SUNSHINE COAST REVIEW (SUN, DEC 14)

A review of the meeting held at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, December 14.

Race 1:

2yo Maiden Plate - 1000m
1st - Maroon Bells; 2nd - Ponchito; 3rd - Princess Priscilla

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Co-trainer Bruce McLachlan: “I trained her mother and I think she is a going to be a nice sort. She didn’t feature in town on her debut in a strong line-up, but she also had no luck there at all. Knowing what she is capable of and looking at this field, yeah, I thought she would be hard to beat.”

Jockey Jason Holder: “She wasn’t that well away and I had to push her out for the first 100m, but then she really got into it. She had her race won a long way out, but she was still green so I had to keep at her in the closing stages to keep her mind on the job.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Maroon Bells): 1.70 out to 1.90.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Hopeful Hornet (T. Chambers) was slow to begin. Princess Priscilla jumped away awkwardly. Ponchito (G. Butler) improved up on to the heels of Gandy May (R. McMahon) near the 600m and had to be steadied. Ponchito was held up for clear running from passing the 400m until approaching the 200m.


Race 2:

3yo & Up CG&E Class 1 Handicap - 1000m
1st - Larry's Boy; 2nd - Citiwyse; 3rd -Canefly

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Apprentice jockey Tasha Chambers: “I got a very clean start while I think the favourite (Citiwyse) didn’t get away as well. He did track me to the turn and put in an early challenge, which had me worried for a while, but my horse is very, very fit and he strode out strongly when I asked him to go and the other one couldn’t match him.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Larry’s Boy): 2.50 out to 2.70.
Favourite (Citiwyse): 1.60 out to 1.90. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Bungalien (J. Bowditch) blundered badly at the start and lost considerable ground, and was then inclined to over-race in the early stages. Citiwyse (G. Geran) had to be steadied away from the heels of Larry’s Boy (T. Chambers) near the 700m. Near the 500m, Saint Crusader (D. Gill), which was inclined to lay in, shifted in and struck the heels of Canefly (K. Pope) and blundered. Saint Crusader (D. Gill) raced wide throughout.


Race 3:

Maiden F&M Maiden Plate - 1200m
1st - Howgoodsthat; 2nd - Legal Perfume; 3rd - Go Rainey

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Jon Walk: “She’s shown fair form before. The last run at the coast came at the end of the preparation and it turned out she’d probably had enough. Going into it, it was a QTIS race and worth a shot. She won a jump-out since then and all of the smarties saw it, that’s why I got a $2,00 dividend for my trouble.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Howgoodisthat): 2.40 out to 2.50 in to 2.20.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Brianshillsidelane, which broke through the barriers and galloped for a considerable distance, was declared a late scratching at 1.23 pm. Legal Perfume (J. Piper) was slow to begin. Falvita (J. Taylor) shifted out at the start and bumped Gold Gleam (A. Spinks). Punto Vista (S. Drake) hung in under pressure in the straight. Viking Queen (J. Warrington) raced ungenerously throughout and was inclined to hang out prior to the 800m and continued to do so for the remainder of the event. A post-race veterinary examination of Viking Queen revealed the mare to have a slow recovery rate. Trainer P. Sexton's representative was advised that Viking Queen trial satisfactorily prior to its next race start.


Race 4:

CG&E Maiden Plate - 1200m
1st - Castagnola; 2nd - Left Hook; 3rd - Arizona Sunset

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bryan Guy: “Mate, I’ve been getting this horse ready to race for so long. He’s been shin-sore three times. He is such a good horse. I’ll take him to town and he’ll win. He’ll go through his grades well, mark my words. It wouldn’t surprise me if he wins a big three-year-old race this season. I mean he’s actually a Magic Millions horse. I’ll be taking him to town now to see if he can earn enough in stakes to get into the race.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Castagnola): 5.50 steady.
Favourite (Flybefree): 2.80 in to 2.60. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Outback Now (S. Scriven) bucked shortly after the start. Trainer J. Hunter was advised that the gelding must trial satisfactorily prior to its next race start. Classic Force (J. Taylor) was held up rounding the home turn. Shortly after entering the straight, Arizona Sunset (M. Radecker) shifted out and crowded Left Hook onto Dane Raider (B. Agland). Flybefree (J. Bowditch) was inclined to shift out under pressure over the concluding stages. Classic Force (J. Taylor) had to be steadied when awkwardly placed close to the heels of Flybefree (J. Bowditch), which shifted out under pressure leaving the 200m. Dane Raider (B. Agland) laid in under pressure over the concluding stages. Castagnola (R. McMahon) was inclined to lay out in the straight. Kellina’s Shadow (K. Pope) raced wide throughout. Castagnola lost its off-fore plate in running. Top Resource (Michael Palmer) lost its off-hind plate in running.


Race 5:

QTIS 3yo Class 1 Handicap - 1600m
1st - Irish Singa; 2nd - Tambo Tiger; 3rd - Pea Eye Cee

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Liam Birchley: “He won his first start over 1000m and I thought we were going to have a very nice horse, but when he came back after a spell he seemed to have lost his dash. His breeding suggested he would go well over more ground so we stepped him up to 1600m to see how he would go. He came through the test very well.”

Jockey Shane Scriven: “He would go ... and then go to sleep. He would go again ... and then go to sleep again. Go ... go to sleep, that’s how he went virtually the whole trip until towards the end I said to him, OK, this time you are not going to sleep and I pushed him out to the line. He was always going to win, but gee he makes the jockey work hard.”

