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Find your Sport Nation frequencySENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Tuesday best bets at Darwin (05/11)
Andrew O'Toole • November 11th, 2024 10:26 pm
One of the non-Carnival highlights on the Top End racing calendar, Melbourne Cup Day, takes place today at Fannie Bay with a six-race card to whet the appetite. The first race gets underway following the running of the race that stops a nation at Flemington, and with some 48 acceptors on the programme, it promises to be a good afternoon’s racing with many revellers on-course.
The day’s feature is the second, the BTC Constructions Handicap, an open event over 1300m. It has attracted a field of half a dozen, and the leading stable of 12-time champion trainer Gary Clarke has 50% of the field and really holds the key.
Shakattak, after finishing down the track at his first attempt at the Fannie Bay circuit in late June, has done everything right since, with three wins in succession, including two during the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival. He was freshened after those two efforts, and after a break of seven weeks, resumed with a half-length victory over Bon’s Pride in a Benchmark 76 1200m on 21 September. Bon’s Pride has come out and won impressively since, and Shakattak, with 55.5kg to carry, actually drops in weight by a kilo for that latest win. Jarrod Todd, who has been in good form lately, retains the mount and he looks the one to beat.
His main opposition looks likely to come from his stablemates Seguso and Siakam. Seguso has yet to win in the Top End, but has been placed three times from just four starts at Fannie Bay, and his last-start third to Shakattak was a good performance, going down by just 0.8 lengths. Aaron Sweeney, another rider who has been in the winner’s circle frequently in both Darwin and Alice Springs in recent weeks, takes the mount on Seguso, and he should give Shakattak plenty to worry about.
Siakam, although a 7yo now, is racing as well as ever, and the nine-race winner cannot be left out of calculations. He was a winner two starts back, beating Seguso, then chased home Bon’s Pride here on Cox Plate Day after being on the pace throughout. Adam Nicholls, who gets on well with him, retains the mount on the son of Akeed Mofeed.
Others with a hope in the competitive six-horse line-up include Tubthumper, the Darwin Guineas winner of 2023, who has gone two good races since resuming her current preparation. She was third two starts back behind Doc O’Connor, then filled the same position behind Bon’s Pride here on 26 October. She has quality and with the light weight and Wanderson D’Avila aboard, she can make her presence felt. 2023 AS and Darwin Cup winner Write Your Name is struggling to recapture his best form and this is on the short side for him, while Awesome Lad completes the line-up and although he was good last start when fourth to Pharoah Magic, this is a good deal harder.
Clarke looks to have a plethora of winning chances on the day, with American Jazz a leading light in the first, Devils Delight, a last-start winner, looks hard to beat in the third, Change Is Coming gets his chance in a small field in the fifth, while Extreme Emotion, an impressive all-the-way winner over 1600m last start, makes plenty of appeal in the last over the same trip.
The weather in the Top End has been very warm of late, with the odd heat-related shower about. The official forecast for today reads: Slight chance of a shower in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Light winds becoming north-easterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach 35 degrees during the day, and 26 overnight, while a maximum of 1mm of rain is forecast, with a 30% chance of any precipitation.
The first race on the six-race card gets underway at 1.54pm (NT time), which is 3.24pm on the eastern seaboard and some 24mins after the Melbourne Cup is scheduled to jump, while the last is timed to go at 5.14pm (NT time), or 6.44pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
### BEST BETS
__R1 # 1 AMERICAN JAZZ__
Continues to drop in grade and now finds himself in a 0-58, having competed in much stronger fields than this in recent times. Led last time out and tired behind Kessler over this trip of 1300m on 5 October, but in this line-up, gets his chance to regain his best form. Jarrod Todd goes back aboard which is significant – he has won four races on the son of American Pharoah – and from a good gate of four, should give his backers a great sight.
__R5 # 2 CHANGE IS COMING__
Possesses plenty of speed but can still do a few things wrong, especially at the starting stalls. However, he gets a perfect opportunity to win his sixth race in this five-horse line-up, and drawing the outside is not necessarily a bad thing for him. Should have the speed to cross his rivals and the 1100m, at which he has won at twice from six attempts, should be tailormade for him.
__R6 # 5 EXTREME EMOTION__
6yo who took a while to put it altogether, but now that the penny has dropped with him, can continue his good recent form, which includes two wins and two seconds from his last four starts. Aided by a lovely front-running ride to win at this trip of 1600m on 19 October, he has drawn the outside of the nine-horse field, but will be sent forward and will take plenty of catching. Can complete what looks like being a good day for the Gary Clarke/Jarrod Todd combination.
