Alice Springs 16/02/2019
Date posted:
IT was a red-letter day for Alice Springs-based apprentice jockeys Dan Morgan and Lorelle Crow at their local meeting in the Red Centre last Saturday, with the pair riding the five-race card between them.
The only two apprentice jockeys currently licensed in the Territory, Morgan, indentured to Greg Connor, and Crow (Will Savage) turned in a riding clinic, upstaging their more experienced counterparts with three and two wins respectively.
Morgan, born and bred in New Zealand, got the ball rolling when riding his master’s horse Trystoff to a six-length win in the maiden 1200m. For the record, Crow finished second aboard Kummerlings.
Clever Tommy, who had not raced for over 15 months, gave Morgan an early double when leading throughout to score handsomely in the second, the 0-64 1100m.
A promising type earlier in his career, Clever Tommy has been nursed back to racing fitness by his astute trainer Norm Bracken, and it is to be hoped that he stays sound as he is a quality galloper.
In the third, the Benchmark 76 1100m, it was Crow’s turn to get on the board, piloting Savage’s top-notch sprinter Rembrandt to a length-and-a-half win over Iceflow.
And the former Victorian was at it again in the next, the 3yo Average Benchmark 1000m, giving Savage a double with a narrow but impressive win with sprinter Savatoxl.
Savatoxl just got the better of Maiden Grace in a tight finish, but the son of Kuroshio is fashioning an excellent record – Saturday’s win was his fourth from just five career starts.
The last of the day, the Benchmark 54 1400m, gave Morgan his first riding treble in his brief career, Mighty Mick getting the decision by a half-length from American Star. The win also gave Connor a training double on the day.
Morgan, 25 years of age, has now ridden a dozen winners, while Crow (24) brought up her 55th winner with Saturday’s double. The pair, who claim 3kg and 1.5kg respectively, are a real asset to Territory racing and will no doubt be in demand as the 2019 Alice Springs Cup Carnival draws ever closer.