Young trainer and jockey set scene with Fannie Bay success

Sun, October 16 2011

IT was a day for the younger brigade at Fannie Bay yesterday when trainer Louis Paech and apprentice jockey Alana Brown each bagged doubles on the five-race card.

Paech (22), who has only had his trainer's license for some six weeks, was on the mark with Alcarntspell and Desert Flare, while Brown (17) bagged her 16th and 17th career wins, and her second career double, courtesy of Ekrum and Long Shorts.

Alcarntspell, who gave Paech his first training success when scoring at Birdsville on September 3 and followed up with victory at Fannie Bay on September 24, made it three on end when scoring in the Birch Carroll and Coyle Benchmark 75 Handicap.

The eight-year-old sat off the speed set by Wyreema but it was obvious coming to the home turn that a clear run was all that was required for Alcarntspell to issue a live challenge.

Colin Haddon angled his mount into the clear, and Alcarntspell had the race in safe-keeping 200m from the finish, eventually winning by four lengths from stablemates Phantom Verde and Glasgow Jim.

Paech then made it a day to remember when Desert Flare, having her second Darwin start, led throughout in the NT Major Events Company Handicap.

In the hands of Carl Spry, who is heading overseas on Monday for a holiday in Asia and Africa, Desert Flare proved too good for her rivals, scoring by  a length and a-quarter from Green Mango, with Holding The Fort third.

Brown got her brace underway when Ekrum, trained by Chris Pollard, just got the better of Nero Macchina to win by a short neck in the Southern Cross Class B Handicap.

The pair had shared the lead from the outset, but on the home turn, Ekrum ran wide while Nero Macchina hugged the rail. It looked like Ekrum's waywardness would be his downfall, but he stuck on determinedly in the centre of the track to collar Nero Macchina in the shadows of the post.

In the very next race, the Dreamedia Events Handicap, Brown sent her mount Long Shorts, trained by her father Stephen, to the front from barrier rise. The pair had their rivals off the bit on the home turn, and Long Shorts fought on strongly to the line to beat a game Donut by two lengths, with Montefalco running into third.

The opening event, the Coopers Animal Health/Waratah Fencing Handicap went the way of It's Home (Michael McDuff).

The Gary Clarke-trained four-year-old led throughout and fought off the challenges of Kingsford and favourite Out Of The Desert to win by three-quarters of a-length.