Top End Racing Awards
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The Captain rules the roost at Top End Racing Awards
THE CAPTAIN was the undoubted star of the show at the 2018/19 Top End Racing Awards held at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club on Friday 11th Oct, the Gary Clarke-trained sprinter carrying off no less than three awards including the coveted Top End Horse of the Year title.
The Captain, raced by a group of owners headed by trainer’s wife Sharlene, was also crowned the Sprinter of the Year, with nine starts for five wins, and Out of Carnival Performer of the Year, having won four of his seven starts outside of the Great Northern Darwin Cup Carnival.
A panel of six independent judges each voted on the awards, with The Captain a clear winner over El Toranado in the sprinter category, while he was a runaway victor in the out of carnival section.
The Captain ’s major win came in the Elsey on Parap WFA on Day 4 of the 2019 Darwin Cup Carnival, while he also carried off weight-for-age sprints in Darwin on Melbourne Cup Day and at the St Patrick’s Day meeting held on 16 March. Another top effort was his close-up third behind stablemate Neat Feat and Rembrandt in the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint in Alice Springs.
Rosherville, trained by Carl Spry and raced by a syndicate headed by his wife Sarah Acornley, was a worthy winner of the Middle-Distance/Stayer award. The son of Helmet, who had nine starts in excess of 1300m for four wins and a third placing, just headed off Darwin Cup runner-up Lotion, with St Patrick’s Cup winner Mazzaro next in the poll.
Gary Clarke was in the winner’s circle again when Paghman won the Three-Year-Old of the Year title, his two wins, four seconds and two thirds from 11 starts enough to give him the award, narrowly, over stablemate Another Bit.
Dubawi Sniper, trained by co-owner Jason Manning, took out the Country Performer of the Year title. The five-year-old was a winner at Adelaide River and finished second at Katherine to just edge out Baggins, who scored at Katherine and finished runner-up at Adelaide River, in the voting.
Clarke was named Champion Trainer for a seventh consecutive year with 50 Top End wins, while he also carried off the Asian United Food Service Leading Carnival Trainer award with eight wins from 69 runners over the eight days of the Carnival.
Stable jockey Brendon Davis (30 wins) was crowned Champion Jockey for the sixth straight year, despite spending a number of weeks on the sideline with a fracture to a foot, while he emulated Clarke by also being crowned the Asian United Food Service Leading Carnival Jockey, amassing 9 wins from 38 rides during the eight days of Carnival racing.
And Jonna Brosten, attached to the Tayarn Halter stable, carried off the inaugural Bernborough Club Strapper of the Year title.
WTRNT Awards
Jockey of the Year - Vanessa Arnott 
Trainer of the Year Top End - Tayarn Halter
Social Pic's
courtesy of Sinead Wormald
