be ridden by Paul Shiers, makes plenty of appeal. The 5yo son of Zoustar has had just the two Top End starts to date and after a good third to Doc O’Connor first-up, could not have been more impressive when sitting behind the speed and finishing over the top of Mr Cashman and company over 1200m in BM76 grade.
He is lightly-raced, having had just the 16 starts in Queensland and Darwin for four wins and six placings, and the manner in which he finished off last time, while still inclined to switch off over the last 50m or so, stamped him as a horse with a real future in the Territory. He will jump from barrier four in the six-horse field, but judged on his ability to relax in the run like he did last time, the draw should be no impediment and he looks well placed to make it two wins on end.
Mr Cashman and Doc O’Connor, both trained by Gary Clarke, are rivals again for Crazy Brave, and both should provide plenty of opposition. Mr Cashman is a 7yo these days and the winner of nine races – he seldom goes a bad race and will have the services of regular rider Jarrod Todd.
Doc O’Connor has yet to win over this trip of 1200m but the noted speedster has won two of his last three starts over 1100m and if allowed a soft lead he will take plenty of running down – he was placed third over this trip behind stablemate Siakam four starts back and is a quality sprinter, having won nine of his 24 starts to date. Adam Nicholls will take the mount on the topweight, who will carry 61.5kg.
Forms Of Fear has the minimum weight although with Raymond Vigar to ride, he will likely carry 56kg in this. He has been racing well in lower grade, and his last-start third to Prince Ruban, after being pressurised on the pace throughout, was full of merit. Tayarn Halter has the son of Written Tycoon going along well and from a handy draw of two, he will be on the pace or just behind it from the outset.
The Phil Cole-trained pair of Saccharo and Conclave Prince make up the field, and both have claims. Saccharo, better known over more ground than this, nevertheless sprinted well fresh over 1100m when third to the smart Field Of Flutes here on 7 February, but may be looking for more ground now, while Conclave Prince, a winner two starts back over this trip, was then disappointing behind Field Of Flutes and would need to put his best foot forward here to figure in the finish.
The Sky Racing Handicap has attracted some very smart milers and a competitive contest seems assured. I have plumped for the up and coming Funnyifitwon to perform well over this trip over 1600m, even though he has yet to win over the journey from three outings. He was very good when winning at his second Top End start over 1300m on 25 January, and top trainer Tayarn Halter will have him raring to go here, with the St Pat’s Cup in three weeks’ time his pending main mission. Safely through this race and the Cup, a trip to the Red Centre for an even bigger Cup could well be on the cards. Vigar takes the mount on the son of Starcraft.
Seven Secrets, from the boutique stable of Chris Nash, has done little wrong since making the Top End his home in September last year. He was an impressive winner after doing some work in a 0-70 mile two starts back, and then when dropped back in trip to 1200m last time, was stood on his head when mounting what looked a winning challenge at the 100m mark. Hannah Le Blanc, who rode a treble of winners in Alice Springs last week, takes the mount and will take 2kg off Seven Secrets’ book weight of 57.5kg. He will prove hard to beat.
He's The Ultimate is undoubtedly the best-performed miler in this line-up, having won twice at the trip from six starts including the Metric Mile in Darwin in 2023. He is trained by Chloe Baxter who has kept her charge to shorter trips this campaign, but up to the 1600m here, look to the son of Fastnet Rock to really show his best.
Crown Waters is another with good prospects here. He has won his only two starts in Darwin for Tommy and Sonja Logan, and will be having his second start over this trip. Off the minimum, he could surprise some of the better credentialed runners in the event.
The weather in the Top End this week has been mostly fine, with the odd shower about, and no real sign of the long-awaited monsoon. The official forecast for today reads: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds. The temperature is forecast to reach 33 degrees during the day, and 25 overnight, while 0-8mm of rain is forecast, with a 60% chance of rainfall.
The first race on the five-race card gets underway at the mid-afternoon time of 2.39pm (NT time), which is 4.09pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 5.05pm (NT time), or 6.35pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R2 # 5 CRAZY BRAVEHas created a good impression in his only two starts to date in the Top End, finishing third first-up and then winning impressively last time out on 1 February. Beat Mr Cashman on that occasion over this trip, and the 5yo son of Zoustar certainly looks to have plenty of upside. Trainer/rider Paul Shiers will no doubt have him on song again for this assignment, and he looks terribly hard to beat again.
R4 # 2 FUNNYIFITWONBroke his duck in the Top End at the second time of asking on 25 January when bolting clear of He’s The Ultimate and company over 1300m. Up to 1600m for the first time in Darwin, he has yet to win at the trip but has not finished far away in three starts at the distance when trained in Victoria. Drawn the outside here but can take a sit and possesses a strong finish. On target for the St Pat’s Cup and should be very competitive in this line-up.
R5 # 6 HE’S ESSENTIALHas run two good races since making Darwin home late last year. Hit the line well when third to Exceedingly Magic over 1100m on 4 January, and three weeks later, chased home stablemate Prince Ruban in the Ladbrokes Wet Season Series Final over 1200m. Makes the sharp step up to 1600m for the first time, but gives the impression that the extra trip will be to his advantage. The Clarke/Todd combination need no introduction and he should be very hard to head off.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 5, 2, 4, 1RACE 2 – 5, 3, 6, 1RACE 3 – 4, 5, 6, 1RACE 4 – 2, 3, 1, 6RACE 5 – 6, 3, 5, 1
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