BELMONT DAY CRUISES HOME IN THE MONTGOMERIE LIGHTNING PLATE IN DARWIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 2, 2021

The I Am Invincible gelding Belmont Day turned the Montgomerie Lightning Plate into a procession in the fourth race at Fanny Bay racetrack in Darwin, talking the honours without ever seriously being challenged.

It was a simple countdown to victory.

Seven horses accepted for the race. Three were scratched initially and then they were joined on the sidelines by So Stoic when that runner was a late scratching at the gates.

Then, when Star Of Monsoon couldn’t muster any speed and quickly dropped back badly shortly after the start, it became a race in two, in theory at least, but Belmont day had jumped into an immediate lead and although Sebrakate tried hard to stay in touch, the race was effective over a long way from home with Belmont Day ultimately extending in the home straight to score like a $1.60 favourite should by a widening 7.40 lengths.

The race was named in the memory of the late Simone Montgomerie, who tragically lost her life in a fall at the track in August 2013. The Montgomerie family are involved in the ownership of the winner.

Belmont Day has now won four out of five starts in Darwin since transferring from the John O’Shea stable into the care of trainer Gary Clarke.

The lightly raced five-year-old’s record reads four wins (and one runner-up finish) from just seven starts.