The Northern Territory news Mon 8 Nov 2021
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2021-11-08
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.
News Corp Australia
Darwin
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News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/855007
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/855081
28 SPORT MONDAY NOVEMBER 8 2021 NTNE01Z01MA - V1 Sprinter to be Up And Running in Newcastle JOHN OShea is confident star sprinter Lost And Running can continue his stables hot run of form in Saturdays $1m The Hunter at Newcastle. OShea has enjoyed eight winners from his past 17 runners this spring with three of those coming in stakes races while also conditioning four runners-up in the same time frame. Lost And Running, arguably the most exciting horse in his stable, can add to that record when he lines up in Newcastles rich 1300m event next weekend. The five-year-old has hit a new career peak this spring despite failing to win in four spring runs. The son of Per Incanto showed hes up to the top level with fourth-place in The Everest two starts ago before he finished just over a length off Eduardo when runner-up in the Classique Legend Stakes. I am happy with how he is going and he seems to be continually on an upwards spiral. Its no different going into this race, OShea said. We are just hoping everything continues in the same way this week and he gets there in the form we think he is in. He is obviously going to have to carry some weight but I think he is in good form and hes coming out of the right race. He will get a bunch of weight but he deserves it. You see those top sprinters like Nature Strip and Eduardo, they are pretty fair horses and he has been knocking around with them at level weights. The biggest win of Lost And Runnings career came over 1300m in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Rosehill this year. The classy gelding is unsurprisingly the clear top elect in TAB betting for The Hunter and has remained a $2.80 favourite since markets opened. The market seems to think he is the one to beat and its hard to say that hes not, OShea said. The Annabel Neashamtrained Top Ranked sits on the second line of betting and has received plenty of support since markets opened, shortening from $26 right into $6 ahead of his maiden Australian start. MITCH COHEN TWO Stakes Day winners are set to back up in Saturdays $500,000 Cranbourne Cup. The Cranbourne Cup will be a Saturday stand-alone meeting for the first time after being run on Sundays in recent years. While enjoying a prizemoney boost in 2021, the revamped cup drops in distance from 2025m to 1600m. Trainer Mick Price won the 2013 and 2018 Cranbourne Cups with Pakal and Octabel lo respectively, and he and training partner Michael Kent Jr are likely to enter two runners for this years race. Price confirmed Saturdays Flemington winner Our Playboy and Group 1-placed mare Quantum Mechanic would be among the nominations. However, he said the stable was also considering saving Quantum Mechanic for the Ballarat Cup a week later. We might not do anything with him (Our Playboy), not look at him all week feed him, play with him and maybe back him up, Price said. Hes a very good wet tracker so you never know. At this point of the carnival the mile horses can turn up all the time. It will probably be a strong race. Hell be a nomination and well look at him. Flemington training duo Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra planned to run Age Of Chivalry in the Cranbourne Cup before his win in the Group 3 Chatham Stakes. Age Of Chivalry won the Chatham Stakes second-up so the son of Hes Remarkable will be fitter again for the 1600m of the Cranbourne Cup. This was part of the program to run in this and back up in the Cranbourne Cup, Zahra said. Hes tightened up nicely and were keen to get to the Cranbourne Cup. Age of Chivalry is yet to win over 1600m, but the geld ing ran third in the 2019 Toorak Handicap and fourth in the same race in 2020. The six-year-old also ran fourth in last years Group 1 Cantala Stakes and second in the Group 2 Crystal Mile at The Valley. Damian Lane rode Our Playboy and Age Of Chivalry to their wins at Flemington. Hes likely to stick with the latter at Cranbourne before starting a 10-meeting suspension for breaking the whip rules on Saturday. brad.waters@news.com.au Club raises stakes BRAD WATERS Cranbourne meet lures stars Smartone just not in the zone RISING star Weona Smartone will bypass this Saturdays Listed Keith Noud at Doomben after astute trainer David Vandyke, reported he was not happy with where the gun sprinter was at. Boasting a seven-win streak, Weona Smartone has the world at his feet but Vandyke (inset) says he wont be rushed into starting the lightly raced five-year-old as he looks to keep the run alive. Saturdays $130,000 race had been built up as Weona Smartones biggest test to date with the likes of The Harrovian, Baller and Niedorp all expected to head to the 1200m race at Doomben in what is the first significant race in the lead up to the summer carnival. Having last raced in September on the Gold Coast, Weona Smartone has been meticulously put through his grades by Vandyke and jockey Ryan Maloney. He is still not ready, Vandyke said. I am not happy with him, I think he needs a bit longer so we will go to the trials again on the 16th (November). I dont think hes where I want him to be at the moment and I want to try and make it eight in a row, so it is a call for patience with him at the moment. It would be nice to keep that picket fence going with him. TRENTON AKERS Weona Smartone wins at Doomben in June. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography HEAVENLY MELBOURNE DEBUT FOR FILLY TRAINER Richard Jolly is used to watching his horses performing well on the big stage. But the excitement of winning with debutant See You In Heaven at Flemington on Oaks day with an ownership group he has known for many years, including former star jockey Glynn Pretty, was particularly special. Gaining a run in the $200,000 Group 3 Darley Ottawa Stakes over 1000m proved a nervous wait for the team after the filly was listed an emergency. But luck saw the horse take the field with star jockey Craig Williams on board, Williams ending an unusually long run of outs on metro tracks to win. It was emotional also for one of the part owners, Kevin Sexton, who put forward the fillys suggested name. Those were the last words a close friend said to Sexton just before the friend died a couple of years ago. Kevin always wanted to name a horse See You In Heaven and with the breeding of Divine Prophet/Shine on Anna it fitted in well, Jolly said. It was a big thrill to see her win. You never know how they are going to go on debut, down the straight and in Melbourne. She will go to the paddock now. HOME-TRACK trainer Kris Lees could saddle up as many as four starters in Saturdays $1m The Hunter as the Novocastrian looks to go one better in Newcastles richest race. Lees has trained the runner-up of the past two editions of The Hunter with Tactical Advantage finishing second to Savatiano in the inaugural year while Special Reward was just behind Sweet Deal last year. Special Reward is set to return to the 1300m feature again on Saturday with stablemates Gem Song, Countofmontecristo and potentially Wandabaa all set to be among the nominations. I would have to say Gem Song is the top seed although he is an older horse (and) firstup but we have considered this race all along because there wasnt a lot of options for him, Lees said. Special Reward ran second last year and is going better than his form reads while Countofmontecristo will probably run. TAB agree with Lees assessment and have Gem Song as his best chance in betting at $15 while his three other contenders are all listed as $51 outsiders. The John OShea-trained Lost And Running is the $2.80 favourite. Gem Song puts Lees in the hunt GORDON ARMSTRONG