GOLD COAST REVIEW 1 (SAT, JAN 10)

This is the first part of a two-part review of the Magic Millions Raceday held at the Gold Coast on Saturday, January 10.

Trainer Steele Ryan’s plan to capture a lucrative Maiden win came to fruition when Two Little Words saluted in the opening event.

Trainer Liam Birchley ran up a quick double with Pepperwood and Southport. The former is flying, This was the four-year-old’s third win in five starts this preparation and his second successive feature race success, following on his win in the Bernborough at Doomben last time out. Southport, for his part, bounced back after a lack-lustre effort in his previous start to put his career back on track.

Keen Commander showed all of the qualities that race-goers love in a racehorse. The Denise McGrath trained gelding has never been short of ability or the character to stand and fight and both of these attributes were tested to the full in the Magic Millions Sprint. Keen Commander battled it out the whole length of the straight with the hard chasing Mfuwe (who received no less than 7kg from the winner) and he quite simply refused to be beaten, fighting on to hold a narrow, but decisive margin at the line.

Trainer John O’Shea is no stranger to success on Magic Millions day and this time Espurante provided him with another victory notch on his belt.

Both Southport and Keen Commander established New Race Records for their respective races. Southport stopped the clock in a time of 1-10.44 (beating last year’s run of Sharufa by 0.04 seconds), while Keen Commander’s time of 55.90 comfortably beat Sir Monashee’s 2008 time of 56.29. Further highlighting the quality of these performances is the fact that Southport carried 2kg more than Sharufa when eclipsing the latter’s record, while Keen Commander carried a whopping 6.5kg more than the weight carried by Sir Monashee when setting the old mark.


Race 1:

Maiden Plate 3YO & Up - 1200m.
1st - Three Little Words; 2nd - Soulima; 3rd - Dictatorship

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Steele Ryan: “I have so much respect for his ability. We had EI. We had lots of little things that sort of held us up a little bit. He went shin sore probably four times. He is an exceptional galloper though. He hits the ground very, very hard. I’ve always thought he was one of the better horses in my stable and I still think that. The plan was to go to the Class 6 to get him fit before going to this lucrative Maiden. You don’t get them every day.
“We’ve always been supporters of the Magic Millions, albeit at the bottom end of the market. My dad bought this horse for $75 000 odd, and he said to me, ‘I might keep this horse myself.’ Anyway, a couple of months later he come in and said he’d named it Three Little Words. I said, ‘Dad, how did you come up with that?’ He said that when it wins at the Magic Millions he was going to say three little words, ‘You bloody beauty.”

Jockey Joe Bowditch: “He gave me a few anxious moments. Like he was a bit slow to begin. Then early in the race he wanted to do a few things wrong and we were back a bit out of our ground. But, to the horses credit, he got out and hit the line very well.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Lindner Girl (App M. Palmer) jumped away awkwardly and shifted in hampering Nothin Leica Rapid (T. Treichel). A short distance later Cheapskaterrubi and Nothin Leica Rapid were tightened for room between Professor and Lindner Girl which continued to shift in. Passing the 900m Three Little Words (J. Bowditch) improved up onto the heels of On The Mark (D. Oliver) and had to be checked. Brierly and Professor which were following were hampered as a consequence. Lucyrox (G. Colless), Catchment (C. Brown) and Zsazsa (D. Gauci) were all wide throughout. Approaching the 400m Professor improved up onto the heels of Lucyrox and had to be steadied. A short distance later Professor again had to be steadied when disappointed for a run between Lucyrox and Zsazsa which shifted in. Professor then laid in for the remainder of the event. A post race veterinary examination of Brierly failed to reveal any abnormalities.


