ALL THE ACTION FROM THE SUNSHINE COAST

A review of the meeting held at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, August 31.

Race 1:

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Cayman Islands was sent out favourite at prohibitive odds and he duly landed his first win at his ninth attempt – but it was no easy success.

The Greg Kennedy trained grey became involved in a punishing stride for stride battle with Don’t Back Down and although he held a narrow advantage all the way up the straight, he had to work hard under a vigorous ride from Eddie Wilkinson to secure a hard-earned result.

The short price came courtesy of the fact that Cayman Islands had fair Saturday city form to recommend his chances, including a result which saw Cayman Islands finish a creditable 4,80 lengths behind Tears’N’Cheers, who raced with merit in the Golden Rose in Sydney on Saturday.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
On return to scale a protest was lodged by J. Byrne, rider of the 4th placegetter, Four Dreamers, against Whydidyouleaveme being declared 3rd, alleging interference over the concluding stages. After taking evidence from the riders concerned and viewing the official video, stewards found approaching the finish post, Whydidyouleaveme and Four Dreamers bumped, however stewards were of the belief that this contact was as a result of both horses shifting ground, and therefore dismissed the objection


Race 2:

WINNER FEEDBACK:Fantastic Carat built on his previous two efforts to produce a winning performance for trainer Bruce McLachlan.

“He’s is a nice horse but very immature,” said McLachlan. “He’s going to be better later, over further,” was McLachlan’s succinct comment.

I took the opportunity to quiz McLachlan about his stable’s absence at the last two Cushion track meetings, which had raised a few eyebrows.

“There was nothing in that,” said McLachlan. I was in Cairns for the Cairns Cup for one meeting and I only had one runner in at the second meeting and that had a bad barrier, so I took it out.

“I’m a big fan of the cushion track,” emphasised McLachlan.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Leaving the 300m, General Chauvel (C. Reith) and Yeah Good (C. Whiteley) made contact. Vonmarkdunc (S. Mossman) raced wide for the majority of the event.


Race 3:

WINNER FEEDBACK:The David Peoples trained Double Island won convincingly on debut.
The four-year-old son of Clang did everything asked of him to win with something in hand.

“He’s just a big, immature horse,” said Peoples.

“He has won some unofficial trials but we just had to take our time with him, that’s why he is only getting his first start as a four-year-old.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Heza Guru was declared a late scratching at 2.14 pm after the gelding broke through the gates and galloped for a considerable distance. Mount Magic, which reared in the barriers, was examined by the club's veterinary surgeon and cleared to race. Rio Jam (J. Byrne) was slow to begin. She’s A Model (K. Wharton) and Mount Magic (N. Thomas) raced wide throughout. A post-race veterinary examination of Rio Jam revealed the mare to have broken down in the off fore knee.



Race 4:

WINNER FEEDBACK:
The Bruce Brown trained Shifteman made light work of carrying top weight to land the second win of his career, first-up after a spell.

In the middle part of last year, Shifteman was making steady progress and in mid-august he landed his Maiden win. Ten days later EI struck and it brought a swift end to the momentum that Shifteman had been building.

Shifteman only returned to action in April, jumping from Maiden to Class 6 company.

In need of the run, out of his class and jumping from a wide gate, the son of Canadian Silver, not surprisingly, finished well down the placings, but only 5,30 lengths behind the winner.

He was then spelled again, returned to Class 1 company and had the advantage of the number two gate.

Not surprisingly again, the result this time was a better one.

Or perhaps it was the BB initials on the hood which made the difference.

“It was the first time I’d used it,” said Bruce Brown. “I thought if Gai could have her name up there, I’d use my initials.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
A. Merritt, rider of Stakes Are High, was reprimanded for permitting his mount to shift in near the 1100m, resulting in Thethingswedo (M. Heagney) being taken in on to Shifteman (B. Pengelly), resulting in that horse shifting in, tightening the running of Tarshae (G. Auckram), which had to be steadied.


Race 5:

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Ginkgo Gold turned in a performance which surprised both his trainer and his jockey when she smashed a seventeen-and-a-half year old track record, lowering the time for the 1000m trip from 56,70 seconds (set by Maintained Wealth in December 1990) to 56,67 seconds.

Not that either trainer Kelly Doughty or jockey Chris Whiteley doubted her ability to win. It was just that the time she recorded was an unexpected bonus.

“It’s her first start for us,” beamed Doughty.