Irish Singa stopped the clock in 1.38.40, smashing the ten-year-old class record of Buni Brown by almost two seconds.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Irish Singa): 11 out to 13.
Favourite (Pea Eye Cee): 2.00 out to 2.10 in to 2.00. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Upi Bay (K. Pope) began awkwardly and shifted out and bumped Pea Eye Cee (R. McMahon). Passing the 1400m, Shot Bar (G. Baker), which was over-racing, had to be steadied away from the heels of Pea Eye Cee (R. McMahon). Near the 900m, Tambo Tiger (K. Cunningham) had to be steadied away from the heels of Shot Bar (G. Baker), which shifted in. G. Baker, rider of Shot Bar, was advised to exercise more care when shifting ground in future. Upi Bay was inclined to lay out throughout.


Race 6:

Class 3 Handicap - 1200m
1st - Blow The Bugle; 2nd - Yuketan; 3rd - Sir Kingsford

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Troy Hall: “That’s his best win so far. He got back a bit this time and he had to fight off the interference at the top of the straight and he had to fight mid-straight to assert his authority. He’s won three in a row now. He’s only had four starts for me, and he only just got beaten the other time.
“No the plan wasn’t to get back. I just left it to Shane (Scriven). He is a speed horse and wants to be up there, but when three of them chased for the lead, Shane, being the experienced jockey he is, took him back and settled just off them. He got involved in a bumping match with Yuketan early in the straight, but Shane was not going to let that one out and he was also never going to be intimidated by the incident. He’s been riding far too long for that. Then the horse did what was required in the run to the line. Like I said, I think it was his best win so far.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Blow The Bugle): 2.00 out to 2.50 in to 2.30.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Another Takeover was declared a late scratching at 8.55 am. Trainer D. Kelly will be interviewed regarding this matter. Fiesty Manner (J. Bowditch) and Blow The Bugle (S. Scriven) came together and bumped near the 900m. Rounding the 800m turn when the pace slackened, Sir Kingsford had to be steadied off the heels of Blow The Bugle. On straightening, Yuketan (K. Pope) was held up when attempting to take a narrow run between BlowThe Bugle and Fiesty Manner, which shifted out slightly, and was then obliged to shift to the inside of Fiesty Manner to obtain clear running.


Race 7:

Class 6 Handicap - 1600m
1st - Iluva Queenslander; 2nd - Frisco's In Charge; 3rd - Riseupsinging

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Doughty: “He had to do it hard at both ends. He was caught out wide for all of 800m and I thought go forward and get him across and Jason (Holder) eventually managed to get him into a reasonable position. Then it was a real fight in the straight. He’ll go to another 1600m race later this month. If he gets through that he’ll be heading to the 1800m race on Magic Millions day. That’s the aim and so far he is on target.”

Jockey Jason Holder: “He was caught wide and it was a struggle to get in. Twice in the straight I thought I was beaten. He’s a bit of a grinder, a bit of a one-paced horse and twice when they came up to him I thought they would go past. To his credit, he fought on and got the result. I think his record has a lot to do with how well the trainer (Kelly Doughty) has placed the horse. I think he might have some limitations, but he’ll go to town again and we’ll see how it goes. He’s got the results on the board so he deserves his chance.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Iluva Queenslander): 2.00 in to 1.90.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
One For None (A. Pattillo) was slow to begin. Frisco’s In Charge (J. Taylor) over-raced in the early stages.
When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of One For None, A. Pattillo stated that the gelding was not suited by the slow pace of the race, and when placed under pressure inside the 500m, the gelding failed to run on. The trainer's representative could offer no excuse for the performance and undertook to report to stewards any abnormality that becomes apparent with the gelding that may have had a bearing on the performance. A post-race veterinary examination of One For None failed to reveal any significant abnormalities


Race 8:

3yo & Up Mares Class 1 Handicap - 1000m
1st - Linear; 2nd - Rapid Tricia; 3rd - Tamilda

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Lawrie Mayfield-Smith added to his already impressive strike rate when Linear (Micheal Hughes) stormed up late to win first-time out for the Eagle Farm based trainer. The winner had to survive a protest by the second place-getter before the result (as past the post) was confirmed.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
On return to scale a protest was lodged by M. Palmer, rider of the 2nd placegetter, Rapid Tricia, against Linear (M. Hughes) being declared the winner, alleging interference over the final stages. After taking evidence from the parties concerned and viewing the official video, stewards dismissed the objection .
Miss Blackwood (J. Holder) was inclined to race greenly when tiring in the straight, and near the 200m, shifted out despite the efforts of its rider, hampering Hayil And Hearty (D. Gill). Hayil And Hearty then shifted out, making contact with Machi (G. Butler). Most Unique (J. Warrington) was inclined to hang in under pressure in the straight. Nutuzzi (J. Taylor) and Linear (M. Hughes) raced wide throughout.
When questioned regarding the poor performance of Miss Blackwood, J. Holder stated the filly weakened badly in the straight and proved very disappointing. A post-race veterinary examination of Miss Blackwood revealed the filly to be slightly distressed. Trainer Mr D. Peoples could offer no excuse for the performance, indicating he would report to stewards any abnormality which becomes apparent which may have had a bearing on the performance.
A post-race veterinary examination of Nutuzzi failed to reveal any significant abnormalities. The club's veterinary surgeon also reported that We’ve Got Issues was found to be lame in the off-foreleg. Trainer D. Bell was advised that he would be required to produce a veterinary clearance for We’ve Got Issues prior to its next race start.