CAUL OCT 13 - GRIFFITHS AND MERTENS COMBINE TO GET SPURCIFIC HOME

By Taron Clarke | Friday, October 15, 2010

Caulfield, October 13, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - True. Penetrometer 5.51.
Rokk Ebony Cup 3YO Handicap - 1000m.
Time: 59.43. 600m Sectional: 35.37. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Spurcific; 2 Cristallo; 3 Potions.
Margins: 0.1L x 0.3L.

There's no better way for a galloper to break its maiden status than on a metropolitan track, particularly when the victory attracts a substantial bonus.

This was the case for the Robbie Griffiths trained Spurcific at Caulfield on Wednesday afternoon.

The three-year-old handicap attracted an extra $100,000 bonus to the winning horse provided it was sold and qualified in the Inglis Bonus race series.

Spurcific was one of number of horses in the final field that was eligible for the attractive bonus.

Spurcific was a $40,000 purchase at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and the victory took her career earnings to over $200,000.

The Griffiths trained filly was a beaten odds-on favourite at her most recent outing over 1400 metres at Benalla on October 3.

Griffiths admits to having tried the Flying Spur filly at the 1400 metres with a view of a potential start in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas, but it wasn’t to be and the filly was freshened up to target the Inglis Bonus race.

Ridden by stable stalwart, jockey Peter Mertens, Spurcific jumped away from barrier six in the field of ten runners and the pair found themselves in front after only travelling a few strides.

Mertens was keen to take up a trailing position behind the speed which was set by Johnnydrama and Breitling, with the later fired up from his extreme outside barrier to race across the face of the field.

Spurcific sat in the one out and one back position as the field approached the home turn.

Favourite for the event was the Peter Moody trained Curtana. Ridden by regular rider Luke Nolen, the daughter of Exceed And Excel settled in the second half of the field only six lengths from the pacemakers.

Rounding the turn for home, Johnnydrama stayed about ten horses off the inside and this allowed plenty of room for Cristallo, for Blake Shinn, to rail through and save ground.

Cristallo raced to the front at the 200 metre pole but chiming in out beyond the centre of the track was Spurcific.

Peter Mertens asked the filly for an effort and Spurcific let down well in the damp conditions to strike the front at the 100 metre mark and did enough over the concluding stages to hold off Cristallo by a short head with a neck back to the eye catcher in the affair, Potions.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robbie Griffiths: “My wife is in the ownership and she'll be at home cheering away. She'll be very happy.

“It was a great result for the boys (Craig Pearce of Ferntree Gully Nissan), as everyone knows they sponsor TVN and they're relatively new in the business, so it's fantastic.

“These are the first yearlings that we bought together, so she's been a fantastic result with this girl and it's good to see her win today.”

“She wasn't a dear yearling…..we paid $40,000 for her, so it was very good.

“She jarred up last time on the hard track at Benalla, so we had to freshen her up and come back to this race which is ideal. Her sprint form is really good so when the rain came it really helped our chances.

“She was always going to have the edge on these in fitness and I think that if the rain didn't come it would have put us at a disadvantage because coming back from 1400 metres to a 1000 metres is always difficult … but when the conditions were as wet as this it really helped us.”

Jockey Peter Mertens: “I’m surprised with today's win because I went away to Benalla last start thinking she was a pretty easy sort of a ride and would just win, but she didn't run the seven (furlongs) and jarred up.

“I said to Robbie Griffiths before the first race at Benalla that I'd had a walk of the track and it was more like a Good 2 which obviously affected her and today she got the wet track and let down.

“The last 150 metres today was a real slog and she was out wide, probably in a better lane I thought, but the inside horse really started to come at her and it was just up and down the last 100 metres.

“Now that they've seen that one come out wide they'll all be like sheep and will come out there. It just seemed like a bit fresher ground because it was a bit chopped up on the inside.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Spurcific):13.00 in to 12.00.
Favourite (Curtana): 2.80 out to 4.00. Finished fourth.

Horse to follow: Potions was wide at the tail upon settling before allowed to stride forward to midfield on the swing for home. Lost touch with the leaders early in the straight, but motored home over the concluding stages to be beaten narrowly.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
After the running of Race 1 it was established with trainer Mr R Smerdon that if Breitling begins well the colt will be ridden on the pace and an announcement was made.

Breitling was ridden a forward position outside the leader.

Corvidae and Potions were slow to begin.

Spurcific blundered shortly after the start.

Near the 950m Blooded was tightened for room between Spurcific and Marmaa which shifted out slightly.

Passing the 600m Blooded, which was pulling hard, shifted away from the heels of Pellizotti taking Corvidae wider.

P Mertens rider of Spurcific was severely reprimanded for failing to make a greater effort to prevent his mount from shifting ground rounding the home turn which resulted in Pellizotti having to be steadied to avoid the heels of Spurcific.

When questioned regarding the improved performance of Spurcific today, trainer Mr R Griffiths stated that the filly had jarred up on firm tracks at its previous two starts and was more suited on a rain affected track. He further added that the filly was better suited racing over shorter distances.

B Stanley reported at scale that Johnnydrama hung out rounding the home turn.

G Boss reported at scale that Breitling may be sent for a spell after its disappointing effort today.

A post race veterinary examination of Breitling revealed the colt to have mild respiratory distress.