Race 2:

Stayers Cup Quality Handicap - 1800m.
1st - Pepperwood; 2nd - Ashraf; 3rd - Causeyacan

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Liam Birchley: “He has had a lot of bad luck with gates and the speed in his races etc .... but he has really hit his straps well this preparation. He’ll be given a spell now and will come back for the Winter. Maybe we’ll look at something like the Hollindale back down here (at the Gold Coast) again.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
L. Nolen the rider of Drizzle pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under the provisions of AR137(a) in that passing the 1600m he permitted his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Rebounded (J. Cassidy) taking that horse in tightening the running of Causeyacan (G. Colless) and as a result Causeyacan shifted in clipping the heels of Nellie Got There (C. Brown) and blundered. Prince Leo (J. Taylor) which was following was hampered as a consequence. L. Nolen's licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of 7 meetings to commence midnight 13 January 2009 and expire midnight 24 January 2009. In addition stewards imposed a monetary fine of $500.00. Grand Corso (D. Gauci), Secrets Untold, Iluva Queenslander and Telestah La Vistah (T. Treichel) were wide throughout. Near the 300m Drizzle (L. Nolen) which was tiring, was momentarily tightened for room by Nellie Got There which shifted out slightly and Causeyacan (G. Colless) which shifted in. Ashraf (D. Spriggs) laid in under pressure over the concluding stages.


Race 3:

2YO Plate (Set Weights) - 1200m.
1st - Southport; 2nd - Swift Sands; 3rd - Bella Sirena

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Liam Birchley: “Last start he didn’t let down. He was feeling shin sore afterwards. He’d jarred up a bit, but he didn’t get sore enough to be put out. We worked on him and we were hoping for rain. They predicted rain all week and we got a little bit there, but it dried out again and we thought the track might again be too hard for him. Maybe that little bit of rain was just enough.”

Jockey Shane Scriven: “We had a lovely run. I just forgot about him early on. The other day he was travelling and looked like a winner coming to the turn – but he just didn’t let down. We were all left scratching our heads after that start. I believe the vet went over him and there were a few problems. I got a similar run today and this time the horse stood up to what we expected of him. What you’ve seen today is the result of what a good team can do when working hard to get things right. He wouldn’t have been out of place in the big one today this horse. In twelve months time he is going to be a horse to be reckoned with.”

Scriven had brought Southport down the inside running rail. I asked the jockey if he thought it was a fair track for everybody, wherever they chose to make their bid for victory.

Scriven: “I do yeah. This was my first ride for the day, but I had a good look at the track going around. We probably defied what looks like being a pattern (by staying on the fence) but I did sort of use this horse as a test dummy and it worked out good. I know a little bit more now than I did when I went out there. That was the whole plan. I might have let the cat out of the bag because everybody knows there is nothing wrong with the inside now.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Ruth’s Secret (G. Colless) blundered on jumping away. Swift Sands (G. Schofield) and False Accusation (D. Oliver) came together on jumping away. Felony Flight (J. Cassidy) had to be checked on jumping away when tightened for room by Falls Creek (L. Cassidy), which after jumping away awkwardly, shifted in. Shortly after the start Floral Scent (S. Galloway), which began awkwardly, had to be steadied off the heels of Bella Sirena (E. Wilkinson). Near the 1150m Southport (S. Scriven) was tightened for room between Kingcup (G. Baker) and Devil’s Angel (D. Gauci). D. Gauci the rider of Devil’s Angel was advised to exercise more care in similar circumstances. Passing the 900m Devil’s Angel hung out taking Richly Blended (L. Nolen) and Falls Creek momentarily wider on the track. Devil’s Angel and Felony Flight raced wide for the majority of the event. Approaching the 600m Bella Sirena (E. Wilkinson) had to be momentarily steadied to avoid the heels of Richly Blended which shifted in. Passing the 600m Southport improved to the inside of Kingcup where there was doubtful room and had to be steadied. Shortly after straightening Felony Flight shifted out and bumped the hind quarters of Devil’s Angel. Near the 300m Richly Blended had to be steadied when tightened between Bella Sirena which shifted in slightly and Mazzini (App P. Wells) which was endeavouring to shift out to obtain clear running. A post race veterinary examination of Ruth’s Secret revealed the filly to be shin sore in both fore-legs.


