IPSWICH REVIEW (FRI, FEB 06)

A review of the meeting held at Ipswich on Friday, February 6.

Please note: The Stewards Report was not available at the time this review was posted.


Race 1:

QTIS 2yo Maiden Plate - 800m.
1st - Startling Pleasure; 2nd - Spinelli; 3rd - Ivan’s Choice.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Strong: “She had one previous start. In hindsight, she’d trained off for that run. She won a trial at Eagle Farm, most probably three or four weeks before that race. She won that trial the way she won today ... and just being an early two-year-old, you know, they’re good one day and bad the next. When she won the trial she was good and by the time she got to that race she was on her way out. All we did was a simple six weeks out, bring her back and hopefully she starts where she left off. She’s always been one of our picks. Generally we break in between twelve and fifteen horses a year and she was always in the top three. Fortunately she’s come back strong.”

Jockey Ric McMahon: “She is a very speedy filly and she was far too good for them. Having said that I think she beat a pretty weak field. She’s still doing a few things wrong, like she got on the wrong leg and wanted to hang out a little bit on the turn. I just had to give her one backhand and then she knuckled down real good.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Startling Pleasure): 2.10 out to 2.40.
The winner was the favourite.


Race 2:

3yo and up Maiden Handicap - 1700m.
1st - Chevaux Vapeur; 2nd - Raw Sienna; 3rd - Strachelle.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Michael Hellyer: “I did have an anxious moment at the top of the straight. Once I’ve pulled the whip out, as I’ve gone to give my horse a backhander, the whip went up on the inside of the reins and pulled it out of hands accidentally. I picked it up again straight away and the horse didn’t lose any real momentum for it, but it was a difficult moment. From there it became a real dogfight. I was real confident 100m out. I thought I was just going to go past the leader (Raw Sienna), but the inside horse just kicked back all of the way. My one is going to be a better horse next preparation, because he still fires up a little bit. I said to the connections that I think he is going to be a nice horse over 2000m once he matures. He’s a tough little fella and he still got a bit of learning to do, but once he puts it all together and gets that 2000m sort of distance I think he’s going to be a nice horse.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Chevaux Vapeur): 2.50 out to 2.60 in to 2.50.
The winner was the favourite.


Race 3:

Fillies & Mares Class 2 Handicap - 1200m.
1st - Anachelle; 2nd - Comatose; 3rd - So Different.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Liam Birchley: “It’s been a month between runs. She won first-up last time and again here so she’s putting a good record together. She’ll probably go to town next start. Hopefully there’s still a bit there, a bit more improvement to come. She hasn’t pulled up terrific the last couple of runs that’s why she’s had bit of a gap between races, but hopefully she’ll come through this one a bit better with any luck. She’s had a niggling problem with her shoulder. She strained it somewhere. We have been treating it. It would probably get one hundred percent with a proper spell, but at this stage we’ve just been getting it right and then running her again.”

I suggested that ability-wise, you couldn’t argue with a record that shows three wins from five starts.

Liam Birchley: “No, that’s right ... particularly ... well, she hasn’t been the easiest horse in the world train. She’s got an attitude, a big attitude. She wants to show you who is the boss. She’s one of those ones who’ll rather kill herself in the process than let you win, you know. She is improving. She’ll never become quiet, but she has got better.”

Apprentice jockey Mitchell Speers: “She was going alright and they weren’t crossing us, so I decided to dig up. She was travelling good. I thought I was going to win, but she just wanted to lay out a bit. She wanted to wobble a bit on the turn, but she picked it up and was still going good at the line. I think she’ll probably get further.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Anachelle): 1.90 steady.
The winner was the favourite.


Race 4:

3yo and up Fillies & Mares Maiden Plate.
1st - Rubin Jane; 2nd - Little Pumpkin; 3rd - Flawless.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Laurie Manzelman: “The owners have been very patient. She was out of action for nine months (from May to January) and she was in a bad way at one stage. We don’t know for sure, but we think she was bitten by a red-back spider and she had a very rough time for a while there. We just let her come back in her own time. First-up at the Gold Coast last time I thought she was looking around a bit. So the blinkers went back on here and she stayed focussed and did it well.”

