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SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Saturday best bets at Alice Springs (03/05)
Andrew O’Toole • May 3rd, 2025 11:31 am
Fortnightly racing in the Red Centre is the norm at this time of the year, and following a seven-race card here on 20 April, today’s fixture boasts six races with eight riders down to compete. Therefore, there will be five scratchings required in the last race of the day (13 acceptors), while the third on the card, with nine acceptors, will mean one runner will not gain a start. Nevertheless, there should be 40+ runners do battle, with plenty of interest for punters.
The feature event, incidentally, is the smallest field of the day and will be the fifth on the six-race card. The $23,400 Red Centre Technology Partners Handicap, a Benchmark 76 over 1400m, has attracted just five runners, with Terry Gillett and Kerry Petrick represented by two runners apiece, while Barry Cooke will line up Mathematics.
Even though a small field, there are a number of chances, but Great Gust looks the one to beat. Petrick’s 5yo son of Trust In A Gust has been very impressive in three AS starts and really should be unbeaten in the Red Centre. He won first-up on 29 March over 1100m, was a tragedy beaten by the narrowest possible margin on Pioneer Sprint Day (5 April) over 1400m before bouncing back to win a 0-70 1200m on 20 April. On that occasion, he won only narrowly, but ran a slick time of 1:08.06 and downed stablemate Magic Defense after a great home straight battle. Square Cut was close up third.
He certainly looks to have plenty of upside and will again benefit from the 2kg claim of apprentice Hannah Le Blanc, who gave him a great ride last time when saving ground around the home turn. She has been in great form in the Territory for some time now, and of course celebrated her biggest career win just four weeks ago when guiding Hasseltoff to a memorable Alice Springs Cup victory.
Great Gust, with 55.5kg after the claim (he carried 58.5kg last start) and from barrier three, should get all favours in the run and will surely be right in the finish.
Hardest for Great Gust to beat looks likely to be Supreme Attraction, from the Gillett team. The 9yo son of Supreme Class, after finishing a fine fourth to his superstar stablemate Dakota Lee in the Pioneer Sprint, rocketed home again to finish second to the in-form Flying Yishu here a fortnight ago, and the veteran is racing as well as he ever has. The step up to 1400m should suit him admirably – he has won three times at the trip and has been placed four times as well from some dozen starts over the journey. Dakota Gillett will take 1.5kg off his book weight of 63kg and while still burdened with a decent impost, he is a class act and should be hitting the line with gusto.
Gillett’s second string Great Buy is no slouch either, having compiled a great record in the Alice since relocating from NSW just over two years ago. He has had 26 starts in the Red Centre, racking up seven wins, six seconds and five thirds, and although down the track last time out in the Pioneer Sprint, his earlier form was first class. He is also something of a specialist at 1400m, with five wins and five placings at the journey, and senior rider Stan Tsaikos knows him inside out. He cannot be left out of calculations.
Venting, last year’s AS and Katherine Cup winner, has been a little hit and miss this campaign, and his last-start seventh in the Cup, beaten over 19 lengths, was way below his best. However, the nine-race winner should not be discounted altogether – he is a two-time winner at this trip and will have the services of Paul Denton, who knows him so well.
Mathematics, last year’s Pioneer Sprint winner when trained by Kym Healy, completes the line-up and the 8yo son of The Factor won on Cup weekend, beating Great Gust by a nose, and then finished fifth behind the same horse here a fortnight ago. He was only beaten 4.4 lengths on that occasion and he could easily place in this in the hands of Sonja Logan.
On what is a competitive day of racing, Chuckamicky looks hard to beat in the opener, Buckleup Buddy can go back-to-back in the third, Chief White Sock should take plenty of beating in the fourth, while Taipan Tommy should be allowed another chance to bounce back to his best over 1600m in the last. He has won seven times at the track – three of them at 1600m – and makes plenty of appeal for apprentice Lek Maloney.
The weather in the Red Centre has been nice and fine recently, with some glorious days and cooler nights the order of the day. The official forecast for today reads: Sunny. Light winds becoming easterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach 25 degrees during the day with an overnight low of a chilly 7 degrees, while there is no chance of any rain.
The first on the six-race card gets underway at 1.58pm (NT time), which is 2.28pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 4.50pm (NT time), or 5.20pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R1 # 3 CHUCKAMICKYWon narrowly but well over this trip of 1200m on AS Cup weekend (5 April) and this looks no harder. Has won two of her last three starts for trainer Lisa Whittle and has taken to the Pioneer Park circuit in excellent style. Drawn the middle of the line here in barrier four, and regular rider Sonja Logan again makes the trip from the Top End to retain the mount. Looks well placed in this Benchmark 54 affair.
R3 # 2 BUCKLEUP BUDDYBroke his maiden duck here last time out on 20 April, and that followed a good effort for third to Snore Room in the 3yo 1200m event on AS Cup Day. Drops back in trip here by 100m but with a fortnight between races, that should not be an impediment to his chances in this. Has a little bit of an awkward draw to overcome but with senior rider Paul Denton in the saddle, should prove very hard to beat ago.
R4 # 4 CHIEF WHITE SOCKCapable sprinter who seldom goes a bad race. Has had a freshen-up since last racing when third behind Noble Magnate and Governor in 0-62 company on 5 April, and has three wins from 14 starts at this distance of 1100m. Stan Tsaikos, who had established a good association with Barry Cooke’s 5yo before missing out on the ride at the horse’s last three starts, is back on and although drawn the outside, he seems certain to go forward and will take some holding out.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 3, 6, 4, 2RACE 2 – 2, 1, 5, 3RACE 3 – 2, 4, 7, 6RACE 4 – 6, 4, 5, 3RACE 5 – 3, 1, 2, 5RACE 6 – 5, 7, 9, 4
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