Saturday 2nd February 2019

Posted by TRNT

Date posted: 4 Feb 2019

TAYARN HALTER continued a purple patch of form with a double courtesy of Bakslap and Hattan Man at Fannie Bay on Saturday.

Bakslap stormed home late to beat The Wild Side in the Ladbrokes Handicap, while Hattan Man was an impressive winner of the Mantra Handicap, surging clear over the concluding stages to down the consistent Flinders Beach and Macon Country.

Both horses were well ridden by Raymond Vigar, who does the majority of riding for the Halter stable.

Since the 1 December meeting at Fannie Bay, Halter has lined up a total of 25 horses in seven meetings for no less than eight wins, four seconds and a third placing – a winning strike rate of 32%.

With her weekend double, Halter leapt into second place on the Top End trainers’ premiership with 10 wins, well adrift of perennial pacesetter Gary Clarke (26 wins) and just ahead of Carl Spry (9), Jason Manning and Phil Cole (8 apiece).

Bakslap was particularly impressive. After being allowed to find his feet early, he had a wall of horses in front of him rounding the home turn but once Vigar was able to gain clear running, he sprouted wings over the final 100m to collar The Wild Side, who had made her challenge out wide and momentarily looked the winner.

Rosherville, trained and ridden by Carl Spry, led throughout to score comfortably in the Toxfree Handicap.

The 4yo son of Helmet, purchased out of the Darwin Turf Club/Magic Millions Tried Horse Sale back in August, led home another sale recruit, Restless, scoring by some three and a-half lengths. Joker Poker, who was handy throughout, took third.

The horses out of the 2018 sale have now won collectively six races from 51 starts, and with five seconds, seven thirds and seven fourth placings, they have amassed stake earnings of $122,725 in just over five months.

Former Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Sprinting To Win, now in the stable of Sean Rains, made a good impression at his first Darwin outing when scoring narrowly in the Garden Park Golf Links Handicap.

The solidly-built 5yo son of Northern Meteor last raced at Warwick Farm on 1 August, but Rains produced him fit and well for his first-up assignment. After settling third in the run, he came through strongly over the concluding stages in the hands of Barry Huppatz to just nab the pacemaking Iron Lotus on the line, scoring by a half head.

Amigo Mio caused something of an upset when getting the measure of odds-on favourite My Snip close to the line in the Magic Millions Handicap.

My Snip, who led from the outset, looked certain to win at the 200m mark, but Matt Hart conjured an irrepressible finish along the inside out of Amigo Mio, getting up late on to score by three-quarters of a-length.

Shane Clarke’s charge took a while to win his first race – 15 races in fact – but he has now scored a pair of wins from 20 starts and only now looks to be fully furnished.

02.02.19 Race 1 Rosherville.1 02.02.19 Rosherville.2 Race 1 Rosherville