Brown, Clarke bag two apiece at the Bay

Sun, August 28 2011

Darwin racing's two dominant stables, those of Stephen Brown and Gary Clarke, were at it again at Fannie Bay yesterday when saddling up two winners apiece on the five-race card.

Clarke got the ball rolling in the day's opener, the PowerWater Maiden, when sending out Timely Exit, a newcomer to the Top End. Purchased for $13,000 out of the Select Tried Horse Sale conducted by the Darwin Turf Club on July 28, Timely Exit returned his syndicate of owners, headed by ROANT president Russell Simpson, some $7000 in stakes at his first start in Darwin.

With Richie Oakford in the saddle, Timely Exit raced wide on the pace from the outset but still had too many guns for the fast-finishing Fregosi (another out of the Tried Horse Sale) and pacemaker Biskey Lips, winning by a length. It took until the last event, the SKYCITY Darwin Handicap, for Clarke to bag his double but he did so in style with all-the-way winner Dream Face. Ridden by Simone Montgomerie, Dream Face began quickly and was never headed over the 1000m, winning cozily by a length and a quarter from a game Thumb Prints, who chased the leader throughout, with Kirikirish third. Dream Face has now won her last three starts, and even though only small in stature, she shows plenty of heart on race day.

Brown's double came courtesy of Reflex (Trevor Tshirpig Handicap) and Exalation (SBA Office National Handicap). Reflex, with Scott Hillebrand in the saddle, raced three-wide on the pace mostly in the 1200m event but still had too many guns for stablemate One Carat, with Donut a gallant Third ahead of short-priced favourite It's Home. The latter, after beginning tardily again, was trapped wide in the run and weakened over the final stages. In the closest finish of the day, Exalation, ridden by Alana Brown just got the better of stablemate Testagold in a driving finish. The 3kg claim of Brown was no doubt the difference, with the winning margin just a half-head, with topweight Stillme two lengths back in third. Exalation, fifth in the Palmerston Sprint at his most recent start, obviously gets on well with his young rider; Brown has now had three starts on the eight-year-old for two wins.

The day's other winner was Against The Day, trained by Michael Hickmott and ridden by Carl Spry, the Natasha Griggs MP Handicap. The five-year-old hit his straps late in the 1600m event to score by a length and a half from Celestial Kingdom, who ran wide on the home turn.

Story courtesy of NT News, written by Andrew O'Toole