Time for Activation

Fri, July 23 2010

DEFENDING champion Activation headlines the weights for this year's $160,000 Carlton Mid Darwin Cup (2000m) on August 2.

The eight-year-old yesterday received the top-weight of 58.5kg for the Territory's most prestigious race.

That impost is 1kg more than Activation carried to victory in 2009 and trainer Michael Hickmott seemed pleased enough when quizzed by the Northern Territory News.

"I've got no qualms at all, the handicapper knows his job," Hickmott said.

2009 Cup runner-up Hawks Bay is third on the list behind Activation and He's Here (57kg) with 56kg, 2.5kg higher than he carried as a newly-turned four-year-old.

"Very happy, that's a pretty good weight for him," trainer Neil Dyer said.

Knowing that his stable star is a certain starter, Dyer's focus is on getting a run for other Cup hopefuls Palmyra Boy and Test The Scene (both on 53kg).

"They'll both run in the Metric Mile - Palmyra's on the precipice at the moment as he's 12th on the order of entry and a chance of being leapfrogged," he said.

"Test The Scene is 17th, but he's one of those horses who has just thrived up here and we know that a Metric Mile win would put him into the Cup.

"That's the same with Stalingrad, Molotov, Gnaeus Equus and Amyjaye Power."

Of the 21 nominations this year, only eight are above the minimum 53kg, including NT Derby winner Macca's Dream, who received the customary weight of 53.5kg.

Among the horses on the minimum are emphatic 2008 Darwin Cup winner Club Liquid and Utility, who will carry a kilogram less than when he ran fifth last year.

Club Liquid's trainer Dick Leech said, "You would take that any day of the week."

Utility's trainer Stephen Brown said, "Lucky we ran third in the Metric Mile, if he didn't he might have been pushing uphill to get a start. I was surprised to see he got 53kg, but you can't whinge about that."

Emerging star Shout Out Loud received 55kg, the same as 2009 Alice Springs Cup winner Granzig, while Brad Star will carry 54.5kg.

The weights for the $110,000 Darwin Airport Resort Palmerston Sprint (1200m) were also released yesterday with The Soldier receiving the 61kg top-weight.

Defending champion Far Horizons will carry 57.5kg, 1kg more than Lucid Reflection, with Canali receiving 54kg.

Eight of the 15 nominations are on the minimum 53kg.

Story Courtesy Gregor Mactaggart - NT News