3 minute read

Jockeys are a hardy species.

Just two days after being nearly knocked unconscious in a race, French jockey Louis-Philippe Beuzelin had bounced straight back into the saddle and winning races.

The nasty incident happened in the penultimate race on Friday night, when his horse Julius Caesar decided he was not a racehorse but an aeroplane and took off at the start of the Class 4 Division 1 race over 1100m on Polytrack.

As the horse fly-jumped, Beuzelin's head unfortunately made impact with the top of the starting gate. The jockey was then seen bailing out.

X-rays fortunately revealed there was no fracture (thanks no doubt to his skullcap) a few hours later, with Beuzelin even getting the medical green light to honour his five rides on Sunday, which happen to be his last meeting before he goes on an enforced six-day holiday for two careless riding charges. He only resumes riding in the first week of the new 2020 season.

"The horse reared and my head hit the top of the gate. It hurt so much and as I knew I couldn't continue riding in that state, I slid off the horse," said Beuzelin.

"I was worried I had hurt my back because of the impact. It was pretty sore but the X-rays thankfully came back clear.

"Once they gave me muscle relaxants, I felt much better and I feel as good as gold today."

Beuzelin certainly felt even better after his second Sunday ride made sure he would not be ending the 2019 season without a winner.

After an unplaced finish on Shepherd's Hymn in Race 2, he was right on the money on $18 chance Golazo in the $50,000 Class 4 race over 1800m on Polytrack.

With frontrunning tactics paying off for the Japanese-bred six-year-old by Screen Hero at his last start, Beuzelin and trainer Hideyuki Takaoka did not have to wreck their brains for a battle plan.

Golazo  had to, however, be coaxed at from barrier No 1, but once he complied, he went on to stack up the speed, and was off and gone when Beuzelin threw out the anchors at the top of the straight.

Favourite Dazzle Gold (Michael Rodd) was already on the ropes 400m out while Mighty Emperor (Vlad Duric) did try to level a more challenging attack, but try as he might, he had to settle for second place 2 ¾ lengths away.

Dazzle Gold weakened out of it to run third another 4 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 52.45secs for the 1800m on the Polytrack.

"From barrier No 1, he actually jumped slowly, and I had to ride him out," said Beuzelin.

"He was sleeping in front, was looking everywhere, but he did it easily in the end.

"The blinkers were supposed to sharpen him up, but when he had them on, it didn't work out.

"He threw his head up and wouldn't go forward, but taking the blinkers off made a lot of difference."

Takaoka also could not quite get his head wrapped around that paradox, but would just leave it as one of many quirks in horses.

"This horse has potential. For a long time, he has been losing focus with blinkers on, but when we took off the blinkers, funnily, he was more focused," said Takaoka.

"It was a small field today and there was not much speed. We had to go forward again."

Golazo has now taken his handy record to seven wins and 10 placings from 50 starts for prizemoney around the $350,000 mark for Mr Masa Otani of Big Valley Stable.