Wolfburn, who had been a little below his best in three Top End runs this campaign, rediscovered his best form in devastating fashion with a second straight TAB Metric Mile, feature event on Day 5 of the Great Northern Darwin Cup Carnival at Fannie Bay on Saturday.

Giving 13-time leading trainer Gary Clarke his fifth win in the 1600m feature, and rider Jarrod Todd his third, the real Wolfburn was on show in the Metric Mile.

After beginning well from barrier three, Todd sent Wolfburn forward and he assumed the lead on the fence, with Cinque Torri, from a wide gate, sitting up outside him.

Great Buy, Hettinger and Venting, three-wide, were next in the run, with Awash, Holstein and Write Your Name the next trio. Motorace, Picaroon, Bear Story and Hasseltoff were the trailers as the field made the turn off the back straight.

Todd, who had previously won the race on Royal Request (2017) and with Wolfburn last year, gave his mount a little more rein down the side and once he turned for home, he quickly had Cinque Torri’s measure and never looked like being caught.

He was very strong through the line, three and a-half lengths to the good of Hettinger, who finished off well into second, with Cinque Torri three-quarters of a-length back. Motorace was an eye-catching fourth and Awash fifth.

Clarke, who won his first Metric Mile with Austpak in 2007 and has since added wins with Java (2018), Savatoxl (2020) and Wolfburn last year, was delighted with his charge.

“We’ve had a few issues with him but knew if we could get him right, he could produce an effort like that,” said the master trainer. “And he has a little improvement to come too – he got a bit warm in the yard – so bring on Monday week,” he added.

Todd, similarly, was effusive in his praise of the rising 7yo chestnut son of Snitzel.

“He felt like the real Wolfburn today – his last couple of runs he just hasn’t been himself, but today he wanted to do it and I knew down the side it would take a good one to beat him,” said Todd.

Wolfburn, who finished a close-up second to Hadouken in last year’s Darwin Cup, will clash with the same horse again on Monday week and judged on Saturday’s effort, it promises to be a tremendous battle again.

Of the beaten brigade, Motorace, who had trouble finding a clear run just prior to the final corner, and Awash look to have most improvement in them. Unfortuantely, Hasseltoff, the Alice Springs Cup winner, was a distant last and looked to have possibly gone amiss.

Wolfburn, owned by a large syndicate headed by Victorians Aaron Kingshott and Simon Hine, and including trainer’s wife Sharlene and well-known Darwin publican Damian O’Brien, has been a tremendous performer since first coming to Darwin as a maiden 3yo in 2022.

He broke his maiden at his first Fannie Bay outing, won the Darwin Guineas two starts later before finishing second in the NT Derby. His career record now reads 10 wins from 39 starts, and with six seconds and five thirds, he has amassed $374,456 in stakes for his connections.

He joins Palmyra Boy (2009 and 2010) and Spartan Eagle (2013 and 2014) as back-to-back winners of the Metric Mile and he promises to be one of the headliners again when the $200,000 Great Northern Darwin Cup field leaves the gates at 5.30pm on the first Monday in August.

Story Courtesy Andrew O’Toole