Race 4:

Sprint Quality Handicap - 1000m.
1st - Keen Commander; 2nd - Mfuwe; 3rd - Sir Monashee

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Denise Mcgrath: “The issue last Saturday was the mud and just lifting his feet out of the ground, that’s all. He gamely fought on but under 60kg it was just too much.” (Keen Commander was beaten by Langfibian in the Bat Out Of Hell over 900m last start). “Today, (the going) on top of the ground gave him that little bit of advantage. He’s just wonderful this horse. He really is. He’s given us such pleasure and the young man looking after him, Jonathan Smith, my foreman, has done a wonderful job with him.
“He had a pretty easy week coming in actually. He had a bit of a hit-out on Wednesday, just to open the pipes and make sure he was alright after last week. He’s my pride and joy, although hopefully I’ll have a few more coming through. I just wanted people to see this courageous horse at his best so they could know what he can do. He is such a brave fellow.”

Jockey Corey Brown: “The combination of the weight and the bad track beat him last time. He took that race very well though. Today, he never got a breather. They made him work all the way. I needed to get across to the fence. He fought on well. It was a good effort.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As G. Baker was overweight stewards permitted E. Wilkinson to be substituted as the rider of Red Meshach. Sir Monashee (J. Holder) and Monashee Knight (G. Schofield) were slow to begin. Hotshot Hayil (R. Thompson) jumped away a little awkwardly. Simplest (S. Scriven), Aladdins Lion (J. Taylor), Vive Le Roi (D. Craven) and Grand Rumba (S. Seamer) all raced wide throughout.


Race 5:

Fillies & Mares Quality Handicap - 1300m.
1st - Espurante; 2nd - Insistence; 3rd - Laletta

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer John O’Shea: “She’s had a few things not go her way this prep and it’s not been her fault, let me tell you. We’ve finally got it right. She’s run well. She’s just been racing a little keenly in herself, so we tried a few gear changes (blinkers off, winkers on) just to help her come back and also to run the 1300m. She’s always been a bit suspect beyond 1200m. The changes seem to work and Glyn (Schofield) rode her beautifully.
“It probably helped that she got held up at the top of the rise. It just probably delayed her run and helped her get the best out of the 1300m, because we knew she’d come quick. She’s a Black Type Flying Spur mare – and they are very hard to come by.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
D. Griffin the rider of Fuhrnatic pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under AR137(a) in that approaching the 1100m he allowed his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Lady Showheart (L. Cassidy) taking that horse in across the heels of Jumaana (C. Brown), which in turn was taken in and tightened Key Bar Nights (J. Holder), which had to be checked and as a result shifted in hampering Illuminates (App P. Wells). D. Griffin's licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of 7 meetings to commence midnight 11 January 2009 and expire midnight 24 January 2009. In addition stewards imposed a monetary fine of $500.00.
Near the 350m Rare Diamond (S. Thurlow) had to be steadied when tightened between Fuhrnatic (D. Griffin) and Jumaana which shifted out to improve. Near the 250m Key Bar Nights improved up onto the heels of Jumaana and had to be steadied. Inside the last 20m Bareena (D. Oliver) was required to race in restricted room to the inside of Espurante (G. Schofield).
When questioned regarding the performance of Bareena jockey D. Oliver stated that the mare was fractious in the barriers and was a little slow to begin. He added that shortly after the start as the mare had been unable to muster early speed he elected to take a position closer to the fence however, there was an incident forward to him near the 1100m which resulted in him being positioned further back than he had anticipated. He further added that he was obligated to ride for luck and the horse ran home nicely in the straight.
A post race veterinary examination of Rock Idol revealed the mare to be suffering from cardiac arrhythmia. Trainer K. Wood was advised that Rock Idol must trial to the satisfaction of stewards and he is to provide the results of an ECG before the mare is permitted to race again.