Race day wrap up 25th May 2019

ICONIC Territory trainer Sheila Arnold, who has seen more Darwin Carnivals than she would care to remember, kicked off her latest Top End venture on the right note when Quantum Dot scored a convincing win in the Campaign Edge Handicap at Fannie Bay yesterday. 

Arnold and husband Keith have been making Darwin home during the months of May-September for many years, and have brought four horses with them for this year’s Carnival, which gets underway on 6 July.

While Windsor Cup just went down earlier in the day, Quantum Dot got the campaign off on the right foot with a dominant win in the 1300m event.

Beautifully ridden by Jarrod Todd, Quantum Dot trailed the pacemaking favourite Kaptan Apollo throughout, and when that runner hung off the inside fence around the home turn, Todd was through in a flash and was never in danger of defeat, scoring by almost three lengths from Gracious Prospect, with Marbel Duke third just ahead of stablemate Sky Muster.

Kaptan Apollo definitely had an excuse for his lack-lustre fifth – he returned to scale with his saddle having twisted almost upside down straight out of the gates. Rider Brendon Davis, not surprisingly, was in some difficulty during the race, and indicated that the horse was never comfortable after the gear malfunction.

Sheila Arnold was delighted with Quantum Dot’s win. “He’s a funny old horse, you can’t work him, and we’ve only swum him since we arrived earlier this week. But he’s fit, 1300m is probably his best trip, and there’ll be plenty of races for him over the next couple of months,” she said.

Todd made it a race-to-race double when guiding Looking For You to a five-length win in the 10 Darwin Handicap.

Trained by Phil Cole, Looking For You shared the lead with Son Of A Fling to the home turn, but quickly put the issue beyond doubt, bounding clear to beat Remodify and Mulk with ease. The consistent four-year-old has now won three of his 13 starts and is proving a good money-spinner for his owners.

Sonja Wiseman bagged her first Top End double courtesy of Gogoldcoast (Seppelts Handicap) and Daisley (MJS Floor Coverings Handicap) and in the process, book-ended the card.

Gogoldcoast, a son of All Too Hard, raced outside the lead before taking over on the point of the home turn and racing clear to win impressively. His stablemate Lots Of Coin rattled home to provide popular trainer John Peacock with a quinella.

Daisley, trained by Kerry Petrick, gained a deserved victory when getting up close home to down Divisional by a half-head in the day’s opener. Borlung finished off stoutly to take third.

Karmonaaron continued on his winning way when getting in the deciding stride to score in the National Jockeys Trust Handicap.

Garry Lefoe Jnr’s 4yo son of Dane Shadow, chasing a hat-trick of wins, tracked the pacemakers throughout and was angled into the clear by rider Paul Shiers soon after straightening for home.

Windsor Cup, who had shared the lead, found a kick and looked to be holding his rival inside the last 100m, but Shiers would not be denied, galvanising a final effort from Karmonaaron to score by a short half-head.

Short-priced favourite Patriot Day (Garry Clarke/Kim Gladwin) was a class above his rivals when winning the Cancer Council NT Handicap (1100m).

Sent straight to the front from the outset, he was never tested, scoring by five lengths under hands and heels urging. Tregorik took second, with Ruth’s Boy taking third two lengths back.