SUNSHINE COAST REVIEW (SUN, NOV 23)

A review of the meeting held at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, November 23.

A treble from apprentice jockey Owen Turpin, for three different trainers, was a highlight of the meeting. Turpin’s treble came on the back of a city win on Saturday and a double on Friday. Six wins in three days is pretty good going by any standards. The five wins on Friday and Sunday have taken Turpin past the previous dual leaders, Sean Cormack and Jana Piper, to place him at the top of the Sunshine Coast Jockeys Premiership.

Racing was keen with seven of the eight races being decided by a margin of a length or less.

Race 1:

QTIS Maiden 2yo Plate - 1000m
1st - Craiglea Blondie; 2nd - Lissoy's Lass; 3rd - Dienekes

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Natalie Hole: “She is one of my favourites. I haven’t wanted to give her too hard a gallop in work so that was the first time she had to chase anything. Still very green, but she did it well.”

Jockey Paul Hammersley: “Still very green obviously. She was running around and really wanted to run in behind the leading horse (Lissoy’s Lass) when putting in her challenge. I just had to pull her out again and she was always going too well for them.”

This was an eye-catching victory from the first-timer. The level of opposition can be questioned, but there was plenty to like about the way Craiglea Blonde came through her first assignment, not getting too lost while doing a lot of things wrong, and showing both ability and character in the finish to complete the job with a flourish.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Miss Sanctity (K. Pope) began awkwardly and raced greenly throughout. After taking evidence from jockey K. Pope and receiving an undertaking from trainer Mr M. Mair that he would have the filly compete in a long jump-out prior to starting again, stewards placed a warning on Miss Sanctity regarding its racing manners Correct weight was delayed when apprentice J. Brown was dislodged from Lissoy’s Lass who came back without any apparent injury on return to scale.


Race 2:

Maiden Handicap- 1000m
1st - Faunius; 2nd - Flirten; 3rd - Logan's Hero

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Ryan Wiggins: “We never went around another horse which helped a lot. He was pretty much one-paced from halfway up the straight though, so I thought, here we go, but thankfully he did enough to get the result.”

Faunius brought average city midweek form to the coast. The blinkers went on again, but whether that made any significant difference remains to be seen in more testing conditions. The gelding settled on the rail tracking the early speed and was allowed the liberty of an un-impeded rails-hugging run all the way down the straight. Faunius won the race with a forward move between the 300m and the 150m, by which time he had established enough of a break to hold off the faster finishing Flirten. The latter had been held wide throughout, a factor which certainly played a part in the result.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Flirten jumped away awkwardly, resulting in jockey J. Taylor momentarily losing his balance. The saddle on Kellina’s Shadow shifted near the 500m, resulting in jockey K. Pope being disadvantaged for the remainder of the event. Logan’s Hero (A. Merritt) laid in over the concluding stages. Len’s Gift (A. Spinks) raced wide for the majority of the event.


Race 3:

Class 4 Handicap - 1200m
1st - Casa Cardoso; 2nd - Dauntless; 3rd - Kings Artist

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Trevor Miller: “His been running against some fair horses (Atomic Huss, Je Ne Sais Pas, Fasliyev Dancer). He goes well at this track and he was ridden well, so we were lucky we could get it all together on the day.”

Apprentice jockey Owen Turpin: “Trevor (Miller) said I should try to save him without fighting him. That was basically the instructions – and then to see how we could come home from there. He did settle which apparently he doesn’t always do. Apparently he generally pulls early and plods late. But I got him to settle this time ... and then he had to fight hard to win. Trevor said he was surprised how well he came home. He hit the line good because he was able to relax early on.”

