It may have taken until the last race of the day on Saturday, but Vanessa Arnott achieved a major career milestone of 300 wins at Fannie Bay when guiding Brazen Bon to an impressive victory in the Silks Darwin Christmas Mega Raffle 18 December Handicap (1100m).

Arnott, who rode her first winner in the Top End, The Gabba, on May 21 2005, first came to Darwin to ride for trainer Kathy Hughes and they had a good deal of success in the early years.

She has been an ever-present in the jockeys’ room in the Territory since and has also ridden many winners in Western Australia in a career tally that stands at 393. Arnott began riding in Victoria in 1997, with her first winner, Val, coming at King Island on December 13 that year.

“It was not really a target but when people started talking about it, I guess it was on my mind – it is kind of special,” Arnott, who is the NT Jockeys’ Association president, said.

“He’s (Brazen Bon) a lovely horse and I think he’s got a real future, just like his year-older brother Bon’s Pride,” she said. “Even though we covered some ground, I was confident of winning a long way out.”

Brazen Bon, trained by Jason Manning for a syndicate including major stable supporters On Fire Racing, was purchased cheaply by his trainer recently and after getting back early in the run, improved out wide from the 800m mark.

Forms Of Fear jumped well but had to work to find the lead under pressure on his inside. He assumed control at the turn off the back straight and had a good break rounding the home turn, but it was clear 200m to run that Brazen Bon had a full head of steam up and was eating into the margin.

The bay son of Aurum collared Forms Of Fear with about 30m to run and came clear to score by 1 1/4 lengths with Ny Kee making up good ground from back in the filed to take third two lengths back.

Brazen Bon, who won his maiden at Yarra Valley for Alex Rae in February this year, looks to have a very a very bright future in the Territory if his first Top End win is anything to go by.

Mr Cashman, off the scene with a leg injury for the majority of 2024, bounced back to his very best form with a hard-fought win over Bon’s Pride in the Sportsbet Handicap (1200m)

The Gary Clarke trained seven year old, in the hands of Jarrod Todd, began well from a wide gate and was well rated in front, with Tubthumper and Polarising on his outer.

Todd was able to find a length as the field rounded the final turn and looked set for victory at the 200m mark.

But then the top weight, Bon’s Pride, carrying 4kg more than his chief rival, got into his work late and cut the margin to just a neck at the line.

Tubthumper, who was very difficult to load at the start, battled on to hold third from Polarising, who produced a good race at his first attempt at open company.

Stable foreman and co-owner Sharlene Clarke revealed that Mr Cashman “hurt his leg between the fetlock joint and coronet band, and had to be confined to a box for weeks. He couldn’t go out in the yard for fear that he would cause further damage.”

The recuperation program obviously worked, and since resuming on 26 October, Mr Cashman has continued to improve and get fitter, with a fourth, a third, and a second preceding Saturday’s win.

The son of Epaulette has won nine of his 41 starts and, with six seconds and nine thirds as well, has stakes in excess of $254,000.

Story courtesy of Andrew O’Toole