EAGLE FARM REVIEW (SAT, MAR 07)

A review of the meeting held at Eagle Farm on Saturday, March 7.

SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
From ITC meeting 5.3.09 - Trainer T. Cotsiopoulos advised stewards that Mishki (Race 3) pulled up lame in the off-foreleg and would now be sent for a spell.


Race 1:

Class 6 Handicap - 1818m
1st - Drumshanbo; 2nd - Use To Be A Dancer; 3rd - Super Wonton

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Michael Nolan: He’s never fought like that, but he has always been a horse who has preferred Eagle Farm. He had a nice run. He never had to circle them. At Doomben the other day, if you watch the race, he’s had to come around the whole field. You can’t do it at Doomben, you know. This is his first go over 1800m and he has handled it. He’s always been a horse who has found the line and he is very consistent. We’ll come back here again and probably step him up to 2000m and give him a go at that.”

Apprentice jockey Michael Palmer: “He stepped up in distance today. He had the good alley in barrier two and Michael (Nolan) told me to try and put him up there a bit closer today. He jumped out really well and basically just put himself into the race. Once we got a nice position he travelled well throughout. Once we sort of straightened up, he just kept grinding away, you know, he really kept coming. He always grinds away at them. Once I got to about the 200m, he was always going to get them, but only just. He was always coming.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Drumshanbo): 10.00 steady.
Favourite (Lucky Toss): 3.20 in to 3.00 out to 3.10. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Peaceful Honour (D. Craven) and Use To Be A Dancer (Matthew Palmer) were slow to begin. Shuffle The Cash (O. Turpin) and Dawns Queen (D. Browne) raced three wide for the majority of the event. Portland Bay (A. Pattillo) raced three wide in the early stages and near the 1200m improved forward to take up a position outside the leader. Leaving the 1000m the nearside winker of Havayarn (S. Scriven) became dislodged. Approaching the 600m Havayarn, which had raced ungenerously throughout the event, improved up on to the heels of Drumshanbo (Michael Palmer) and had to be steadied. Tolart (C. Reith) and Dawns Queen, which were following, were both hampered as a consequence. Near the 250m Lucky Toss (J. Taylor), which was inclined to lay in, shifted in taking Viking Storm (L. Rolls) in on to Portland Bay. J. Taylor was severely reprimanded under AR. 137(a) for failing to make a greater effort to keep his mount on a straight path. A post-race veterinary examination of Peaceful Honour revealed the horse was showing signs of soreness in the off knee. Trainer M. Thexton was advised that she must produce a veterinary clearance for Peaceful Honour before its next race start. A post-race veterinary examination of Father Dex (J. Bowditch) revealed that the horse was suffering metabolic heat syndrome. A post-race veterinary examination of Norse Code (R. Wiggins) failed to reveal any abnormalities.
Stewards questioned apprentice O. Turpin regarding his riding of Shuffle The Cash, particularly as to whether there was an opportunity for him to position his mount closer to the rails after being obliged to race wide in the early stages. Apprentice Turpin stated that shortly after entering the back straight he had attempted to restrain Shuffle The Cash in an endeavour to take a position closer to the fence, however the horse was travelling strongly at that stage and he was unable to do so. He added that he did not think it would be in the horse's best interests to trail Portland Bay to a forward position and felt his best option was to allow the horse to settle where it was comfortable. His explanation was recorded.


Race 2:

2yo QTIS Handicap - 1200m
1st - Sweepstaking; 2nd - Fantastic Blue; 3rd - Manhattan Angel

