Stormfront, aided by a picture perfect ride by Jarrod Todd, gave 13-time premiership winning trainer Gary Clarke his fifth St Patrick’s Day Cup at Fannie Bay on Saturday.
The 5yo grey son of Frosted, having just his second start for Clarke Racing, came with a perfectly timed run to take the major Top End off-season prize by a half-neck from a gallant Maxxi Bon, with Rock Revolution just a long neck back third and just in front of a game Rossanado.
After breaking well from an inside draw, Stormfront took up a midfield spot on the inside fence as Rock Revolution set the pace. He was pursued by Awash, New Enterprise and Rossanado, with I’m A Dreamer and Stormfront next.
Jason Lyon on the pacemaker put the hammer down with 500m to run and turned at Silks Corner with a break of five lengths, with his rivals under pressure to make up the leeway. Todd saved all the ground on Stormfront – he never went around a horse – and with 200m to go emerged inside Rossanado as the major threat to Rock Revolution, who was all out.
Inside the last 50m, Stormfront ranged alongside the spent leader but then had to withstand the barn-storming finish of Maxxi Bon out in the centre of the track. But he showed admirable tenacity to do just that, scoring his second feature win in the Top End after collecting the Dabble Cup on Day 6 of the 2025 Darwin Cup Carnival.
Formerly trained by Peter Robl, Stormfront’s first run for Clarke came on 14 February when second over 1100m, and the trainer was worried that his charge was a run short for the St Pat’s Cup.
He said: “We trialled him last Tuesday and he blew pretty badly, so I was concerned that the mile at this stage might have been too much for him. But he’s a quality galloper and found a way to win – the ride helped.”
Clarke’s honour roll of St Patrick’s Day Cup winners began with Mr Knockabout in 2008, but he has really been a force since 2020, with Java (2020), Count Of Essex (2022) and Siakam (2023) giving him a quartet before his fifth win in the race on Saturday.
Todd, too, has been a multiple winner of the race, having won aboard The Wild Side in 2018, Java and Count Of Essex.
Stormfront will now be targeted at the Darwin Cup Carnival, with any number of features in his sights. He has now won six of his 15 starts, and with two seconds and three thirds as well, took his stake earnings to $153,792.
Prince Ruban, at his 58th career start, won his 12th race, all of which have come at Fannie Bay, in the Luck Of The Irish Handicap (1300m).
Giving Clarke the first leg of a double, Prince Ruban trailed leaders Convincebility and Straya Pride before the latter dropped off rounding the home turn.
With Aaron Sweeney riding hard, Prince Ruban went out after Convincebility and collared the leader in the last couple of bounds to win by a short neck, with Bon’s Pride a battling third two and a-half lengths back.
Clarke said: “I was going to retire him after today as he has nothing more to prove, but perhaps there’s another win or two in him. To win a dozen races here puts him in some decent company among the good horses I’ve trained. He might not be the best horse, but he’s just a real trier.”
Prince Ruban, as well as his dozen wins, has four seconds and nine thirds to his credit, and stakes now of just over $225,000 for his Victorian owner, trainer Shane Bottomley.
Story Courtesy Andrew O’Toole