GOLD COAST REVIEW (WED, MAR 11)

A review of the meeting held at the Gold Coast on Wednesday, March 11.

STEWARDS SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT EXTRACT:
As K. Banks was injured stewards permitted rider changes as per the Stewards Race Day Summary.
* Kristy Banks recovered in time to ride the Darryl Gollan trained Redibis to victory in the Magic Millions 2yo Trophy at Rockhampton the day after the Gold Coast meeting.


Race 1:

3yo & Up C,G & E Maiden Handicap - 1200m.
1st - Exolart; 2nd - Foxy Fred; 3rd - Northern Praise

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Schweida: “I never had him last prep. I gave him one start. Then I gelded him. We gelded him in-between runs because he was a bit naughty. We had to geld him because he was a bully, and as soon as another horses would get alongside him there would be a problem. He had a run the other day where he ran out of gas. He can handle the wet because he’s got a wet pedigree on the mother’s side. If he goes straight he’s alright. You’ll see in the replay, he wanted to run around a little bit, but as soon as he (Brad Stewart) put the stick away, he took off.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Monching (C. Reith) reared at the start and lost ground and was then obliged to race wide throughout the event. Irish Pub (App S. Stanbridge) was slow to begin. Gimme (App M. Speers) raced ungenerously in the early stages. Chubby (K. Purdy) raced wide throughout. Near the 500m Irish Pub improved onto the heels of Exolart on two occasions and had to be steadied. Near the 300m Exolart shifted out to improve and in doing so crowded the running of Gimme and Monching (C. Reith). Ciento Mambo (T. Treichel) which was following was hampered as a consequence.


Race 2:

3yo & Up F & M Maiden Handicap - 1200m.
1st - Mixell; 2nd - Quingilly; 3rd - Lemarac Lass

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Doughty: “The blinkers came off today. Look, she is really well bred out of the mother. She is very tiny. She probably is a little bit limited, but she’s been working very well this week, so we are actually quite excited about today.”(The volume of the vocal enthusiasm Doughty showed when calling her horse home from the grandstand vouched for that). We thought she’d like the wet track. Her family really liked it. She knuckled down beautifully at the end. It was great. It’s all good.”

Apprentice jockey Matthew Palmer: “It was our intention to go forward, but we got trapped a little bit wide. It wasn’t too detrimental in the end. We were deep, but she wasn’t over-working. She was running her race within herself. Look, she is just a small little thing and she was able to skip along across the top of the grass. She quickened well when I asked her. She did everything right. It would have been nice if we could have got one off the fence, but we got there. We got the toffees.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Foxysal (L. Cheshire) proved difficult to load. Trainer L. MacPherson was advised that Foxysal would require a further barrier certificate before racing again. Foxysal jumped in the air at the start and lost ground. Supervolito (L. Cassidy) and Quingilly (T. Treichel) were both tightened for room on jumping away between Durian (C. Reith) which shifted out and Salcanro (D. Tanti) which shifted in. In this incident Quigilly lost its rightful running. Fatal Femme Fatale (B. Stewart) and Spanish Silver (D. Craven) were a little slow to begin. Supervolito (L. Cassidy) over-raced in the early stages. Mixell (App M. Palmer), Supervolito and Spanish Silver all raced wide for the majority of the event.
When questioned regarding the seemingly improved performance of Mixell trainer K. Doughty stated that in her opinion all of Mixell’s previous runs had had some merit and at the filly's most recent start it had raced keenly in blinkers and only tired over the latter stages of the event. K. Doughty further added that the removal of blinkers for today's event and that the horse is bred to handle rain affected tracks may have assisted in today's forward showing. Stewards noted her explanation.
A post race veterinary examination of Durian failed to reveal any abnormality. A post race veterinary examination of Quingilly revealed the filly had sustained a laceration to the off side fore-leg.


Race 3:

2yo QTIS Maiden Plate - 900m.
1st - Fab Fevola; 2nd - Huckleberry Dane; 3rd - Beautiful Nicola

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bryan Guy: “I thought he was unbeatable. I thought he would just win. His work has been great. I thought he would just be too good for them. He missed the kick a little bit. Larry (Cassidy) had to use him a bit early, and, because of that, I think Larry thought he just had to sit and wait a little bit longer. I think he is a good horse. I think 1200m will suit him better. Like he’s run 53.09 on a heavy track and 34.72 coming home. There is a $100 000, Magic Millions race here on March 28. We’ll be looking at that.”

