In Brief
- Darmanin salutes on first four in Devonport.
- Victorian rider rates Easy Road and California Honey as highly promising gallopers.
- Open borders allow Darmanin back to riding regularly in Tasmania
Victorian-based jockey Anthony Darmanin made a glorious return to race riding in Tasmania in Devonport on Friday guiding home the first four winners on the seven-race card.
Darmanin put on a clinic as he showed why he has been one of the best and most consistent riders in Tasmania for at least the last five years.
He hadn’t ridden in Tasmania since the industry was shut down on 2 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But with the borders reopened in Tasmania and Victoria, the talented rider made himself available for the Golden Mile meeting and he picked up the plum rides on the first four favourites.
He partnered the Adam Trinder-trained Sharma Rama ($1.45) to victory in the opening race, a maiden over 1009m and two races later he again teamed up with Trinder to secure victory for talented four-year-old Easy Road ($1.85) to take out a benchmark 74 handicap over 1350m.
Darmanin then teamed up with Longford trainer Aiden Nunn to win aboard Readily Rewarded ($2.25) in a maiden over 1350m and California Honey ($2.15) that blitzed her rivals in a benchmark 60 handicap over 1009 metres.
“I’s good to be back after such a long break and it’s even better that I got a few winners,” Darmanin said.
“I love Tassie and I honestly missed riding here.
“I rode a couple of very nice horses today, in particular Easy Road for Adam (Trinder) and California Honey won well for Aiden (Nunn), and I would think they would both be winning more races.”
His only other ride was aboard Spihro for Michael Trinder, but the gelding found the opposition too hot and finished beyond midfield.
Darmanin tasted Group 1 glory in Victoria last year when he partnered star Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey to victory in the Australian Guineas and the inaugural $5 million All-Star Mile, both run at Flemington in March 2019.
He will be a regular visitor to the state for the remainder of the season and he already has some good rides at the next Wednesday night meeting in Launceston and at the same venue three days later for the meeting that was switched from Hobart (12 December).
Watch Anthony Darmanin guide California Honey to victory in a BM60 event in Devonport.