Casa Cardoso settled last in the five horse field and had some ground to make up turning into the straight. He wasted little time in moving into contention and just when it seemed he would have the others comfortably covered, Dauntless, who had also bided his time towards the rear of the field, switched off the rail and pushed forward along Casa Cardoso’s inside. These two runners joined issue in a hard-fought, stride for stride battle to the line with Casa Cardoso getting the decision by a nose.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer D. Murphy pleaded guilty to contravening AR68A(2) in that he entered Key To Happiness for this race for the purpose of effecting the total number of acceptors for this event. Mr Murphy was fined $500. Jockey B. Pengelly was reprimanded for allowing Kings Artist to shift in near the 500m, resulting in Dauntless (M. Heagney) having to be steadied. When questioned regarding the seemingly disappointing performance of Kings Artist B. Pengelly stated that the horse travelled well, however failed to show his customary acceleration when placed under pressure in the straight. A post-race veterinary examination of Kings Artist failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.


Race 4:

Maiden Plate - 1400m
1st - Grand Goodway; 2nd - Fly Misty; 3rd - Probability

WINNER FEEDBACK:
The Bryan Guy trained Grand Goodway landed in a perfect position and sat in fourth placing just off the speed until the home turn. As the field straighten up, Fly Misty took over the running from the early frontrunner Lord Benson. Jockey Paul Hammersley now had Grand Goodway hard on the heels of Fly Misty and the chase was on. It took the whole length of the straight, a hard ride by Hammersley and a determined response from the three-year-old colt before Grand Goodway was able to snatch the prize away from Fly Misty in the shadow of the post.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Seven Shadows (M. Heagney) jumped away awkwardly and shifted out, making contact with Mercent (M. Hughes). Natural Elle (R. Hancock) jumped away awkwardly. Shortly after the start, the saddle on Tanoshimi shifted forward, placing O. Turpin at a disadvantage and as a result Tanoshimi was forced to race wide throughout. Trainer M. Lloyd was advised that Seven Shadows, which finished a distant last, would be barred from provincial class racing until the mare establishes country form.


Race 5:

Class 3 Handicap - 1600m
1st - Frisco's In Charge; 2nd - Chicago Boy; 3rd - Bold Distinction

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Frank Phillips: “He was favourite because he was the best horse in the race and he won like the best horse in the race. The jockey (Owen Turpin) rode him a treat.”
“I’m the fifth trainer Owen’s been with. He went through four trainers in quick time and had only ridden four winners in the bush when he came to me a year-and-a-half ago. Now he’s ridden over eighty winners in total. He’s ridden fifty provincial winners. He’s just going from strength to strength.”

So was has been the difference? Why has Turpin lasted with Phillips and why is he doing well?

Phillips: “I wouldn’t put up with his sh..t. He wouldn’t listen. Had a reputation of someone who wouldn’t listen. I told him, he either knuckles down and makes a go of his riding career, or he could leave. I gave him the option. To his credit, he stuck it out. He’s got a different attitude now and it shows in his riding.”

I mentioned to Phillips the fact that Larry Olsen had given Turpin a similar rap at Eagle Farm on Saturday (see Eagle Farm Review 22-11-08 – race 8). Philips nodded knowingly.

Phillips: “I’ve told Owen. ‘Compared to what you know, Larry Olsen is a professor’. Listen and learn ... and it is good to know that now, unlike when he started, he is doing just that.”

Apprentice jockey Owen Turpin: “I had a good barrier ... got to the rail and just sat off the speed. I was in a bit of a pocket just before the turn. When I saw Ray Hancock was already having to get to work on his mount (the leader Dustmen) right in front of me, I thought this is either going to turn out very bad or very good. I thought he was either going to come back in my face or he was going to roll off the fence. Luckily he rolled off and gave me the run I needed. After that, we only had to run down Chicago Boy. It took a while, but we were always going to get there.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Seekawinner (D. Gill) raced wide throughout. Apprentice G. Butler was fined $100 for returning to scale in excess of half a kilogram over his declared riding weight. AR145.