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Gillian Heinrich (talking about her unbeaten filly, who is now two from two): “It was really good. She improved obviously on his first run and got a good, firm track as well today. It was nice to see her be somewhere handy too. She was a little bit unruly at one stage. She had to trial a couple of times and now she’s had the two runs on top of that, so I’ll give her a break now and then I’ll bring her back. She’s done her job. You’ve got nothing to gain by pushing on now. We know we’ve got a nice filly. We’d only probably get one more run out of her this prep if we pushed her anyway, so we’ll put her away. No, I don’t think we have time to get her back for the Carnival. All of the Carnival horses are virtually back in now. By the time she had a month off and some weeks back it would be the end of it already. There’s nothing to say she can’t go down south next time though.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Sweepstaking): 2.80 in to 2.60 out to 2.70.
The winner was the favourite – one of two favourites to win on the day.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fantastic Blue (P. Wolfgram) blundered on jumping away and shifted out bumping Succeed And Exceed (J. Bowditch). Empezar (E. Wilkinson) and Choices (W. Clasohm) came together on jumping away. Shortly after the start Speedometer (D. Browne) and No Ransom (O. Turpin) were tightened for room between Choistar (K. Yoshida), which shifted in, and Brennan (D. Gill), which shifted out. Speedometer over-raced in the early stages of the event. Empezar raced greenly in the early stages.
Near the 900m Pure Devil (Michael Palmer) commenced to hang out and took no further competitive part in the event. Trainer T. Ainsworth was advised that the horse must trial to the satisfaction of the stewards prior to its next start. When the pace eased approaching the 800m Brennan over-raced at the heels of Manhattan Angel (S. Scriven) and had to be steadied.
Choistar raced wide throughout the event. No Ransom (O. Turpin) laid in when placed under pressure in the straight and inside the final 100m shifted in despite the efforts of its rider. Trainer A. Bailey advised stewards that he would spell No Ransom immediately and undertook to trial the horse before starting it again. Show Me Why (L. Rolls) raced greenly in the early stages of the straight.
Jockey P. Wolfgram, the rider of Fantastic Blue, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under AR. 137(a), the careless riding being that near the 250m he permitted his mount to shift out under hard riding, resulting in Show Me Why (L. Rolls) clipping the heels of Fantastic Blue and dislodging apprentice Rolls. P. Wolfgram's licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of one calendar month, with the term of suspension to commence at midnight on 7 March and expire at midnight on Tuesday, 7 April 2009.
A post-race veterinary examination of Pure Devil revealed the horse had sustained a small laceration to the inside of the off hind fetlock.


Race 3:

F&M Class 6 Plate - 1200m
1st - Seething Duck; 2nd - Michelle Cafea; 3rd - Jacaranda Charm

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bruce Brown: “Yeah, I’ve only had her for this prep and she was a pretty unlucky in both runs. First-up she just needed the run and last start she got trapped three or four wide, you know. She wasn’t beaten by bad horses either. Queen Of Asia and Blue Jupiter (who won those races) have both put together a couple of good results. Today we decided there was going to be plenty of speed. We didn’t want to be trapped wide so we dug her out of the machines because I know she used to lead by three or four lengths in Sydney. She crossed them and led and everything worked out nice. It makes a difference when they can run their own race.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Seething Duck): 6.00 steady.
Favourite (Stacked): 3.00 out to 3.20. Finished eighth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Superfly (R. Stewart) was slow to begin. Near the 600m Gun Belle (S. Scriven) was momentarily crowded for room between Jacaranda Charm (K. Forrester) and Stacked (Matthew Palmer), which was taken in slightly by Manic Monday (L. Rolls). Manic Monday and Deejay’s Girl (S. Galloway) raced wide throughout.
When questioned regarding the performance of Stacked, apprentice Matthew Palmer stated that the horse began only fairly and could not muster early speed, resulting in it settling further back than he would have preferred. He added that the horse only travelled fairly throughout the event and was under pressure shortly after entering the home straight. A post-race veterinary examination of Stacked failed to reveal any abnormalities.


Race 4:

1MW Handicap - 1000m
1st - Cattleman; 2nd - Admiral Gherkin; 3rd - Falco Star

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Harry Richardson: “The race went exactly how Jason (Taylor) and I planned it. Two or three would go quick and we would get a beautiful sit. That’s what happened. He hasn’t run for seven weeks, but that was no worry. No, he didn’t trial. We didn’t do a thing with him. He doesn’t need much work. He just loves being fresh. He knows what to do.”

Jockey Jason Taylor: “He drew an awkward gate, but he seemed to get across and he was travelling beautifully. He can begin and you can let him be where he wants to be. It was a good win. He’s got a good strike-rate (six wins from eleven starts) and he just continues to race well.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Cattleman): 4.60 out to 5.00.
Favourite (Admiral Gherkin): 3.20 out to 3.60. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fiamore (R. Wiggins) and Demolir (S. Galloway) were slow to begin. Jockey J. Taylor, the rider of Cattleman, was reprimanded for allowing his mount to shift in leaving the 900m, taking Final Vision (G. Baker) inwards, resulting in crowding to Sleepy Jackson (O. Turpin) and Fiamore, both of which had to be steadied. Stewards questioned apprentice L. Rolls regarding his riding of Hotshot Hayil in the straight, particularly over the final 150m as to why he failed to take a run that presented itself to the inside of Fiamore. Apprentice Rolls stated that his first option was to take a run between Sleepy Jackson (O. Turpin) and Fiamore, however due to movement from both those runners he was unable to do so and as a result he was held up over the concluding stages. Stewards recorded the explanation.


