Sonja Logan after winning the Palmerston SprintBut the courageous Darwin jockey is now daring to dream of a fairytale Darwin Cup win, not long after scoring an emotion-charged Palmerston Sprint triumph which saw her break down in tears.
Everything Logan has been through in the last 12 months came flooding back as she crossed the line on Early Crow in the sprint feature of the Darwin Cup Carnival on Saturday.
Only a month ago, Logan told Punters “this will be my carnival” and “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” as she reflected on her journey back from the year from hell after being smashed in the face by a rock as a group of men circled her car.
Logan’s words proved prophetic as she added the Palmerston Sprint to her 2024 Darwin Cup carnival haul which has also included a Darwin Guineas triumph.
“The last 12 months has been a bit of a shitshow for me, so for that horse to come out and win, I was like ‘how did that happen’?” Logan told Punters.
“I don’t cry very often, but this time it just hit me.
“This should have been my race last year.
“I was due to ride him in the Palmerston Sprint last year in the Darwin Cup Carnival, but then I got assaulted and lost the ride.
“I had done all the work on the horse and it was a bit hard to watch on from the sidelines when he won, even though I was happy for everyone involved.
“So it was a bit surreal on Saturday when I won on the horse, I didn’t expect the emotion to come flooding out of me but it just hit me all of a sudden.”
Chris Pollard-trained Early Crow became the fifth back-to-back winner of the Palmerston Sprint after blitzing his rivals by more than two lengths.
Logan is now aiming to score another fairytale when riding Starspangled Baby in Monday’s Darwin Cup.
The Andrew Perdon-trained mare is rated a $19 chance on TAB fixed odds but Logan has already beaten the odds in her incredible personal journey over the last 12 months.
“I would absolutely love to win the Darwin Cup, although I do think Bear Story ($2.30 favourite) will be very hard to beat,” Logan said.
“My mare’s lead-up runs haven’t been the greatest but at her last start she ran third and it wasn’t a disappointing run.
“She just hasn’t had that sprint in her legs the same way she did in Victoria but if she rediscovers that, she will be right in it.”
Tyler Schiller will have his first ride in the Darwin CupSchiller, 25, set himself a goal to ride in Australia’s eight state and Darwin Cup.
“It’s something I’d like to tick off during my career and Monday will take me halfway to achieving that feat,” Schiller said.
“The Darwin Cup will be number four on the list, joining the Sydney Cup, Brisbane Cup and the Canberra Cup so that leaves the big one, the Melbourne Cup, Adelaide Cup, Perth Cup and Hobart Cup.”
Schiller’s Darwin Cup mount is the Peter Robl-trained Hadouken, the winner of his two starts on the Fannie Bay dirt in a restricted handicap before a dominant victory in the Buntine Handicap over the 2050 metre Darwin Cup course.
Of those in the Darwin Cup market, Hadouken has been easy, drifting from $3.80 out to $5.50 since drawing the outside gate at Thursday’s barrier draw.
“I think it’s a good draw,” Schiller said.
“He goes forward. I don’t have to put him under any pressure. He’ll get there under his own steam.
“I can dictate the pace from that draw.
“He’s going really well, loves racing at the track and he looks the right sort of horse for the race.”
Back in 2018, Schiller’s career was almost over before it started when a few months into his apprenticeship, he was involved in a car accident.
He was the passenger in a car which slid off the wet road and slammed into a tree.
He was rushed to hospital where X-rays revealed he had broken his back, suffered a perforated bowel and had suffered other injuries.
“It was only a minor crash, but I had major injuries,” he said. “The doctors said I wouldn’t ride again.”
Schiller proved the doctors wrong, got back into the saddle and in a bit more than a year after his accident, he rode his first winner at Hillston, a town in western NSW with a population of around 1500.
From there he hasn’t looked back.
He claimed the Sydney apprentices title in 2021/22 and in March last year, he became the first Sydney apprentice to win a Group 1 race in 15 years when winning his maiden Group 1 aboard Mariamia in The Galaxy.
