Trainers, horses and jockeys from far and wide will converge on the Barkly for the Tennant Turf Club’s annual Two Cup Race Day on Saturday.
Mark Pegus, a trainer-jockey from Stawell in Victoria, Kym Healy and Darryl Carrison from Adelaide, and Pat Johnston, Phil Cole, Chris Pollard, Angela Forster and Chris Nash from Darwin will join with a number of Alice Springs regulars to support the fixture. Some 39 acceptors were taken for the meeting, an increase of nine on the 2022 renewal.
The NT’s five apprentice jockeys – AS Cup winner Jade Hampson and fellow rising star Emma Lines will visit from Darwin, while Dakota-Lee Gillett, Ianish Luximon and Lek Maloney will travel from Alice Springs – will take mounts at the meeting, and all will be having their first experience of race-riding at Tennant Creek.
Senior riders Pegus, Casey Hunter, Dan Morgan and Phillip Crich will complete a nine-strong contingent of jockeys in attendance at the meeting.
Some six races make up the card, with the first race getting underway at 1.01pm, while the last of the half-dozen, the $30,000 Ladbrokes & Remote Concrete NT Tennant Creek Cup over 1600m, will jump at 4.06pm.
The Cup has attracted a select six-horse field headed by Alice Springs Cup sixth place-getter Lunch Session and the Healytrained Taipan Tommy, who won three from four during the Alice Cup Carnival, including the 0-62 1600m on Cup Day (30 April).
Racing fever at a high for tomorrow’s Two Cup Race Day
Lunch Session, trained by Dick Leech, the leading trainer during the Alice Carnival, will again have the services of Crich, who was aboard when he led the Cup field a merry dance in the Red Centre. He only tired late over the 2000m, and the drop back to 1600m should suit.
Taipan Tommy was something of a revelation in Alice, and his last two wins were especially impressive. He seems to handle the sand surfaces well, and Ianish Luximon, who rode a double on AS Cup Day, has been entrusted with the mount.
Spielberg must be considered, as he is prepared by three-time Tennant Creek Cup-winning trainer Angela Forster. Hampson, who continued her hot streak of form since Alice with a double in the Top End last Saturday, will be aboard.
All Hard Wood, third in Darwin last week over 1300m, Sienna’s Choice from the Will Savage stable, and Stradari, a stablemate of Taipan Tommy, make up the field.
The day’s other feature is the Little Rippers Lifestyles Denis Staunton Memorial Cup over 1200m, and like the Tennant Creek Cup, a field of six will contest the event.
Sedona, trained by Phil Cole in Darwin, has been racing well in Alice Springs lately, and makes plenty of appeal, while Zoumist, from the Forster stable, only raced once in Alice on 8 April and will be fresh for this. She is a talented mare on her day.
Consistent veteran Trystoff, Mathematics, who is now in the Healy team, and Glacier Grey are others with definite chances.
Gates open at 11.30am, and a great day is expected, with TAB and bookmaker facilities on-course, and all the interstate racing, as well as Tennant Creek, live on Sky Channel.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 12 May 2023.