Race 5:

3yo QTIS Handicap - 1300m
1st - Meet George; 2nd - Heartsun; 3rd - Bold Glance

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Apprentice jockey Owen Turpin: “The horse had always drawn badly the last three runs I’ve ridden him. He always seems to sort of settle just worse than midfield because of the alley. He is not a horse you can ride forward. He is more a horse you can save up on the bit – and he will put in a good sprint. He finished strongly and his momentum took him right past them. Just the last 50m he felt it. He just wanted to run around a little bit ... but he had it won by then.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Meet George): 6.50 out to 7.00 in to 5.00.
Favourite (Dual Code): 2.80 steady. Finished twelth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Satula (K. Forrester), which was slow to begin, had to be steadied shortly after when tightened for room between River Perfume (S. Drake) and Meet George (O. Turpin), which shifted in. Heartsun (D. Browne) over-raced in the early stages. Navigation (Matthew Palmer) raced very ungenerously in the early stages and near the 1000m had to be steadied when crowded for room between Dual Code (Michael Palmer) and Macedon (R. Wiggins) which shifted in. Bungalien (C. McIver) raced wide in the early stages. Approaching the 900m Satula was tightened for room and obliged to steady when Za Magic (B. Stewart) shifted in when not fully clear. B. Stewart was reprimanded under AR. 137(a) and advised to exercise care in similar circumstances. Macedon raced wide throughout. Upon entering the home straight Vivaheart (L. Cheshire) shifted out hampering Goldfinger (C. Reith).
When questioned regarding the performance of Dual Code, apprentice Michael Palmer stated that the horse began well and he was able to take up a position mid-field, however when he placed the horse under pressure near the 400m it failed to accelerate and did not finish the race off as he had expected. Trainer T. Bailey stated that he was disappointed in the performance of Dual Code today and added that the horse had worked well leading up to today's event and he had expected the horse to race well. Mr Bailey undertook to advise stewards of anything that came to light in subsequent days which may have had a bearing on the performance. A post-race veterinary examination of Dual Code failed to reveal any abnormalities.
When questioned regarding the seemingly disappointing performance of Macedon, jockey R. Wiggins stated that although the horse was obliged to race three wide, it was disappointing in the way it finished the race off.
Trainer J. Wigginton was advised that Bungalien, which shifted in abruptly near the 200m despite the efforts of its rider and raced ungenerously for some distance thereafter, would require a veterinary clearance, including the results of an endoscopic examination, and would have to trial to the satisfaction of the stewards before racing again.
Stewards recorded the explanation of jockey K. Forrester regarding his failure to ride his mount (Satula) out right to the line, but nevertheless reminded him of his obligations under the rules.


Race 6:

NMW Handicap - 1500m
1st - Bann Ruby; 2nd - Icedane; 3rd - Bernardo

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Les Kelly: “That’s his fourth run this prep. He is a horse that needs a couple of runs to get him right. We’ve just kept stepping him up in ground. He’s probably going to be at his best when he gets to 1800m, 2000m.”

Jockey Shane Scriven: “Yeah, I was always going to get the run on the inside but it came a bit soon for me. He got to the front and then he really thought all of his work was done. Just had to keep reminding him, you know, it’s not over till the winning post comes up. Mate, it looked a nice race for him and, you know, the boys assured me he would run well. It was my job to give him the best run. Things worked out well. We’re the winners.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Bann Ruby): 4.00 out to 4.20 in to 4.00.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Bloodhound (J. Taylor) was slow to begin. Sinful Warrior (L. Cheshire) raced wide throughout. Icedane (S. Drake) laid in under pressure in the straight. Post-race veterinary examinations of Starry Dancer (A. Pattillo) and Makunda (G. Baker) failed to reveal any abnormalities.