“I ride her in track-work every-day and I couldn’t understand how she could still be a Class 1 horse. I thought she would either win this or he was not what she seemed.”

Win it she did.

Cole Trickle gave some cheek until early in the straight but Whiteley then asked Ginkgo Gold to kick and the mare bounded away to put her name in the record books.

Whiteley had ridden GinkgoGold before so he knew a good result was a definite possibility.

“Oh, I knew she had some ability,” said Whiteley. “She still surprised me though. I knew we were travelling well, but I didn’t think we were going that fast.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Apprentice M. Hughes, rider of King Of Spirit, was severely reprimanded for allowing his mount to shift in near the 800m, which resulted in Mr Standfast (P. Hammersley) being steadied when tightened on to ECLAIR (C. Reith). Approaching the 600m, Eclair (C. Reith) had to be steadied to avoid the heels of King Of Spirit (M. Hughes), which shifted in. M. Hughes, rider of King Of Spirit, was reprimanded. Snorkel (J. Holder) raced wide rounding the home turn.When questioned regarding the seemingly disappointing performance of Eclair, C. Reith stated that the horse had been very excitable prior to the event. He added that Eclair began only fairly and failed to travel at any stage of the event and, in his opinion, proved very disappointing. A post-race veterinary examination of Eclair revealed the mare to be short striding in front.


Race 6:

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Devastating was produced at exactly the right time by apprentice jockey Owen Turpin to roar home in spirited fashion to secure the eighth win of his career – supposedly over a distance well short of his best.

I say supposedly because, although the gelding’s name is more normally associated with distance races of 2000m and upwards, the record book does show that Devastating has, in fact, won four out of eight attempts at 1400m and has finished in the minor placings on two other occasions.

Trainer John Collins was using the race as to ‘freshen him up’ following a two month layoff, but the tenacity Devastating showed derailed all other attempts to take the prize.

When he flashed late, he was never going to be denied.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Shortly after the start, Go Gazza (N. Thomas) shifted in and bumped Devastating (O. Turpin).


Race 7:

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Lucky Luna continued his fine run of form under the guidance of trainer Eric Ropiha when he was produced on cue by jockey Kevin Forrester to salute for the fourth time in his last six starts.

His two defeats in that sequence were two runner-up finishes, the last just a long-neck behind Fangles who won again at Doomben on Saturday. Now there was a clue.

The four wins have come over 1226m (at Toowoomba), 1400m (twice, at the Sunshine Coast) and this 1300m trip.

“He is a consistent, good horse. He will go 1600m,”said Ropiha, “but while he is doing so well over these sort of distances we will stick to them.

“There’s a 1350m QTIS Stakes race for four-year-olds at Doomben towards the end of the month. All being well, that’s where he’ll be headed,” confirmed Ropiha.

Lucky Luna, who was Ropiha’s only runner on the day, was Ropiha’s second winner at the Sunshine Coast in recent days.

Ropiha had sent out two runners at the Cushion track meeting on Friday. Millimac came back a winner while Lezant finished second.

I congratulated Ropiha on what I termed, ‘a good couple of days.’

Ropiha corrected me.

‘I’ve had a great couple of days,” he said.

It was refreshing to find such enthusiasm.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Stirring (O. Turpin), Mr Fahrenheit (A. Merritt) and Prince Puzzle (E. Wilkinson) were slow to begin. Leaving the 1200m, Star Touch (K. Wharton) shifted in, making contact with Lucky Luna (K. Forrester). Leaving the 1000m, Lucky Luna (K. Forrester) had to be steadied to avoid the heels of Life’s Short, which shifted in slightly. Trainer K. Munce was advised that Star Touch, which bled during the event, will be barred from racing for a period of 3 months. AR53A.


Race 8:
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Schweida and jockey Christian Reith combined to end the day, scoring a facile win with the Show A Heart mare Tolart.

Was it the step up to 1600m that made the difference?

“In part it was,” answered Schweida. “I actually think she’ll go 2000m so the step up in distance was a help.

“But the biggest thing was that she has been plagued by heavy tracks in the past. I think that’s almost all she’s run on.

“The better going was the big factor. It suited her and so she could show what she could do,” concluded Schweida.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Isti Polly was examined by the club's veterinary surgeon prior to the race and cleared to start. Fennec Fox (S. Galloway) overraced in the early stages. A post-race veterinary examination of Marylyn, which raced wide and compounded over the concluding stages, failed to reveal any abnormalities.