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Important SN update for SouthlandSENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Monday best bets at Alice Springs (30/06)
Andrew O’Toole • June 30th, 2025 12:00 pm
For the second time in the month of June, racing will be conducted today in the Red Centre, the second Monday fixture in a row due once again to the lack of a morning flight to the Alice from Darwin on the scheduled Sunday date of 29 June. There will be a further two meetings in July, however, these will be run on Sundays 13 and 27 and a charter flight will be utilised to transport the riders and staff required for the meeting.
A race has again been divided in Alice, this time the 0-58 1100m – at the last meeting it was the 0-64 1100m that was split into two divisions. There will therefore be six race, with four fields of eight and two six-horse affairs.
The day’s feature is the fifth on the card, the Maloney Kan Accountants Handicap over 1400m, but the previous race, the Truckies Day 29 August Handicap, is the meeting’s highlight affair. The Benchmark 76 sprint over 1100m has attracted six quality horses, and the return to racing of 2023 Pioneer Sprint runner-up Expert Witness will be interesting indeed.
Nowadays trained by Lisa Whittle – he has had a number of different trainers during his career – Expert Witness, now a rising 7yo, has not started since finishing down the track behind Brat and company here in January, so he has had a good long break between runs. He failed to win during his last campaign, but was placed in the first three in open company on three occasions. He has the services of Raymond Vigar, who has ridden him once previously, two starts back, when third in the Red Centre just before Christmas last year. He has always shown plenty of ability, and the eight-race winner, if anywhere near his best, would give his opposition plenty to worry about, especially from the inside gate.
Hardest for Expert Witness to beat looks likely to be Chief White Sock, a last-start winner at Pioneer Park on 31 May. The Barry Cooke-trained 5yo is assembling a decent record, with his latest winning effort over 1000m his seventh career win. He has won three times over 1100m, and Stan Tsaikos, who has notched up three wins aboard the chestnut son of Headwater, is back aboard, having not ridden him since December last year. He has plenty of pace, and will need to show it jumping from the outside barrier of six.
Luskin Hero was one of four winners on the card for trainer Greg Connor at the last meeting held here on 16 June. The 7yo was winning his first race in the Red Centre at the ninth time of asking, and now that he has broken his duck on the track, he should again be considered a leading chance.
Stablemate Boy Big finished second here when last produced behind Luskin Hero, and his is another who must be considered. The winner of eight races – five of them over this trip of 1100m – is racing as well as ever, and the rising 8yo should be hitting the line strongly for veteran horseman Paul Denton.
Kickatorp, the topweight, is one of those horses all of us would love to race, as he hardly ever misses a place and in fact has not in his last nine starts! Visiting WA jockey Kristo Sardelic, who is currently based in Darwin, makes the trip to the Red Centre to ride for the Ray Viney stable, and in Kickatorp he has a good chance of success. Bold Tropic completes the line-up, and on his best form would also rate a chance in a really good field.
The $25,500 Maloney Kan Accountants Handicap affords the Connor stable another fine chance of a winner, with La Vesuvius the lone stable representative. He is coming off a last-start game win here a fortnight ago when ridden by Danielle Hirini, who again has the mount. He was headed in the straight by Prophesier but showed great fighting qualities to get his head back in front to win by 0.2 lengths. That was his first start on the sand and oil-based surface of Pioneer Park, and even though up in weight, he should be improved by the outing and very hard to beat again.
Prophesier is a rival again, and meets La Vesuvius 2kg better for that narrow defeat. That statistic alone should make him very competitive again, although he has only won once from 18 starts on the track. Sonja Logan, who was aboard last time, has the steer again.
Valley Prince has had a stable change recently – he is now in the Will Savage barn after earlier being prepared by Terry Gillett – and will no doubt have improvement from his first start for Savage when unplaced behind La Vesuvius last time. Strike Eagle is a consistent type with claims here, while Super Sharp and Run And Tell make up the line-up.
The weather in the Red Centre this week has featured lovely, fine days and cool nights. The official forecast for today reads: Sunny. Patchy morning frost. Light winds becoming south-easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach a fresh 17 degrees during the day, with a chilly 1 degree overnight. There is only a 5% chance of any rainfall.
The first race on the six-race card gets underway at 1.55pm (NT time), which is 2.25pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 5.04pm (NT time), or 5.34pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R2 # 1 QUANAPIRRI BAYWon well here a fortnight ago over the same trip (1100m) in 0-64 grade, and actually drops in class to a 0-58 contest here. Up in weight by 5kg, however, and the outside barrier will not help. But this does not appear a strong line-up, and the in-form Greg Connor stable teams with talented rider Danielle Hirini, who has made a big impression since resuming her riding career in the Red Centre just under four months ago. Can win again.
R3 # 1 BODMIN BOYConsistent 5yo who hardly ever goes a bad race. Chased home Only The Best here a month ago over the same trip in class 2 company, and prior to that had finished third at Tennant Creek and was a winner here on 3 May. Does not win out of turn but his record of one win, seven seconds and two thirds is ample evidence of his consistency. Sonja Logan, who has been aboard at his last four starts, retains the association and he looks tough to roll in this.
R5 # 1 LA VESUVIUSCreated a decent impression when a fighting winner of his first AS start here a fortnight ago. Had not raced since late February in NSW, so that first-up effort should have brought him on for this assignment. Had some decent form to recommend prior to coming to the Red Centre, and with that win under the belt at the first time of asking, can repeat the dose in the Average Benchmark event. Up in weight by 1.5kg but looks the type to cope and can go on with the job.
SELECTIONS
LADBROKES PIONEER PARK (ALICE SPRINGS) – GOODRACE 1 – 2, 1, 6, 3RACE 2 – 1, 4, 2, 7RACE 3 – 1, 5, 3, 2RACE 4 – 2, 4, 3, 5RACE 5 – 1, 5, 2, 3RACE 6 – 4, 3, 6, 5
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