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SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Saturday best bets at Darwin (01/02)
Andrew O’Toole • February 1st, 2025 12:30 pm
A five-race card awaits us at Fannie Bay today, the second of three successive weeks of racing in the Top End. Last week’s six-race Australia Day weekend meeting has had the effect of minimalizing the field sizes today, with the largest field of the day the last event, the 0-58 1000m, with eight acceptors. However, there are some quality contenders on show nonetheless, and the highest-rated event is the second on the card, the Sportsbet Handicap for the BM76 sprinters over 1200m.
As usual, the Top End’s two leading trainers, Gary Clarke and Phil Cole, are well represented in the six-runner affair, with two representatives apiece. However, it is a relative newcomer to the Top End that I believe will prove the hardest to beat.
Crazy Brave, trained and to be ridden by Paul Shiers, has had just the one Darwin start and made an immediate impression, hitting the line strongly in the hands of apprentice Hannah Le Blanc to finish a close-up third behind the Clarke stablemates Doc O’Connor and Patriotic King. That was over 1100m in this same grade on 4 January, and the manner of Crazy Brave’s finish was impressive indeed. His best form is certainly between 1200m and 1400m, and each of his three wins have come in that distance range. His record at 1200m is five starts for a win and two seconds, and tackling this distance second-up here should be ideal for him.
He has also drawn the ace and has the minimum weight, and his master jockey will no doubt give him every chance. He should be able to take up a nice trail behind noted speedsters Star Magnum and Mr Cashman, and I fancy that he will be finishing over the top of his rivals in the concluding stages.
Clarke and Cole’s runners have to be afforded plenty of respect. The former has Mr Cashman, a last-start winner engaged, and the 7yo is something of a specialist at the 1200m distance, having won seven times over the journey. He was a narrow but strong winner last time out on 14 December, downing the smart Bon’s Pride, and even with seven weeks between runs, Clarke will have him up to the mark for this assignment.
Topweight Star Magnum and former Darwin Guineas winner Tubthumper are the Cole pair, and both should race well. Star Magnum finished at the tail behind Field Of Flutes, beaten just over eight lengths, on 28 December, but that was his first start since the middle of September and he should have derived plenty of improvement from that outing. Tubthumper has been racing consistently lately, and won over 1300m four starts back. She is backing up after finishing a 4.2 length fourth to the impressive Funnyifitwon here last week, but she is most capable on her day, even if her barrier manners have been getting worse lately.
Influential Jack is Clarke’s second runner, and he, like Star Magnum, should be improved for his first-up fourth to Conclave Prince here on 11 January. He is another with claims and like Crazy Brave, will carry the minimum weight of 55kg. Stan Tsaikos takes the mount.
The other runner in the event is Taraashoq, who will be making his Top End debut for Chloe Baxter. The former Sydney-trained 7yo – he was prepared at Warwick Farm by Bjorn Baker before coming to the Top End – has decent formlines to recommend, although his best form is over longer trips than this. That said, in a fresh state he could make his presence felt, having not raced since early October.
In a competitive card, Brazen Bon looks the one to beat in the third, while the Tommy Logan pair of Polarising and Beatification should be highly competitive in the last two events on the programme.
The weather in the Top End this week has been a mixture of fine spells mixed and heavy rain, the majority of it in the evening. The monsoon is forecast to begin in earnest next week, so here’s hoping we can get through today’s meeting largely unscathed. The official forecast for today reads: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach 32 degrees during the day, and 26 overnight, while 0-15mm of rain is forecast, with a 70% chance of any precipitation. This was the exact same forecast as last week when we never got a drop!
The first race on the five-race card gets underway at 2.40pm (NT time), which is 4.10pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 5.15pm (NT time), or 6.45pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R2 # 5 CRAZY BRAVEHaving his second start in Darwin after an eye-catching third behind Doc O’Connor and Patriotic King over 1100m on 4 January. In same grade but extra 100m will be of great benefit to his chances. Has a win and two seconds from five attempts at the distance, and showed with his first Top End start that he has plenty of ability and will win his fair share in the NT. Trainer-rider Paul Shiers takes the mount, and from the inside gate and on the minimum weight, he looks the one to beat.
R3 # 1 BRAZEN BONLightly-raced 4yo who has a win and a second to his credit from just two Darwin outings. Was super impressive on Top End debut when beating home Forms Of Fear, who turned the tables next time out over this trip on 4 January. However, not much went right on that latest occasion and with those two runs under the belt now, he looks tailor-made to regain the winning thread in this Benchmark 54 1200m.
R5 # 1 BEATIFICATIONHas not raced for 12 months but possesses plenty of ability, as evidenced by his last campaign in Darwin when he never finished out of the first three in his only five starts. Has obviously had an issue but his in-form trainer Tommy Logan has him back on track, and he won a trial here in the middle of January to fit him for this. This does not look a strong lot and from the inside gate over 1000m, he will give backers a great sight.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 5, 4, 1, 2RACE 2 – 5, 2, 1, 4RACE 3 – 1, 2, 6, 4RACE 4 – 1, 3, 2, 4RACE 5 – 1, 5, 3, 6
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