Apprentice jockey Justin Wood: “I rode the horse last time when she was first-up at the coast. She got ridden off the speed and ran home nice for third. I think the track was dead that day. Blinkers went on today as well and so she was always going to be more keen and forward into the bit. She was more focussed today. She got out of the gates and we found a lovely spot on the rail just behind the leader. She just travelled like a professional racehorse, come around that turn, found a bit of space and just kept going. She was just too good for them today.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Rubin Jane): 5.00 out to 6.00.
Favourite (Alyssa Jane): 3.00 out to 3.10 in to 2.40. Finished fifth.


Race 5:

3yo and up C,G & E Maiden Plate - 1200m.
1st - El Khartum; 2nd - Je Suis Rockstar; 3rd - Kerry Road.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Mandy Radecker: “He travelled really well. He drew the one which is always the best place to be. He come back right when he needed to and Lennie (Wheeler) told me he would come home nice – and he did. Lenny doesn’t declare all of his horses, but when he does he is spot on.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (El Khartum): 3.10 steady.
Favourite (Kerry Road): 2.20 out to 2.25.


Race 6:

Class 3 Plate - 2200m.
1st - Siong Tee; 2nd - The Big Zig; 3rd - Grungle.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Jackie Crompton: “Yeah he’s always thereabouts. I don’t think he has ever run a bad race, so I can’t complain. The 1600m at Toowoomba (last time) probably didn’t suit a lot. They went pretty quickly and the leader led by six or seven lengths. So I thought I’d give him a go here. He had to go around. He just kept kicking and got there.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Siong Tee): 13.00 out to 16.00.
Favourite (Innovator): 2.50 in to 2.40. Finished fourth.


Race 7:

Class 1 Handicap - 1350m.
1st - Mackunda; 2nd - Aurelio; 3rd - Golden Gleams.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Richie Stephenson: “He started in Toowoomba with blinkers on and he just raced too hard. We took the blinkers off here and stepped him up in distance and that seemed to do the trick. He’ll go a mile.”

Jockey Garry Baker: “He’s a nicely bred horse (Redoute’s Choice- Catch Me Lady). Today from that awkward barrier we were lucky to get one out, one back. Then, like the last 200m he stretched out nice, but he’s still star-gazing a little bit – but he is getting better with each run. I expect him to improve when he goes further as well. Well bred horses can improve quickly and he might keep going on with the job now. Last start in Toowoomba he had the blinkers on and went a bit hard. The blinkers came off here and today he was able to relax a bit more and he finished off real good mate.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Mackunda): 7.00 in to 5.00 out to 5.50.
Favourite (Aurelio): 3.40 in to 2.80 out to 3.20.


Race 8:

C, G & E Class 2 Handicap - 1200m.
1st - Larry’s Boy; 2nd - Mossbebad; 3rd - Dubbus.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Trevor Bailey: “He didn’t perform well at Doomben in August. That came at the end of his last preparation and we took him there when we probably shouldn’t have. You know, that’s how it is. You’ve got to keep learning about these horses. We’ve just spaced his runs more this time. Now we’ll probably give him three or four weeks and try one of those Class 3’s back in town now. He has done a good job. He’s only had eleven starts and has a fair strike-rate.”

Jockey Terry Treichel: “He jumped away nicely. Sort of had to use him a bit to go forward, but once he got there he travelled nice. Coming to the corner he seemed to start to struggle a bit, but once he straightened up he put it all together and he let down well. He did want to lay in on top of the other horse (Mossbebad) when he got three-quarters of a length in front. Then he wanted to wait for it, you know. I rode him when he ran second at Murwullimbah and he did a very similar thing, sorted waited – hit and front and sorted waited and lay in. This time he didn’t lay in too bad. He hasn’t had that many runs. He’s still learning.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Larry’s Boy): 3.00 out to 3.40. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Dubbus): 3.10 out to 3.40. Finished third.