Last season, in his first full season in the senior riding ranks, he became one of three riders in Australia to ride the winners of more than $20 million in prizemoney which included a win in one of Sydney’s most famous races – the Doncaster Handicap aboard Celestial Legend.
His feat was only bettered by Sydney’s premier rider James McDonald, who’s also widely regarded as Australia’s best, and Melbourne’s premiership-winning rider Blake Shinn.
His first season as a fully-fledged senior jockey in Sydney produced comparable numbers to a select few in the modern era including the likes of James McDonald, Darren Beadman, Shane Dye, Wayne Harris and Malcolm Johnson.
“Everything has happened very quickly and I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve received from owners and trainers,” Schiller said.
“I also think having to compete against my mates Dylan (Gibbons), Zac (Lloyd) and Reece (Jones) in the apprentices’ ranks has been of real benefit to mine and their careers.”
Schiller, Gibbons, Lloyd and Jones are each other’s number one fans and their bond was there for all to see recently when Lloyd became the latest member of the Group 1 winners club in the Stradbroke Handicap on Stefi Magneticaat Eagle Farm on June 8.
“The camaraderie we have when one of us comes back after a win is great,” Schiller said.
“I love seeing them win but it is even better when you can be victorious over them.
“We are all great mates and there is friendly competition between us which does boost you along.
“Hopefully I’ll be the first of the group to win a Darwin Cup on Monday.”
Celine Gaudray returns to scale after riding Gentleman Roy to victoryGaudray’s parents Claudine and Bernard have been in the Territory for three months, exploring the Top End in a retirement adventure.
Gaudray is set to ride 2022 Darwin Cup winner Playoffs on Monday.
Managing owners Colin and Janice McKenna booked Gaudray for Playoffs and Carleen Hefel to ride Masatora, a $19 outsider, in the Darwin Cup.
Playoffs completed the Chief Minister’s-Darwin Cups double in 2022.
“My parents asked me a month or so ago if I’m going to ride in the Darwin Cup and I said I don’t think so, the odds are quite low but when I got the call up I was definitely happy to go,” Gaudray said.
“I’m also excited for the warm weather, to be honest.”
Eight-year-old gelding Playoffs is a $12 chance with TAB for the Darwin Cup, having finished midfield in the Chief Minister’s Cup first-up behind Bear Story.
Bear Story is a $2.30 favourite to win the Darwin cup from Wolfburn ($3.80) and Hadouken ($5).
Playoffs meets Bear Story 5.5kg better at the weights on Monday in the Darwin Cup.
Playoffs has dropped to 55.5kg in the Darwin cup with top weight Bear Story at 61kg.
Playoffs carried 59.5kg to victory in the Darwin Cup previously.
“He obviously likes Darwin and has a lot less weight than when he did win the cup, so that’s a bonus, and he’s in the right hands with (trainer) Gary (Clarke),” Gaudray said.
Clarke, an 11-time NT champion trainer, has won the Darwin Cup four times – including once as a jockey.
Gaudray has two rides for Clarke before the Darwin cup to experience the track and style of racing in the NT.
“There’s obviously a few people up there to help us look at the track and what not, racing is different everywhere, tempo related,” Gaudray said.
Gaudray travelled to Darwin on Saturday night with Hefel after riding commitments at Flemington.
They’re on the red eye midnight flight home on Monday night.
Gaudray, set to ride outside Victoria for only the third time, after hit and run missions to Brisbane, Adelaide and NZ previously, is equally excited for the Darwin Cup atmosphere.
“I’ve heard it does go off so I’m looking forward to a big crowd, we haven’t had too many big crowds here because of the weather,” Gaudray said.
“I’m sure it will be a good atmosphere and fingers crossed it all pans out and Playoffs wins.”
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This Colt is by Newgate Farm’s exciting first season sire Cosmic Force, already doing a great job with only a handful of runners so far.
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