Race 7:

Listed (Quality) Handicap - 1600m
1st - Go Cart; 2nd - Stage Shaker; 3rd - Sam's Express

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Steven O’dea (who has now moved permanently to Brisbane from Townsville): “I bought him out of Melbourne. He was with Paddy Payne and before that he was trained by Guy Walter. I bought him the middle of last year. He had a few feet issues. I had to spell him straight away and then bring him back in. There was a step up in distance today, a good barrier and a drop in weight so that was all in his favour. I might give him a bit of a let-up now. I’ve still got to decide. I might bring him back for the Carnival. I think there are a couple of mile races – Listed races. It’s usually wet over the Carnival so that suits him as well. I’m moving to Eagle Farm permanently. I’m not going back. I’ve got four horses in the stable now, but I’m got another ten to come in over the next month. So it’s an interesting time for me.”

Jockey Ryan Wiggins: “He had a nice barrier and we got the nice run. I just had to go for a tight run at the top of the straight on the inside. He took the gap well and won well. They were coming at me at the last bit, but I had a nice cruisy run to get to the finish so I had enough left in the end. The step up in distance suited him and a bit of speed in the race suited him as well.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Go Cart): 7.00 steady.
Favourite (Rightson): 2.80 in to 2.60. Finished fifth.

Secrets Untold (K. Yoshida) raced in restricted room for a short distance after the start. Secrets Untold raced three wide throughout. Rounding the home turn Rightson (S. Scriven) and Nexgen (A. Pattillo) came together and brushed. Approaching the 100m Ice Chariot (P. Wolfgram) was momentarily steadied when Honour Happy List (D. Craven) shifted in under pressure. Soon after Ice Chariot shifted out under pressure and bumped Secrets Untold. A post-race veterinary examination revealed that Slim Pickings (L. Cheshire) was sore in the near-fore foot. Trainer D. Johnson was advised that he must produce a veterinary clearance for Slim Pickings before starting the horse again.
Jockey D. Craven, the rider of Honour Happy List, was fined $300 under AR. 145 for weighing in in excess of half a kilogram over his declared weight.
Stewards questioned jockey S. Galloway, the rider of Angelo Minny, regarding his riding of that horse in the home straight. S. Galloway stated that shortly after entering the straight he placed the horse under pressure riding hands and heels, however Angelo Minny failed to accelerate and midway down the straight he was of the opinion that the horse was not a chance of improving its position and therefore did not apply undue pressure as the horse was second up from a spell. S. Galloway added that the horse was better suited over longer journeys. Stewards recorded the explanation of S. Galloway, however advised him that in future he should ride his mounts out in such a way as to not leave himself open to question.


Race 8:

C,G&E Class 6 Plate - 1200m
1st - Public Nuisance; 2nd - Heart; 3rd - Frosty

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Louise White: “I don’t know where Heather is. (Heather Burgess is the co-owner and former trainer of Public Nuisance who scored his fourth consecutive victory here – one for Burgess and three for White). “She’s not here this time. I don’t know where she is. I couldn’t get her on the phone. I know she’ll be watching somewhere and she would have screamed the place down probably. It’s just fantastic.”

Jockey Damian Browne: “That was a good effort, you know. He is a pretty honest little horse. He needed a gap in the straight. When it came it was a pretty small gap and he had to be encouraged to take the run. Other than taking that run, which was pretty tight, we travelled well all the way and he showed courage in the finish. It’s an unbelievable start to a training career, isn’t it?”

Browne was referring to Louise White’s perfect training record of three winners (all in the city) from three starts. How does she do it? “That’s my secret,” was White’s reply.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Public Nuisance): 10.00 out to 12.00.
Favourite (Frosty): 6.00 in to 3.80. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Lennon (R. Wiggins) and Lucidly (A. Pattillo) came together on jumping away. Alternate (C. McIver), Hear Ye (S. Scriven), Save A Buck (J. Taylor) and Abbacina (S. Galloway) raced wide throughout. Approaching the 100m Public Nuisance raced in restricted room for a short distance after obtaining a narrow run between Gunsari (C. Reith) and Blue Jupiter (J. Bowditch).

STEWARDS RACE DAY EXTRACT:
Summary of action concerning thoroughbred horses:
Horses swabbed pre-race:
Dual Code, Noriel, Rightson, Ice Chariot, Satula, Bungalien, Drumshanbo, Portland Bay, Lucky Toss, Superfly, A Little Dabl Doya, Seething Duck.
Horses swabbed post-race: All winners and 2nd placegetters.