Impressive provincial series heat victory from rising three-year-old Dark Assault

Dark Assault scored a wonderful victory in the $27,000 Skyracing TV Provincial Championship Series Heat at Albany after being caught wide throughout and then surviving a protest on Friday.

A placegetter in the 2020 Karrakatta Plate, Dark Assault broke through for a long-awaited maiden win in Albany last month.

The three-year-old gelding returned to the same track last week and claimed a thrilling finish to the feature race, holding out Starauthoress by a short head with It Comes Natural a short half-head away in third.

Ridden by talented apprentice Madi Derrick, Dark Assault ($3.50) jumped from barrier 11 and was caught three and four wide throughout.

Dark Assault pounced on her rivals at the top of the straight and then held on bravely in the concluding stages to give trainer Roy Rogers a winning treble.

Jockey Jordan Turner and trainer Paul Roberts of the third-placed It Comes Natural lodged a protest for alleged interference in the home straight with Dark Assault laying outwards approaching the 250m mark but it was dismissed.

It was another top day for the Rogers stable, as he took his Great Southern winning tally to 38 for the season. Kazkazi was the beneficiary of a brilliant ride from Turner in race four as the gelding raced up on the inside of stablemate Feels Hot to win by a short head.

New stable acquisition Brutus Maximus edged out Chasing Chaos in a thrilling third race, which was the first leg of a winning double to Mt Hallowell Stud and manager Craig Thompson, who also have Kazkazi.

Rebel Man was a dominant maiden winner for Albany trainer Steve Wolfe and he grabbed a double after So Smick also saluted.

Roberts and apprentice Keshaw Dhurun also enjoyed a winning double after Natural Spice and My Blueboy were successful.