Alice marvel may not return

Tue, August 02 2011

The Solider may have raced in Darwin for the last time.

That's according to his trainer Ken Rogerson after the eight-year-old Red Centre marvel went back to back in the $35,000 Wolf Blass Lightning Plate (1000m) yesterday. teh Alice Springs horse of the year cracked $300,000 in earnings when he led from start to finish in yet another 1000m triumph. It was his 43rd career start and his 19th victory over 1000m.

After bursting from the gates, The Soldier (63kg) bounded to the lead and was never headed as the Gary Clarke trained Costlyev (Paul Denton) and Dick Leech trained Lucid reflection (Michael McDuff) were left in his wake.

"It's great to see him win and they obviously love him up here as much as they do in Alice," the veteran Centralian trainer said. "I might take him back to Melbourne and run him on grass because he is forced to carry too much weight here in the Territory." The Soldier debuted in Melbourne late last year, but didn't adapt to the grass finishing unplaced at Moonee Valley twice over 955m and 1000m before beating just running home over 1000m at Morphettville.

He returned for the Alice Springs Cup Carnival in April where he posted two wins over 1000m - he also finished 11th over 1200m.

Back in Darwin for this year's Cup Carnival, The Soldier won the Irvine Handicap (1000m) carrying 65kg before running second (63kg) behind Hidden Surprise in the Carbine Club Handicap (1200m) on July 23. Yesterday's winning rider Paul Shiers said: "It's a pleasure to ride him, he's just awesome and clearly one of the best horses I have ridden. Some horses with 54kg on their back can't do what he does with 64kg. Everything went right today, but my heart goes out to Kim Gladwin who would have ridden the horse had he not been injured."

Story courtesy of David White, NT News