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Find your Sport Nation frequencySENTrack: Andrew O’Toole’s Saturday best bets at Alice Springs (05/04)
Andrew O’Toole • April 5th, 2025 12:00 pm
Dakota Lee, still yet to taste defeat in 11 starts during her career in the Red Centre, will be the star attraction in the $100,000 Alice Springs Toyota Pioneer Sprint (1200m), feature event on Day 4 of the Ladbrokes Alice Springs Cup Carnival today.
Terry Gillett’s now 6yo daughter of Kuroshio and Manzie De Lago was a star 3yo but due to her dislike of the starting stalls and a number of injury setbacks, she has only had the 12 lifetime outings. Her only defeat came when she finished 9th of 11 at Moonee Valley over 1000m in February 2024 when prepared by Phillip Stokes, but she has since returned to the Alice and put together another four wins to go with her earlier seven successes at Pioneer Park. She resumed from a spell after an aborted trip to Darwin for the Palmerston Sprint back in August last year with a dominant display in The Soldier Lightning over 1000m on 22 March, drawing the outside but toying with her rivals to win by 5.5 lengths from veteran Ideas Man.
Dakota Lee has again had no luck with the barrier draws, coming up with the extreme outside marble of 15, and she will start from the outside of the 12-horse field after scratchings. Regular rider Stan Tsaikos, who is unbeaten in nine rides on the mare, is again tasked with guiding his charge from the bad gate, but such was her dominance last time, and throughout her career, that she looks the testing material in the Red Centre’s feature sprint. She will carry 59.5kg, a half-kilo more than when winning the Lightning, but she is a big, strong girl and it won’t be weight that beats her.
Hardest for the glamour Red Centre mare to beat might be O’Tycoon, who has fashioned a fine record since being purchased by his trainer Lisa Whittle from the Darwin Magic Millions Tried Horse Sale in early August last year. The son of Written Tycoon, formerly trained by Bjorn Baker in Sydney, has raced on nine occasions in the Alice for five wins, a second, two fourths and a fifth placing, and his most recent effort, on 16 March, produced a winning performance over 1100m on 16 March, the opening day of the Carnival.
He has not run again since, although he was nominated on a couple of occasions, but his trainer, who knows a thing or two about winning the premier sprint having trained the two-time Pioneer winner Periduki, will no doubt have him cherry ripe for this big assignment. He has drawn the ace which will be a distinct advantage, and Sonja Logan, who has been aboard in all but two of O’Tycoon’s starts in Alice, knows him well and will give him every chance.
Topweight Ideas Man is something of an iron-horse, and the two-time Palmerston Sprint placegetter should not be left out of calculations. He made his return from a six-plus month spell by chasing home Dakota Lee on 22 March, and will no doubt have improved for that run. He has drawn ideally in barrier six, and he simply does not know how to run a bad race. Gillett, who has been doing the training for Top End mentor Chris Nash while Ideas Man has been in the Red Centre, has a strong hand in the race, with no less than five runners engaged, and should Dakota Lee have her colours lowered, it would come as no surprise if Ideas Man were the culprit.
Lumber Punk, one of two in the event for the Top End’s leading trainer Gary Clarke, was very impressive winning the WFA 1200m lead-up last week to ensure his place in the field. He was given a peach of a ride by Jarrod Todd, who will again have the reins, and last year’s Palmerston Sprint runner-up will be hitting the line hard as he normally does. He drops 4.5kg from last week to carry the minimum of 54kg, and he is getting a whopping 7kg from Ideas Man and a 5.5kg pull in the weights over Dakota Lee. Discard him at your peril.
Stablemate Field Of Flutes has had something of an interrupted campaign in Alice Springs, having had just the one start for a fifth over 1100m on 16 March. However, he is a talent as evidenced by his brace of wins in the Top End prior to trekking south, and Aaron Sweeney takes the mount.
The chances do not end there, with back-to-back Palmerston Sprint winner Early Crow, the Gillett pair of Great Buy and Supreme Attraction, last-start winner Flying Yishu, consistent Kickatorp and Zourata, who created a good impression when scoring for trainer Peter Robl in a 0-70 1200m here a fortnight ago, all hopes on their best form.
It promises to be a stellar renewal of the Pioneer Sprint, and whoever etches their name into history today will have earned it.
The weather in the Red Centre, after some decent rain early in the week, has come right and a fantastic weekend of weather looks assured. The official forecast for today reads: Sunny. Light winds becoming east to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. The temperature is forecast to reach a comfortable 27 degrees during the day with an overnight low of 13 degrees, while there is a 0% chance of any rain.
The first on the seven-race card gets underway at the mid-morning time of 10.59am (NT time), which is 12.29pm on the eastern seaboard, while the last is timed to go at 2.31pm (NT time), or 4.01pm in New South Wales and Victoria.
BEST BETS
R4 No 2 DANIHERQuality 5yo racing in great heart and very close to a win. Chased home Altar Boy at both his starts this campaign, over 1400m on 22 February at his first run for close on seven months, then over this trip of 1600m on 8 March when beaten 1.8 lengths. With those two runs under the belt and senior rider Brendon Newport doing the steering from an ideal gate of two, the son of Fighting Sun can return to his best here.
R6 No 4 CONVINCEBILITYFinished off well here a week ago into fourth behind the impressive Lumber Punk over 1200m at weight-for-age. Back to handicap conditions here, with 2.5kg less to carry, gives him an undeniable chance, which is further enhanced by the inside barrier. Raymond Vigar, who was aboard last time out, retains the ride and will give this an almighty shake if he fails to gain a start as second emergency in the Pioneer Sprint.
R7 No 2 DAKOTA LEETremendous mare unbeaten in 11 starts at this track. Has had her issues over the years with barrier manners and injury, but there is no doubting her class and ability, as evidenced by her first-up win in the Lightning over 1000m on 22 March. Drew the outside that day and will again jump from the widest barrier of 12, but the 1200m this time will allow her to cruise across at her leisure by the first turn off the back and she will be strong late. Deserves to win a good race and gets her opportunity here.
SELECTIONS
LADBROKES PIONEER PARK (ALICE SPRINGS) – GOODRACE 1 – 3, 5, 10, 8RACE 2 – 5, 4, 8, 11RACE 3 – 4, 3, 1, 7RACE 4 – 2, 4, 6, 7RACE 5 – 5, 6, 4, 1RACE 6 – 4, 6, 1, 5RACE 7 – 2, 5, 1, 11
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