WITH the start of the three-day CAULFIELD CUP carnival less than a fortnight away there needs to be assurances from the Melbourne Racing Club that there will be no repeat of Sunday’s embarrassment.
Sure the track played fine but the placement of the rail 13m out for the entire circuit was not a good look for a Group 1 meeting on the day after the AFL Grand Final.
“The reason the rail isn’t moving to the true position is to protect the track for the Caulfield Cup carnival,” an MRC spokesperson said. But the fact remains the situation should never have reached this stage during the Spring Carnival.
Since the fiasco which saw the start of the Underwood Stakes meeting delayed the previous week because of problems with the track the MRC has been a loggerheads with key sections of the industry after issuing an incendiary statement that branded jockeys’ track safety concerns a “nonsense”.
The Club hit out at jockeys who claimed the track was unsafe, saying a subsequent showed it ‘was safe and the rail move unnecessary’’ and that the ‘Review concluded that the jockeys were incorrect in their view’.
The Club’s CEO also claimed that jockeys ‘clearly did not understand how turf plugs work’. A cohort of riders complained about several parts of the Caulfield track where clumps of dirt could be easily removed.
Instead of arguing with the jockeys – who forced action on the track concerns – the MRC should focus on why their own track staff didn’t raise the issue earlier in the day with Stewards.
The Club needs to get things right for their big Carnival ensuring safety is paramount as are the needs of stakeholders and the punting public.
PUNTERS are entitled to ask: How could a horse that went so well at its previous start go so badly at its next.
The answer is simple: When it is trained by the champ Chris Waller.
We are talking about Beiwacht which led and bolted in with the G1 Memsie first-up then came out in another G1, the Manikato Stakes on Sunday at the same track and ran ninth.
There has been plenty of feedback from punters questioning how Waller could have got it so wrong. He has blamed a training error in dropping Beiwacht back to the sprint trip of 1200m. Nevertheless it still start a heavily-backed favorite.
Jockey Nash Rawiller explained: “I just couldn’t get him into the same rhythm as normal and I just felt prior to completely straightening up he hit a patch of ground that he faltered in slightly and lost a bit of confidence.
“There’ll be another day for him. I didn’t knock him around up the straight because there was no need to. He got it all wrong.”
Beiwacht wasn’t the only form reversal in the Manikato with Jimmystar coming from near last to provide the highlight of four winners on the day for trainer Ciaron Maher. His improvement was attributed to the application of those magical BLINKERS.
“When he lets rip, there’s no better horse,” Maher said. “I’m just thrilled, He’s such a little ripper of a horse. To have him out of form or not quite at his best is a hard pill to swallow but that was pretty special. The Everest, probably, certainly heading that way on the big track at Randwick.”
IT’S hard to improve a horse coming from the Chris Waller stable but Lucy Yeomans and her partner Blake Shinn have managed to do that big-time with Changing Colours.
Transferred to Yeomans earlier this year as a three-time metropolitan winner with modest talents, Changing Colours was catapulted from Benchmark grade to Group 2 winner in the Stocks Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
He has now won four straight for Yeomans who admitted:
“It’s incredible. These are the things you dream about and we get out of bed for a horse like this. She’s our one that is keeping the team alive at the moment as we’ve got all unraced horses. To have her as leading the way is really special.
“Group Two winning trainer, sounds quite nice doesn’t it? Full credit to the team at home. We’re a small team but we’re all good mates and we work really hard. To win a race like this with Blake aboard. He rode our first winner and now he’s ridden our first Group winner.”
STEWARDS REPORTED:
TALES OF TIME: Change of tactics: intention to be ridden more forward. Settled worse than midfield. Shortly after the start was hampered when tightened for room between Come Together and Aemond. Held up from the 400m until shifting out to obtain clear running approaching the 200m. Laid in under pressure in the straight. Rider Ben Melham reported his mount settled further back in the field than intended after receiving tightening shortly after the start. Melham added that the colt did not appreciate racing inside runners.
MR BRIGHTSIDE: Raced wide through the early stages before crossing to settle behind the leader passing the 1200m. Rider Craig Williams reported the gelding travelled well throughout, however failed to respond when placed under pressure. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any significant findings. Stewards will follow up with the stable.
