SHIERS ENJOYS BIG DAY
FOR the second successive Top End meeting, Paul Shiers was the headline act at Fannie Bay yesterday, bagging a riding treble which fully exemplified his undoubted skill in the saddle.
Having resumed after almost nine months off on Anzac Day, Shiers was at his brilliant best aboard all-theway winners So Stoic, Wisen Up and African Pulse, aboard whom he had combined to win at his first meeting back in the saddle just under a fortnight ago.
Shiers, with a host of major winners to his credit in the Top End, has always been an excellent judge of pace and showed that uncanny judgment on each of his winners.
So Stoic, having his first Darwin start in the Mantra Maiden, went straight to the front from his barrier of six, and even though he was joined during the run by Cresta Chrome, Shiers kicked his mount clear on straightening and the attractive chestnut raced right away to win by 3¼ lengths from Be Cool Yolander.
Formerly trained by Stephen Brown and now in the Chris Pollard stable, So Stoic looks to have a bright future in Darwin, judged on yesterday’s performance.
“He’s still got a lot to learn, but he’s a nice type who should go on with it,” said Shiers.
“He’s quick, that’s for sure, so Chris should have some fun with him in the coming months.”
Wisen Up, who had won at his second start in Darwin on April 3, made it two wins from five Top End starts when leading throughout in the Women in Thoroughbred Racing NT 0-64 Handicap (1300m).
As he had done with So Stoic, Shiers was waiting for no one and had his rivals in trouble when he pinched a break at about the 450m mark.
He was well clear around the home turn and although starting to tire close home, held out Crackajack by a length and a quarter. Rye finished on to take third ahead of Brimarvi Cugat.
Trained by Gary Lefoe, Wisen Up includes in the ownership Shiers’ wife, former jockey Leola – it’s a fair bet that Paul was in the good books after his winning effort.
But he wasn’t finished there, giving African Pulse a peach of a ride to win the Hot 100 Benchmark 76 Handicap.
The winner of seven of his 38 starts, African Pulse had been unable to win, or even place, at seven previous starts at 1200m.
However, Shiers sent him forward to lead and was able to get away with a couple of soft sectionals in the back straight before piling on the pressure rounding the home turn.
Pollard’s veteran was not about to stop over the concluding stages and Shiers kept him up to his work to reach the line two lengths clear of Moonlight Hussler, with stablemates First Draft and Famous Finnish next across.
Macon County capped off some consistent recent efforts with a frontrunning effort to win the Betfair Exchange 0-58 Handicap (1300m).
Trained by Jason Manning and well ridden by Vanessa Arnott, he was far too good for Bengali (Shiers) and Dancing Boy, winning by more than three lengths.
Oh So Jazzy (David Waters/ Felicia Bergstrand) completed a clean sweep for leaders when dominating the NT News Benchmark 54 Handicap, winning by just over a length from Exert and Melanion.