__FANNIE BAY RACECOURSE (DARWIN) – GOOD__
RACE 1 – 1, 3, 4, 5
RACE 2 – 4, 3, 2, 5
RACE 3 – 7, 5, 4, 2
RACE 4 – 1, 3, 2, 4
RACE 5 – 2, 1, 5, 4
RACE 6 – 5, 3, 6, 1
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
*__What's gambling really costing you? Set a deposit limit.__ For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit [gamblinghelponline.org.au](https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/)*
The day’s feature is the second, the BTC Constructions Handicap, an open event over 1300m. It has attracted a field of half a dozen, and the leading stable of 12-time champion trainer Gary Clarke has 50% of the field and really holds the key.
Shakattak, after finishing down the track at his first attempt at the Fannie Bay circuit in late June, has done everything right since, with three wins in succession, including two during the 2024 Darwin Cup Carnival. He was freshened after those two efforts, and after a break of seven weeks, resumed with a half-length victory over Bon’s Pride in a Benchmark 76 1200m on 21 September. Bon’s Pride has come out and won impressively since, and Shakattak, with 55.5kg to carry, actually drops in weight by a kilo for that latest win. Jarrod Todd, who has been in good form lately, retains the mount and he looks the one to beat.
His main opposition looks likely to come from his stablemates Seguso and Siakam. Seguso has yet to win in the Top End, but has been placed three times from just four starts at Fannie Bay, and his last-start third to Shakattak was a good performance, going down by just 0.8 lengths. Aaron Sweeney, another rider who has been in the winner’s circle frequently in both Darwin and Alice Springs in recent weeks, takes the mount on Seguso, and he should give Shakattak plenty to worry about.
Siakam, although a 7yo now, is racing as well as ever, and the nine-race winner cannot be left out of calculations. He was a winner two starts back, beating Seguso, then chased home Bon’s Pride here on Cox Plate Day after being on the pace throughout. Adam Nicholls, who gets on well with him, retains the mount on the son of Akeed Mofeed.
Others with a hope in the competitive six-horse line-up include Tubthumper, the Darwin Guineas winner of 2023, who has gone two good races since resuming her current preparation. She was third two starts back behind Doc O’Connor, then filled the same position behind Bon’s Pride here on 26 October. She has quality and with the light weight and Wanderson D’Avila aboard, she can make her presence felt. 2023 AS and Darwin Cup winner Write Your Name is struggling to recapture his best form and this is on the short side for him, while Awesome Lad completes the line-up and although he was good last start when fourth to Pharoah Magic, this is a good deal harder.
Clarke looks to have a plethora of winning chances on the day, with American Jazz a leading light in the first, Devils Delight, a last-start winner, looks hard to beat in the third, Change Is Coming gets his chance in a small field in the fifth, while Extreme Emotion, an impressive all-the-way winner over 1600m last start, makes plenty of appeal in the last over the same trip.
The weather in the Top End has been very warm of late, with the odd heat-related shower about. The official forecast for today reads: Slight chance of a shower in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Light winds becoming north-easterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach 35 degrees during the day, and 26 overnight, while a maximum of 1mm of rain is forecast, with a 30% chance of any precipitation.
The first race on the six-race card gets underway at 1.54pm (NT time), which is 3.24pm on the eastern seaboard and some 24mins after the Melbourne Cup is scheduled to jump, while the last is timed to go at 5.14pm (NT time), or 6.44pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
### BEST BETS
__R1 # 1 AMERICAN JAZZ__
Continues to drop in grade and now finds himself in a 0-58, having competed in much stronger fields than this in recent times. Led last time out and tired behind Kessler over this trip of 1300m on 5 October, but in this line-up, gets his chance to regain his best form. Jarrod Todd goes back aboard which is significant – he has won four races on the son of American Pharoah – and from a good gate of four, should give his backers a great sight.
__R5 # 2 CHANGE IS COMING__
Possesses plenty of speed but can still do a few things wrong, especially at the starting stalls. However, he gets a perfect opportunity to win his sixth race in this five-horse line-up, and drawing the outside is not necessarily a bad thing for him. Should have the speed to cross his rivals and the 1100m, at which he has won at twice from six attempts, should be tailormade for him.
__R6 # 5 EXTREME EMOTION__
6yo who took a while to put it altogether, but now that the penny has dropped with him, can continue his good recent form, which includes two wins and two seconds from his last four starts. Aided by a lovely front-running ride to win at this trip of 1600m on 19 October, he has drawn the outside of the nine-horse field, but will be sent forward and will take plenty of catching. Can complete what looks like being a good day for the Gary Clarke/Jarrod Todd combination.
__FANNIE BAY RACECOURSE (DARWIN) – GOOD__
RACE 1 – 1, 3, 4, 5
RACE 2 – 4, 3, 2, 5
RACE 3 – 7, 5, 4, 2
RACE 4 – 1, 3, 2, 4
RACE 5 – 2, 1, 5, 4
RACE 6 – 5, 3, 6, 1
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
*__What's gambling really costing you? Set a deposit limit.__ For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit [gamblinghelponline.org.au](https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/)*
