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Saturday Post Mortem with Chris Scholtz

by Chris Scholtz , 6 years ago

3 minute read

Chris Scholtz reviews racing around Australia on December 30.

THE STARS

JEFF LLOYD The veteran rider is a marvel! Landed four winners at Doomben with some superb riding, especially his skill to turn almost certain defeat into victory on the exciting Care To Think.

DESLEIGH FORSTER/SOMEDAY: The 9YO veteran Someday comes back from the verge of retirement to give popular Brisbane trainer successive wins in the Bernborough Handicap at Doomben. She has since lost last year’s winner Cylinder Beach, who died after breaking down in a race.

BLAKE SHINN: He was in the zone at Randwick where he dominated the program with three wins. His rides on the topweights Music Magnate and Hogmanay were gems.

PIERATA/GREG HICKMAN: Brilliant Doomben win by this high class 3YO has put the popular Warwick Farm trainer on the cusp of a $1.7 million payday at the Magic Millions.

MUSIC MAGNATE: Class always counts and it was the telling factor in his fine first-up win at Randwick. Seven months off after bone chip surgery and carrying 61kg from a wide gate yet they couldn’t run him down!

KRIS LEES: Another good day at the office for the top Newcastle trainer. The dominant Doomben win by the import Singing complemented his Randwick double with promising pair Sasso Corbaro and Sugar Bella.

TALKING POINTS

CORRECT WEIGHT?: I am still trying to come to terms with the reasoning behind the decision of such an astute team as the Hawkes stable to engage Robert Thompson to ride Le Cordon Bleu at Randwick on Saturday and immediately advise stewards that the veteran jockey would be riding the sprinter 1kg overweight. The stewards reported soon after declarations that they had given their permission but did not elaborate on why they had agreed to let Thompson ride Le Cordon Bleu at 54kg. Punters were befuddled over why the Hawkes stable would declare a jockey some 72 hours before the race in the knowledge that he would be 1kg overweight and why stewards gave their blessing when they normally take a stern stance on riders taking mounts below their minimum riding weight. Is there a satisfactory explanation?

PIRES PAYS PENALTY FOR PUNTERS: The ride of the day for punters came from Tasmanian jockey David Pires on the Scott Brunton-trained Life On The Wire at Sandown. Pires made sure one of his rare Melbourne appearances wasn’t wasted, producing a vigorous whip ride over the last 200m to lift the heavily backed favourite over the line. Punters around Australia cheered but Pires lost a fair whack of his winning percentage when he was fined $2000 for excessive use of the whip. Pires is the punter’s pal as the bottom line is Life On The Wire would not have won without the jockey breaching the rules!

TIME FLIES: The Darren Weir-trained favourite Night’s Watch was a late scratching from the Shoot Out Quality at Doomben after arriving on course only 22 minutes before the scheduled start of the race. Weir’s staff member said he had been confused by the change from daylight saving time after arriving in Queensland overnight and lost an hour when he failed to turn back his watch. “It has been expensive for the owners," was the succinct comment from chief steward Alan Reardon.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

• “I had jail written across my head - I thought I’m going straight to jail! I tried to push Trubia out of the way but that didn't work and I had to try something else.” – Jeff Lloyd reflects on his thrilling win on Care To Think at Doomben.

THEY SAID IT

• “All the stars aligned this week and we would have been pretty disappointed if he didn’t win. It could have been three straight but it is what it is - we just had to get on with it and we are still there with a hope of the bonus." - Pierata’s trainer Greg Hickman.

• “He’s still very new, but I’m certain he’s a Group 1 horse. Maybe not this prep, but at some stage he will be,” – Corey Brown’s prediction for Pierata.

• "I was in the bar and screaming and they were all looking at me like I was mad. This really is an emotional day." – Desleigh Forster after watching the 9YO Someday give her successive wins in the Bernborough Handicap.

• “He’s a very exciting horse. He got stopped two or three times and the ground he made up in a short amount of time was extraordinary.” – Matt Dunn says it all about the win of Care To Think.

• "It has been the worst two years of my life. I nearly died twice and it has been a long road back from illness but one thing that has kept me going is this horse. When you have a horse as good as him it is something to live for." – what Doomben winner Snitzkraft means to trainer Kelso Wood.

• “She had a cough for a few days and we had to treat her. You can’t be too cautious with these things so we just had to change her preparation around. This race was here so we decided to come up and have a crack.” – It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Lee Curtis with his Magic Millions filly Meryl.

• "I have always been in the Kah fan club because I always back her in Adelaide races but now I am president.” – Jamie Kah gets a big tick from trainer Gary Duncan after her rails ride to win on Stonecast at Doomben.

• “We don't have a horse in trackwork that runs faster - sooner or later the penny was always going to drop. He's a big, skinny, rangy staying type but while he's racing like that, we'll keep him at the sprints." – El Sicario’s trainer Trent Busuttin.

• “We mucked around with her gear and then took it all off. It did the trick and she is showing a good turn of foot when it matters.” - Kris Lees reveals how he found the key to Sasso Corbaro.

• “He has been a natural from the time we bought him. He’s got a good attitude, a good constitution and conformation so he has all the ingredients to make a good two-year-old.’’ – Quackerjack’s trainer Mark Newnham.

• “If you had a stable full of horses with the heart that she has, you’d be going alright. She tries her heart out/” James Innes praises his Randwick winner Pendeloque.

• “He has got a great physique about him. He certainly looks the part, he just needs to keep lifting the bar. He just has to put it all together to be the full package.” – Peter Snowden’s view of the promising Brave Song.

• "He got a perfect ride today, we give the kid a 12 out of 10 for that ride. The kid's got good hands, he rides him every day, he knows the horse well.” – John Thompson praises Blaike McDougall for his win aboard Dreamforce at Randwick.

BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS

JOHN MOLONEY: Celebrated a Sandown double with Graceful Storm and Orient Line and shared the rides with his nephew Patrick Moloney and Beau Mertens.

MATT DUNN: Big day for the stable with a feature double at Doomben but he went from being a hero with the favourite Care To Think to villain after the blow out win by his 50/1 chance Don’t Babylon in the last race.

CHRIS WALLER: He was expected to win the eighth race at Randwick with one of his seven runners but once again punters were on the wrong end of the result as the winner Hogmanay was the $14 outsider of the team.

ECKSTEIN: Poor run can be explained by report that she got her tongue over the bit. Trainer Kurt Goldman advised that he would experiment with her gear, including removing the winkers.

THE SACK FILE

CABEZA DE VACA: Beaten almost 20 lengths! The $2.80 to $4.40 drift said it all!

GOD’S IN HIM: Will need to find a weak race to regain winning form.

THELBURG: Won’t get a better chance – not good enough!

ORCEIN: Struggled. Heading to the paddock.

I THOUGHT SO: Another costly loss. Definitely in the non-winner’s club.

BLACKBOOK

SUPREME EFFORT: Wide run took its toll. Set for a good campaign.

INVINCIBELLA: Quality mare but needs at least 1400m.

MAGNUFIGHTER: Better than average Brisbane 3YO.

LAMBORGHINI: Crying out for 2000m.

SEPAREE: First-up effort was full of merit. Ran into a dead end.

TEMPLAR: Strong prospect for longer 2YO races.


Racing and Sports

tags

Care To Think Someday Cylinder Beach Musical Magnate Hogmanay Le Cordon Bleu Life On The Wire Night’s Watch Pierata Snitzkraft Meryl Stonecast El Sicario Sasso Corbaro Quackerjack Pendeloque Brave Song Dreamforce Graceful Storm Orient Line Don’t Babylon

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