Race 6:

Class 1 Handicap - 1200m
1st - Ready To Rise; 2nd - Joburg Angel; 3rd - Deniro Muy Grande

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Co-trainer Jason McLachlan: “He’s been working very well. He had no luck last time. I still think he is a 1400m horse. The only reason we came back in distance (to 1200m) was because there was no other suitable race for him. That’s why our horses clashed actually (the McLachlan stable ran the quinella). It’s sometimes difficult to find suitable races for our runners.”
Apprentice jockey Owen Turpin: “It was pretty much the same tactics as my win on Frisco’s In Charge. It was a bit easier in that, being a bit wider, I didn’t have to sweat for a run and also he went clear pretty early in the straight.”
The most clear-cut winner of the day did it easy. Ready To Rise tracked the leaders before making a forward move early in the straight. He had his race won a long way from home and came back a convincing winner by a comfortable three length margin.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Ready To Rise (O. Turpin) jumped outwards at the start and hampered Lucky Landing (A. Merritt). Afleet Boy (R. Hancock) raced wide in the early and middle stages. Near the 500m, Deniro Muy Grande (E. Wilkinson) improved up on to the heels of Hayil And Hearty (D. Gill) and when being restrained became unbalanced. Joburg Angel (K. Pope) raced wide for the majority of the event.


Race 7:

Open Handicap - 1000m
1st - Black Suit; 2nd - General Patton; 3rd - Sommersea Drive

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Richie Stephenson: “He’s been a very good horse for us. He cost $10 000 and he’s won thirteen races now and something like $235 000 in stakes. You’ve got to take expenses off that of course, but we’re still nicely ahead. The instructions were simple. Jump out and win – really instructions go out of the window once the barriers open, so I just leave it at, jump out and win. I nearly had a heart attack at the 50m when the two of them (Black Suit and General Patton) were fighting it out. I thought, come on, hurry up. I wanted the post to come and us to be in front. On the line I thought we’d got it.”

Black Suit was prominently positioned in third placing until the turn. The gelding was momentarily held up on straightening and Garry Baker had to go to work to get the seven-year-old to push forward along the inside of the track. General Patton, after biding his time in the second half of the field, was now making up ground quickly along the outside. Halfway up the straight, Baker was still urging his mount along, but General Patton appeared to have them all covered. These two contenders had three other runners between them coming through the 200m mark, but they quickly dropped those rivals to make it a two horse race to the line. General Patton shifted in to run right up alongside Black Suit, which seemed to give Black Suit extra impetus and he fought back to take the honours by the narrowest of margins.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Griffin Gate (K. Wharton) was slow to begin. Black Suit (G. Baker) shifted out at the start and made contact with Dynamic Dancing (J. Kropp). Black Suit then became unbalanced and shifted in, making contact with Slick Trick (S. Mossman). Leaving the 200m, Griffen Gate (K. Wharton) had to be steadied when tightened for room between Key Bar Nights (K. Pope), which shifted out and Sommersea Drive, which shifted in slightly. K. Pope, rider of Key Bar Nights was reprimanded and advised that when his mounts shift ground, he must stop riding and straighten sooner than he did on this occasion.


Race 8:

Class 1 Handicap - 1600m
1st - Mauries Pick; 2nd - Box Seat; 3rd - Good Medicine

Trainer Clive Sinton: “I’ve only had him for three runs. He had the two starts on the Cushion Track. Two starts over 1000m and 1100m on the Cushion Track is the equivalent of two 1200m races. So he’s done a lot of work. He stepped up to 1600m and I told Eddie (Wilkinson) to get him going early. We’ll probably stay over this sort of trip for a couple of runs and he should go further later.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Approaching the 1200m, Ardmilan (B. Thompson) had to be checked when Legal Technicality (A. Spinks), which had commenced to over-race, shifted in despite the efforts of its rider. Box Seat (M. Heagney) raced wide from a point leaving the 700m.
M. Heagney, rider of Box Seat, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding, in that near the 200m he permitted his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Zibo (K. Pope), resulting in Zibo being forced across the heels of Good Medicine (R. Goltz) and having to be checked. M. Heagney was suspended from riding in races for a period covered by 7 meetings, to commence at midnight, 24 November and to expire at midnight, 4 December 2008.
Mauries Pick (E. Wilkinson) shifted out under pressure over the concluding stages. A post-race veterinary examination of Raining Kings revealed the gelding had quartered its heel on the off foreleg.