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SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Sunday best bets at Alice Springs (20/04)
Andrew O’Toole • April 20th, 2025 12:00 pm
The Alice Springs Cup Carnival may have concluded a fortnight ago, but such is the strength in depth and number of horses in the Red Centre, that today’s meeting, originally programmed for five races, has ended up with seven following both the 0-64 1400m and the 0-58 1100m being divided. These divisions were largely due to having just eight available riders at the fixture, but it is certainly pleasing that the numbers for the Easter Sunday meeting have continued on from where the Carnival left off.
The feature event on the card is the $25,500 Centrelink Saddlery and Country Outfitters Handicap, an open sprint over 1100m. It has attracted a field of seven, with the second, third and fourth placegetters from the Pioneer Sprint, run on 5 April, all lining up.
Flying Yishu, who chased home Dakota Lee in the Pioneer, looks the horse to beat judged on that effort in which he was beaten just a half-length by the standout performer in the Red Centre. He had won his previous start, fresh-up, on 1 March, so he certainly has plenty of upside here having just the third start of his current campaign. Trainer Greg Connor, who also prepares Pioneer Sprint third placegetter Delago Lad, has done a great job with Flying Yishu and even though jumping from the outside gate here, he looks very hard to beat. He has a good record at the trip and apprentice Lek Maloney, who was aboard in the Pioneer, retains the mount and his claim of 2kg will bring Flying Yishu in on the minimum weight in the race, 55kg.
Delago Lad, like his stablemate, went a bottler in the Pioneer, finishing third and beaten just 0.7 of a length. Unlike Flying Yishu, Delago Lad had has been up a while but continues to hold his form well, with his last three starts producing a first, a second and the Pioneer Sprint third. Senior rider Paul Denton goes aboard this time and he has a good association with the Connor stable. From barrier four, he should be able to gain a nice run either on the pace or just behind it, and will give his stablemate a real run for his money.
Topweight Supreme Attraction, the most experienced horse in the event with 54 starts behind him, rattled home to take fourth in the Pioneer and, even though a 9yo, is racing as well as ever. The evergreen sprinter, prepared by Dakota Lee’s trainer Terry Gillett, has won 14 races – nine at this track – and although he has won just the once from ten outings over 1100m, his record is so good that he cannot be left out. If he were to reproduce his Pioneer Sprint effort, he would be a leading contender for sure.
Stablemate Hurn Court has won just the one race in Alice, but he has been placed second on four occasions and third once, so he is a consistent type. He ran second two starts back to the smart Great Gust then could manage only fifth behind Super Famous and company in the 0-66 1000m on Cup Day. He is a natural front-runner and from gate five, should be able to lead his rivals here and if he gets a soft sectional somewhere in the run, he could just hold on.
Luskin Hero, another from the Connor barn, finished third in the same race won by Super Famous on 6 April, and must be considered even though yet to win in the Red Centre, while Rylan’s Pick, at just his second run in the Alice, finished with the tailenders in the Pioneer. However, he is an eight-race winner in NSW and with a couple of runs under his belt on the different surface at Pioneer Park, he might just be about ready to put his best foot forward.
Excuses Excuses completes the line-up and the 9yo finished at the tail behind Super Famous on Cup Day and would have to improve to trouble the placegetters here.
The Sean Bryan Memorial (0-70 1200m) is also a good race on the card, and Kerry Petrick’s pair Great Gust and Magic Defense should both be very hard to beat. The former won impressively at his first AS start and then was narrowly beaten on Cup weekend when having no luck early in the home straight. He looks a smart customer and can bounce back.
Magic Defense won her first four races in Alice and has since finished fifth to Zourata and second, in the Queen of the Desert, behind Pushover on Cup Day. She is a quality mare who will be a leading hope in this with Denton aboard.
Others with a chance include the Gillett pair Brat and Beau Factor, Cup Weekend winner Mathematics and Chuckamicky, who has won two of her last three starts in the Red Centre.
The weather in the Red Centre has been very settled just lately, with some lovely autumn weather, although a little warm, for the past couple of weeks. The official forecast for today reads: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach a comfortable 27 degrees during the day with an overnight low of 16 degrees, while there is a 20% chance of any rain.
The first on the seven-race card gets underway at 1.02pm (NT time), which is 1.32pm 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
R2 No 3 GREAT GUSTVery impressive when winning at his first Red Centre start on 29 March, and then a tragedy beaten on 5 April when going down by a nose to Mathematics. Was held up that day and stormed home only to go down by a very narrow margin. Back to 1200m here with a fortnight between runs should mean he will be highly competitive again, and with Hannah Le Blanc’s 2kg claim, he gets in well with 58.5kg. Can bounce back to his best here.
R5 # 2 FLYING YISHUWent the race of his life when beating all bar super mare Dakota Lee in the Pioneer Sprint here on 5 April. Third-up here and has been well placed by trainer Greg Connor. There are no Dakota Lee’s in this and even though dropping back in trip by 100m, has a fine record at this distance of 1100m, having had three starts for two wins and a second. Apprentice Lek Maloney, who handled the horse so well in the Pioneer, takes the mount again and with even luck is the one to beat, even from the outside draw.
R7 No 4 READIs getting very close to a win and gets an ideal opportunity here. Drew barrier 11 last time out and just went down in a driving finish to The Final Word, with Faithful Champion, a rival again, close up third. Finally has a decent draw which is all important from the 1400m start at Pioneer Park. Sonja Logan, who has been aboard in three of the gelding’s four runs in Alice, takes the mount again and with just six rivals, he should prove very hard to beat in the last of the day.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – 4, 8, 5, 1RACE 2 – 3, 7, 2, 8RACE 3 – 1, 3, 2, 7RACE 4 – 2, 7, 4, 1RACE 5 – 2, 4, 1, 6RACE 6 – 2, 1, 3, 5RACE 7 – 4, 2, 1, 6
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