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Adelaide trainer Stuart Gower conjured some magic with local jockey Paul Denton to win the $200,000 Darwin with Saturday Sorcerer at Fannie Bayh on Monday.
Denton's local knowledge came to the fore when he lifted Saturday Sorcerer to a neck win over Pretty Blonde with Lightinthenite a short half head away in third in a thrilling phto finish.
Saturday Sorcerer did it the hard way, leading from start to finish.
"You have got to know the dirt tracks and I don't mind riding against them here," said Denton, a member of Darwin’s Racing Hall of Fame.
Saturday Sorcerer earned a Darwin Cup start when Denton rode him to victory in the Metric Mile at Fannie Bay last month.
"The horse has just peaked. He loves Darwin and Paul has done a sensational job on him," Gower said.
“Maybe next year, we'll see an even better horse and hopefully we'll be back next year."
There was a pre-race sensation when leading Darwin jockey Paul Shiers was stood down from riding after failing a breath test.
Shiers was booked to ride Darwin Cup favourite Lightinthenite for trainer Gary Clarke.
