Boldhino, backed into Winx like odds, carried on his winning ways in the BTC Construction Handicap, the feature event at Fannie Bay on Melbourne Cup Day.

In the process, the Clarke Racing-trained six-year-old registered his fifth win in succession and made light of his top weight of 62.5kg, 8.5kg more than each of his four rivals.

Ridden as usual by Jarrod Todd, Boldhino – paying $1.35 on the fixed odds market, began well from the outside gate at the 1300m start and sat on the outer of Convincibility as the field made their way down the back straight.

The order remained pretty much the same until rounding the home turn, and it was obvious that Todd had a lapful of horse as he asked Boldhino to extend.

The son of Brazen Beau let down impressively and came clear over the concluding stages to score by just under two lengths from a game Convincibility, with his stablemate Peel The Stickers just a neck back third.

With his latest win, his 12th from 41 starts, Boldhino took his stake earnings to close to $540,000 for his connections, trainers Sharlene, Kevin King, the Parap Boys managed by Angus Fleming, BTC Constructions principal Brendan Cunningham, and Trevor and Marilyn Gladwin.

Gary Clarke was uncertain as to the immediate future for his current stable star.

“It’s just difficult to know what to do with him now. He’ll be a 96 rater after today and whatever he runs in he’ll carry weight,” said Clarke. “He may have a break now, but we’ll just wait and see,” he said.

Boldhino has now had eight starts in Darwin, having earlier been trained by Ciaron Maher in Victoria, for six wins – a second and a fifth and has earned $111,197 since coming to Darwin. “And that’s without a feature race win,” said his trainer.

Time To Baca, despite her waywardness, was still too good for her rivals in the Motlop Constructions TROBIS Handicap (1300m).

Trained by Phil Cole and with Deborah Barton in the saddle, Time To Baca, from the outside gate of nine, was always wide in the run and when asked to improve approaching the home turn, she did so but out five and six-wide around runners.

The Tommy Logan pair of Astern Magic and Beatification led around the final turn but once Time To Baca was balanced up by her rider, she quickly ran to the other pair, although inclined to lay in when given a reminder.

Barton did not panic and drove her home to win by a half-length from Astern Magic, with the same margin to Beatification in third.

It was the daughter of Written Tycoon’s second win at her sixth start, and with a second placing as well, she took her stake and bonus earnings to $48,600.

Barton doubled up aboard Mr Nunez for Chloe Baxter in the Ladbrokes Popular SRM Maiden Plate (1200m).

Given a lovely run in transit one out one back, Mr Nunez finished strongly to beat his stablemate Sass by a length and three-quarters, with Patyep, who shared the pace throughout, third a length-and-a-half back.

Mr Nunez was purchased by clients of Baxter’s stable for $22,000 at the Magic Millions Darwin Tried Horse sale on July 31, and the son of All Too Hard has now returned $14,950 of that original outlay. Now the penny has dropped with him, more success may be just around the corner.

Story Courtesy Andrew O’Toole