BUCCLEUCH: Raced three wide throughout. Laid in under pressure in the straight. Rider Billy Egan reported he was satisfied with the gelding’s performance. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any significant findings.
ROSEHILL GARDENS
THE biggest talking point was the disappointing performance of Golden Slipper winner GUEST HOUSE in the Group 1 GOLDEN ROSE.
GUEST HOUSE, a heavily-backed $2.45 favorite, raced well below his best finishing six behind WARWOVEN from the Bjorn Baker stable.
Baker, who also won the G3 Colin Stephen Quality with SO YOU ARE $2.15FAV, won’t die wondering announcing plans for Warwoven to be set for the Cox Plate.
STEWARDS Report on GUEST HOUSE:
Began awkwardly. After passing the 800m became very awkwardly placed on the heels of Warwoven and then shifted out abruptly making heavy contact with St Gotthard and consequently became badly unbalanced. Approaching the 600m was contacted by St Gotthard (James McDonald) when that runner resumed its position one off behind Tenenbaum. McDonald was reprimanded for what Stewards considered to be unnecessary contact with Guest House. Passing the 150m was directed to the outside of Tenenbaum to continue into clear running, when that runner shifted in. When questioned regarding the colt’s performance, Zac Lloyd stated that its racing manners, particularly through the middle stages, had a significant impact on the horse’s finishing effort. A post-race veterinary examination of Guest House did not reveal any abnormalities. Stewards will follow up with the stable on the post-race condition and future plans for the colt.
CRITICS who continue to claim that Stewards tend to be too lenient on the Chris Waller stable and champion jockey James McDonald, were quick to jump at another opportunity after Saturday’s racing.
They felt Stewards should have suspended Jmac over his ride on St Gotthard when they reprimanded him for making ‘unnecessary contact’. LGHR saw no problem with their action as Guest House contributed to the interference.
McDonald delivered in spades for the punters at the weekend. In an interview with Richard Callander on SKY he declared LAZZURA, plunged into $1.85FAV, his best ride in the Golden Pendant at Rosehill and DIAMETER $3.20 in the G2 Stutt Stakes his best at Caulfield on Sunday – and what a ride it was.
STEWARDS REPORTED:
ST GOTTHARD: On jumping shifted out and bumped Tron Bolt. After passing the 800m was severely hampered when bumped heavily and forced wider by Guest House when that runner shifted out abruptly after becoming very awkwardly placed on the heels of Warwoven. Stewards were satisfied that the racing manners of Guest House were the cause of this incident. St Gotthard then resumed its position one off behind Tenenbaum approaching the 600m, where it made contact with Guest House when obtaining this position. After passing the 300m was inconvenienced by Tenenbaum, which shifted out.
CENTRAL EUROPE: When questioned regarding the colt leading, Tim Clark stated that he was instructed, from the outside barrier, to settle in a prominent position and anticipated that this may have been outside the leader. He said that, after beginning well, he remained racing wide down the back straight before allowing Central Europe to stride forward, where it crossed into the lead passing the 900m. (WHY didn’t the Stewards remind the Waller stable of their obligations to advise of any change of tactics?)
TOOWOOMBA WEETWOOD & CUP DAY
THE biggest day on the Downs racing calendar saw Clifford Park packed to the rafters on Saturday with a crowed estimated in the range of 6,000. The day-night spectacle is a winner with racegoers.
CAVALRY MAN might have started at $11 but was a popular winner of the CUP for trainer Lindsay Gough and Queensland racing raconteurs Bill Mumford and Tim Taylor who share in the ownership of the horse which will now head to the Port Macquarie Cup.
The favorite LET’SFACETHEMUSIC won the Weetwood for the Geran’s, co-trainers Corey and Kylie and jockey Gary. “When he kicked on the corner like that I didn’t think they would beat him and he sprinted away from them,” Corey Geran told Racenet.
“I’m just very happy for my dad and my mum too. For dad to ride a Weetwood winner and for us to do it as trainers is just tremendous.
“I’ve won Listed races before but that’s probably the pinnacle and to do it with my Dad, that’s probably his first Weetwood winner as a jockey at 54 years of age.”
