Riding for Clarke, Leech has its rewards for NT jockey Todd

[Wandering Eyes]

Champion Darwin jockey Jarrod Todd in the colours of leading Top End trainer Gary Clarke returning to scale after punching home another winner at Fannie Bay. Picture: Caroline Camilleri (Darwin Photography Professionals)

He continually boots home winners, but the past week was pretty good for leading Darwin jockey Jarrod Todd.

The 35-year-old, the champion jockey in the Top End and Country premiership winner for last three years, landed a treble for Darwin trainer Gary Clarke at Fannie Bay last Friday and a double for trainer Dick Leech, who has stables in Darwin and Alice Springs, at Pioneer Park on Monday.

Todd (23) is currently second behind Sonja Wiseman (27) in the Top End premiership, with Wiseman (26) heading Todd (19) in the Alice Springs and Provincial jockey’s premiership.

And last season he won three of the four NT feature races for Clarke.

The $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) on Count Of Essex before winning the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on Syncline and $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) on Playoffs in the Top End.

Lumping 61.5kg, The Captain finished sixth for Clarke behind the Phil Cole-trained Smuggling in the $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) in the Red Centre.

The 2023 Alice Springs Cup Carnival is in full swing and just like other jockeys eyeing the riches Todd is looking forward to the Alice Springs Cup and Pioneer Sprint come April 30.

The No.1 rider for Clarke, Todd, along with fellow Top End riders, has been flying to and from Alice Springs for the Cup Carnival where he rides for his boss in Darwin and mostly partners horses for Leech in the Red Centre.

There’s eight races on Day 3 of the Cup Carnival on Saturday with Todd riding decent prospects Asahi Bearing and Ironedge for Clarke, who continues to send horses south, and Golden Ripples for local trainer Rene Taylor.

The two feature races are weight-for-age contests over 1600m and 1200m – the mile is the $40,000 Chief Ministers Cup – with Todd partnering Leech’s stablemates Lethal Encounter and Stage Front, respectively.

Both horses have been nominated for the Alice Springs Cup and Pioneer Sprint, so success this weekend would secure an automatic berth instead of having to survive the qualifying process.

“Dick’s got a really nice bunch of horses that he’s paid a bit of money for and they’re all starting to re-pay him back the favour,” Todd said.

“They’re all holding their form really good and he’s a man on fire at the moment.

“I’m just in a good spot that I’ve been riding for him and I’m really enjoying the success he and I are having.

“The way Dick’s horses are going, whatever he’s aiming them for they’re all going to be very competitive and you can see from the results in the last three months he can’t do anything wrong.

“His horses are looking impeccable and they’re racing accordingly.”

Leech, who also had Darwin’s in-form apprentice Jade Hampson seal three wins for him on Monday en route to five winners for the day, is well clear in the Alice Springs and Provincial trainer’s premiership with 24 winners and has seven wins after two days of the Cup Carnival.

Come Alice Springs Cup Day, Todd’s allegiance will be with Clarke – the 10-time Top End and Country champion trainer – which means a few lucky jockeys will pick up rides for Leech.

“I’m in a good situation, I’m very lucky to be with a stable such as the Clarkes,” Todd said.

“I’m pretty excited, we’ve got a nice once heading to the Pioneer Sprint called Amish Boy, who has arrived from the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.

“He’s ticking over pretty nicely and I’m looking forward to riding him.

“I’d say Dick has a few chances going into the Sprint with Stage Front, who ran second two years ago, and maybe the grey horse Kerioth.

“It’s always hard when you’ve been riding winners for both trainers and they clash, but at the end of the day you can only ride for one and Clarkie is my boss.

“Riding for Gary and Dick – the fact their horses are in-form, it just naturally gives you confidence.”

Leech’s other likely starters in the Alice Springs Cup include Lunch Session, a starter in the Chief Ministers Cup, and NT Guineas winner Century Fox, as well as the red-hot Write Your Name, an impressive winner by four lengths in open company over 1900m on Monday.

“The weight-for-age over 1200m on Saturday is actually a good race, you’ve got the Group 1 horse coming back in Savatoxl,” Todd said.

“We know how good he is and we all know how good he is on the dirt – even before he went away and won the Group 1 (The Goodwood in Adelaide).

“Even if he is a run short or a little bit under by having a spell, he’s just an out and out class horse – especially at weight for age conditions where he’s going to take a power of beating.

“But look, it’s a field that’s strong with a lot of chances – it will be run to suit plenty of horses.

“All of them basically have their chance to win, they’re all in there with a chance.

“I’m pretty happy and confident going into the mile with Lethal Encounter.

“I’ve ridden him five times for four wins and a third.

“We’ve got a good little association – as long as he doesn’t stand in the gates and gives them too much of a start.

“He’s definitely right into it up to his ears.

“It will be his biggest task that he’s had in front of him this prep, but you look at his form line it’s impeccable.

“Even his last run, it says he ran sixth in the form guide, but he missed the kick and made up a lot of ground – it was a massive effort.

“By all accounts he’s been going really good, so I’m looking forward to it and he could prove hard to beat on Saturday.”

Apart from the Alice Springs Cup Carnival, Todd confessed that Clarke was already preparing for the Darwin Cup Carnival starting in July.

“We’re building, Clarkie is getting some more new horses,” he said.

“Our team is flying as it always is, we came off a treble the other day at Darwin – almost had four.

“At the end of the day you’re as only good as the horses you’re on.

“I feel I’m riding as good as I can and always looking to improve and get that one per cent better.

“I’m very happy with the ways things are going.”

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