SENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Sunday best bets at Alice Springs (16/03)

After no less than seven lead-up meetings in successive weeks, the opening fixture of the five-day Ladbrokes Alice Springs Cup Carnival kicks off today, with some outstanding fields among the seven races carded. The two features are the $36,500 Great Northern St Patrick’s Day Cup (1600m) and the $27,500 A. N. Electrical Handicap (1100m). Both races will be key lead-ups to the Cup weekend features in three weeks’ time, with the $110,000 Ladbrokes Alice Springs Cup and the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint headlining what promises to be a fantastic weekend of racing action on 5 and 6 April.

The St Patrick’s Day Cup has attracted the day’s smallest field with seven acceptors, but with two former AS Cup winners in Venting and Write Your Name engaged, as well as another handful of combatants, it should be a tremendous contest with the big race now within touching distance.

Venting, last year’s Cup winner for Kerry Petrick and Stan Tsaikos, is coming up well this preparation as he attempts to go back-to-back in his home town Cup. The 6yo son of Star Witness has been a grand campaigner for the stable, with nine wins and 12 placings from his 42 career starts, and his stake earnings are just over the $340,000 mark.

He has had three starts back this preparation and has been impressing with his efforts, the most recent when third to the runaway winner Hasseltoff over this trip three weeks ago. Petrick knows her charge implicitly, and with senior rider Paul Denton continuing his association with the gelding, look to him to be one of the main contenders.

Figo The Great, trained by Kym Healy at Strathalbyn, is an interesting runner, having his first start on the AS sand and oil-based surface. His most recent efforts have been very good – he won on both days of the Kangaroo Island Carnival – and although this is harder, he looks a horse on the up, a little like Taipan Tommy was for Healy a couple of years ago when almost unbeatable at Pioneer Park.

He is dropping back in trip a touch from his last two outings over 1750m, but he has had three weeks between runs and the mile at this stage of his preparation should be more than suitable. Stan Tsaikos, who has been in good form of late, teams up with the 6yo son of Magnus and his performance will be very interesting.

Kangaroo Court has done nothing wrong since making AS his home late last year. Terry Gillett’s 5yo son of Snitzel won three straight in November and December, before chasing home O’Tycoon and Great Buy at his last two starts. Both were over shorter trips than he prefers, and getting out to the mile should be suitable. He promises to run well again in the hands of Dakota Gillett.

Write Your Name, the Cup winner in 2022 (he also won the Darwin Cup that year) has taken a while to regain that sort of form but he showed with his last-start third to Great Buy and Kangaroo Court that he might just have another major win in him. The 9yo son of Written Tycoon has been a great money-spinner for trainer Dick Leech and his partners, and he could well show up again here. Danielle Hirini, a Kiwi-born jockey with over 140 career wins to her credit, takes the mount on the topweight.

Hettinger, third-up this campaign for Neil Dyer, last year’s Darwin Guineas winner He’s Maverick and Quizzle complete the line-up, and all have claims on their best form. It should be a fascinating contest with the Cup just around the corner.

The sprint feature has attracted a stellar line-up of speedsters, with Darwin visitor Field Of Flutes, trained by Gary Clarke, expected to be very hard to beat. He is two from two in the Top End, and even though drawn out a bit here, he is a class act and Jarrod Todd stays aboard after combining with him for those two Darwin wins.

Supreme Attraction, although now a 9yo, really caught the eye when charging home into second behind Flying Yishu here on 1 March, and he promises to again be right in the mix. O’Tycoon, although slightly disappointing when fourth to Flying Yishu last time, is better than that and his earlier form was exemplary, while Beau Factor has a picket fence formline, with wins at his last five starts, the most recent fresh-up on 22 February.

Others with claims in a tremendous field are two-time Palmerston winner Early Crow, last year’s Pioneer Sprint third placegetter Kickatorp, the speedy Brat, Darwin mare Flying Annie and 2024 Pioneer Sprint winner Mathematics.

The weather in the Red Centre continues to be very hot, although a coolish change is expected on Monday – a day later than had been hoped! The official forecast for today reads: Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming north to north easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then tending northeast to south easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day. The temperature is forecast to reach 40 degrees during the day with an overnight low of 24 degrees, while there is a 10% chance of any rain. Monday’s forecast high is only 31!

The first on the seven-race card gets underway at 11.48pm (NT time), which is 1.18pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 3.25pm (NT time), or 4.55pm in New South Wales and Victoria.

BEST BETS

R2 # 1 REVOLUTION RISING
Has come back this campaign in fantastic form, with two seconds followed by two wins, the most recent over Muselet and Realtin over 1000m on 22 February. He has been well handled by trainer Greg Connor, and Jarrod Todd, who rode him to victory two starts back, goes back on. Has the coveted inside barrier which is always such a help in short-course racing, and although carrying 3kg more than his rivals, looks on target to make it three wins on end.

R3 # 4 FIELD OF FLUTES
Has created a big impression with two victories in the Top End, and makes his Red Centre debut here. The former Ciaron Maher-trained gelding, now in the hands of Gary Clarke, has drawn a little awkwardly but appears to have real gears, although he doesn’t have to lead. Jarrod Todd continues his unbeaten association with the son of Deep Field and even in this strong line-up, he looks the one to beat.

R7 # 3 VENTING
Last year’s AS and Katherine Cup winner looks to be working along nicely towards his major assignment in three weeks’ time, and chased home Hasseltoff and Duty here over this trip on 22 February. That was his first run at a mile this campaign, and he should have come on for it. Paul Denton knows him inside out and although drawn the outside, there is a good run from the 1600m start to the first turn. Watch for him to be hitting the line with gusto.

SELECTIONS

RACE 1 – 4, 1, 5, 3
RACE 2 – 1, 5, 10, 6
RACE 3 – 4, 1, 5, 7
RACE 4 – 1, 9, 3, 4
RACE 5 – 2, 5, 8, 10
RACE 6 – 2, 1, 4, 5
RACE 7 – 3, 5, 2, 1

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