Jockey Larry Cassidy: “He did a couple of things wrong. Like, he went up in the air when the gates opened. That’s why I waited in the straight. Because he went up in the air, I had to do a little bit of work in the first part, because he’s very fast. I knew I would be found wanting in the last little bit, so I just wanted to nurse him, nurse him, nurse him. When the other horse came at me I had to do something on him. It was a gutsy win. I thought it was a very good win actually.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fantastic Four (C. Whiteley), Big Boori (B. Stewart) and Snap Hook (L. Cheshire) were all slow to begin. Fab Fevola (L. Cassidy) reared as the start was affected and lost ground. Mark ‘N’ Spin (B. Pengelly) shifted out at the start making contact with Huckleberry Dane (S. Scriven). Shortly after the start Swell (C. Reith) shifted in and away from Czarwho (D. Craven) severely crowding the running of Last Love (App L. Rolls) and Fragrant Star (J. Bowditch). Near the 800m Czarwho shifted in and away from Jillilikes (M. Paget) taking Swell in onto Vencedor (T. Treichel), which in turn shifted in onto Andy Said (A. Pattillo), resulting in that horse making heavy contact with Big Boori. In this incident Swell, Andy Said and Vencedor all had to be checked. As P. Strong the trainer of Czarwho undertook to trial the horse before starting again stewards did not take any further action against the horse. Snap Hook commenced to lay in near the 600m and as a result had to be steadied from the heels of Fantastic Four and Vencedor. Huckleberry Dane and Mark ‘N’ Spin both raced wide for the majority of the event. Fab Fevola shifted ground outwards under pressure over the concluding stages.


Race 4:

Maiden Plate - 1800m.
1st - Sydney Or The Bush; 2nd - Hooray Tobey; 3rd - Finding Neverland

WINNER FEEDBACK:
The Alan Bailey trained Sydney Or The Bush gave his followers a winning payout this time, making no mistake as he easily outgunned his rivals. Jockey Chris Whitely took one look as he went past the leader at the top of the straight, before letting the impressive looking chestnut chase away unchallenged to secure the first victory of his career. The gelding had previously proved costly to follow, finishing as a beaten favourite on several occasions (he was a close-up runner-up in his previous two starts), but he did give a hint here of what he might be capable of with a little more education and when caught in a galloping mood.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Near the 400m Hooray Tobey (L. Cassidy) had to be steadied when momentarily tightened for room between Dolphin Quest (D. Craven) and Natane (A. Spinks), which lost ground when tiring.


Race 5:

Fillies & Mares Class 1 Handicap - 1400m.
1st - Starsplash; 2nd - Way Too Hot; 3rd - Dubai Belle

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Chris Whiteley bided his time early on the Alan Bailey trained filly, but, once he asked her to extend in the home straight, the ‘race-over’ sign went up pretty quickly. The three-year-old raced home unchallenged to score her second successive win and so maintain her unbeaten record this preparation. The result completed a race-to race double for the Alan Bailey / Chris Whiteley combination.

STEWARDS:
No report.


Race 6:

Apprentice Cup National Series Class 3 Handicap - 1200m.
1st - Worth Doing; 2nd - Laurels; 3rd - Dr Chicago

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Doughty (who completed a double on the day): “I’ve only had the horse for two runs and two wins so we’re very happy with our success with him – and having a double today is even better. I pulled the jockey’s name out of the hat and when they told me he was a Tasmanian I said, that’s my luck, they follow me everywhere.”

Apprentice jockey Darryl Horner (Jnr): “Look, the horse showed a good turn of foot coming out of the barrier. We went quite hard for the first furlong. After about a furlong-and-a-half the pace settled. A horse then came up on my outside, which was good. It kept me on the bridle. Turned for home ... showed a really good turn of foot to get away from them a bit. From there we just toughed it out.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
App L. Dillon the rider of Epicred was dislodged during its preliminary in the mounting enclosure resulting in him suffering a harmless fall. The start of this race was delayed due to Miz Winfrey (App M. Speers) having to be resaddled and Cyclone Larry (App M. Hughes) having to undergo a veterinary inspection after being kicked at the barrier. Laurels (App M. Palmer) and Magic Rocker (App V. Schubert) both lost their position shortly after the start when severely crowded for room between Miz Winfrey and Worth Doing (App D. Horner Jnr), both of which shifted ground. Dr Chivago (App O. Turpin) had to be steadied shortly after the start when tightened for room between Stormy Cruz (App J. Brown) and Innocenzio (App B. Knobel). Leaving the 1100m Mighty Canny (App T. Neve) and Stormy Cruz (App J. Brown) were both tightened for room and had to be steadied to avoid the heels of Worth Doing which shifted in. App D. Horner Jnr the rider of Worth Doing was reprimanded for this incident. Near the 900m Mighty Canny made heavy contact with the running rail and as a result shifted out making contact with the hind quarters of Stormy Cruz causing both horses to become unbalanced and lose ground. Cyclone Larry and Miz Winfrey which were following were hampered as a consequence. Laurels was forced to race wide from a point leaving the 900m. Near the 800m Epicred lost ground and as a result Laurels improved up onto that horse's heels and had to be steadied and shift out. Run The Course (App S. Bogenhuber) which was following was inconvenienced as a consequence. A post race veterinary examination of Miz Winfrey which raced wide for the majority of the event and compounded over the concluding stages to finish a distant last revealed the mare to have suffered a laceration to the gum line. Trainer of Miz Winfrey K.T. Smith expressed his disappointment in the mare's performance and undertook to advise stewards of any condition that may come to light in the days following the event, which may explain Miz Winfrey’s performance.


Race 7:

Gold Coast Quality Stakes - 1200m.
1st - Hard To Catch; 2nd - Vocalic; 3rd - Chevron Island

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Pat Duff: “He does like the wet, but I was just a little bit worried about how wet that track was. But Brad (Stewart) knows that horse so well. He has won first-up before. I wasn’t certain - I couldn’t remember - but my jockey reminded me that he had done it before. He is a wonderful horse. Any horse that has won $1 million in Queensland is very good. I’ve left him in as a first acceptor in the Doncaster hoping it’s rainy as hell down there. I’ve still got to make those decisions. Right now I will just wait and see. There is a race at Eagle Farm in two weeks. I’ve even given a bit of thought to taking him to New Zealand. There is a race over there which is run at Ellerslie over Easter time. It’s a feature race over a mile. It’s a good race for something like $400 000. So we have got options and, of course, we will be looking forward to a race Eagle Farm in June.” (Hard To Catch finished second, losing by the narrowest of margins, in the 2008 running of the Stradbroke).

Trainer Pat Duff (speaking at the trophy presentation ceremony): “I certainly want to thank my owners, the Tutt family and all of the other connections including my wife who was the one who pushed me to buy Hard To Catch. He was passed in. I liked the horse and I said to my wife that he’d been passed in. She said, if you like him at $20 000 and they want $25 000 – you think he is worth $20 000, go back and give them 25 000. I’m very happy that she did that. Most of all I want to thank Brad Stewart. I think Brad is one of the coolest riders I’ve seen. He is a great rider and he is riding on the crest of a wave at the moment."

Jockey Brad Stewart (who rode his fifth winner in two meetings): “He knows where the line is. He has been winning good races like that for a number of years now. The way he’s going he’s shown he still has a lot more in him. He can be a bit of a tricky horse to ride when he draws a bad barrier – which he did here. He didn’t have a good barrier today. When we balanced up in the straight I knew he was going to be there somewhere. I was just hoping we were going to get there in time.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Pay Me (A. Pattillo) was tightened for room at the start between Bitabiff (J. Bowditch) and Vocalic (B. Pengelly), which shifted in. Approaching the 400m Chevron Island (M. Paget) shifted out in an attempt to gain clear running making contact with Pay Me. Leaving the 400m Yass River shifted out taking Watchyerback (S. Galloway) out onto Hard To Catch (B. Stewart), which in turn shifted out onto Pay Me. Masai Pride was tightened for room near the 150m between Bitabiff and Yass River (C. Reith), which shifted in under pressure. C. Reith the rider of Yass River was reprimanded. Masai Pride (L. Cassidy) raced wide for the majority of the event.


Race 8:

C, G & E Class 1 Handicap - 1400m.
1st - Charter Boat; 2nd - Godly; 3rd - Our Heart

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tracy Green: “He’ll go out now. He is straight out today. There is a float waiting to take him straight out – and he’ll get gelded. I’m going to bring him back for either the Coloundra Guineas or the Grafton Guineas. Take him for a trip away. He has learnt a lot, you know, since that first start when he was so erratic. We’ve been stepping him slowly up in distance every start. I think he’ll be alright over a mile.
“He was a bargin buy. I bought him at the Magic Millions for $1500. He’s by Admiralty who is the sire of Mr Hornblower who has done so well for us. That’s why we bought him. Not that he looked too much like him. He was butt ugly. I looked at Les and said, do you really want to buy this? He said he is by Admiralty – I’m having him! He has grown into a nice horse, but we’ve had a lot of trouble with his legs, maturity-wise. So we’ve been waiting and waiting ... for something like two years. God, every-time he came in, he’d be in for six weeks and then out for three months. Then back again ... and you knew you had to sit because he was full of this ability, and you couldn’t do anything about it. Character-wise, yeah, he’s a beautiful horse in the stable, but he’s got another brain at the moment – you know what teenage boys are like. But we’ll deal with when he goes out this time.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Our Heart (S. Galloway) which was slow to begin was tightened for room shortly after between Tread Lightly (D. Griffin) and Charter Boat (B. Pengelly) both of which shifted ground. Timecall (L. Cassidy) raced wide throughout. Approaching the 200m Godly (J. Bowditch) shifted out making contact with Charter Boat. Our Heart was inclined to lay in under pressure in the straight. A post race veterinary examination of Forbes (App L. Rolls), which tailed off a distant last, failed to reveal any abnormality.
A post race veterinary examination of Engee Em Grand (A. Spinks) revealed the horse to be mildly lame in the near fore leg. Trainer D. Lawlor will be contacted and advised that a veterinary certificate of fitness will be required prior to its next race start. B. Pengelly rider of Charter Boat returned to scale in excess of 1/2 kilo overweight. After taking evidence from both jockey B. Pengelly and trainer T. Green it was established that Ms Green had added gear after jockey B. Pengelly had weighed out. T. Green pleaded guilty to a charge under AR118A and fined the sum of $100.00.

STEWARDS RACE DAY SUMMARY EXTRACT:
Summary of action concerning thoroughbred horses:
Pre-Race Horses swabbed:
Vencedor, Snap Hook, Magic Rocker, Pelltro, Mighty Canny, Fantastic Four.
Post- Race Horses swabbed:
All winners plus Foxy Fred, Way Too Hot, Vocalic and Godly.