SAND NOV 13 - AVENUE BACK ON TOP

By Taron Clarke | Monday, November 15, 2010

Sandown Hillside, November 13, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - True. Penetrometer: 5.48.
Kevin Heffernan Stakes (Listed) WFA - 1300m.
Time: 1-19.26. 600m Sectional: 36.96. (Carrying 57kg).
1 Avenue; 2 Dubleanny; 3 Royal Ida.
Margins: 0.8L x 3.7L.

Flying grey mare Avenue gave the trainer-jockey combination of Peter Moody and Luke Nolen a hat trick of winners at Sandown when she bounced back to her brilliant front running best to score an all the way victory in the Listed Kevin Heffernan Stakes over 1300 metres.

Moody and Nolen scored on the back of earlier victories with Zelsnitz and Macedonian in the two preceding races and Avenue’s win brought up her third stakes victory of the spring carnival and her first at Weight for Age level.

Avenue was coming off the back of a lack-lustre performance down the Flemington straight on VRC Oaks Day where she finished a disappointing ninth, six lengths from the winner Queensland speedster Temple of Boom.

It has however been well documented that mare benefits from racing around a bend where she can use her explosive turn of foot to put a space in her rivals and that is what unfolded at Sandown.

Owned by Jerry and Val Ryan who have enjoyed a wonderful Spring Carnival highlighted by the victory of Americain in the Melbourne Cup, the daughter of ill-fated sire Anabaa was quickly into stride.

She kicked away at the top of the straight and had enough in hand to hold off the fast finishing Dubleanny by three quarters of a length with a further three and three quarter lengths back to veteran Royal Ida in third.

Caulfield trainer Peter Moody will now plot a course to chase some of the sprinting riches conducted over the Autumn Carnival with a possible tilt at the Group 1 Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Moody: “She struggled up the straight. She never really travelled.

"Ben (Melham) did nothing wrong on her, but she flows nice for Luke (Nolen) too. He’s got a good affiliation with her and just lets her do her own thing and I feel she really responds to that.

“She loves that rail and she can ping off that bend.

"She makes the opposition chase her from a long way out and she can beat maybe better horses doing that because it takes the dash out of them.

“I think that’s her third or fourth Stakes win for the spring, so she will have a little let up now.

“It’s not long and she will come back for the autumn sprints and form will determine at what level … something like the Sangster Stakes in Adelaide that type of race.

“We had a half-hearted crack last year but, if we make it her sole target … a race like that, it’s probably not an unrealistic expectation.

“The important thing about today is that she performed at Weight for Age. It might not have been a classic Weight for Age field, but to carry that weight and to know that they can do it.

“They are great supporters Jerry and Val. They’ve always got a couple of well-bred fillies with me and they’ve had a great year obviously and, like I said before the Melbourne Cup, there’s probably no one more deserving.

“Jerry’s a great supporter of not only racing but sport in general and I am happy to be part of it.”

Jockey Luke Nolen: “I thought she would go better down the straight but Pete (Moody) had another throw at the stumps today and she seems to go alright for me.

“You just got to find that happy medium with her. When she is fit and up to the mark she always give them something to chase.

“She actually really relaxed for the first two and a half furlongs today. Then when she got to the bend she sort of ramped it up.

"You just get along with her the first three quarters and let her stride home the last couple.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Avenue): 4.00 into 3.20 out to 4.00.
Favourite (First Command) 3.50 into 3.80 into 3.00. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Cocinero was a late withdrawal at 9.38am due to the downgrade of the track.

Dubleanny was crowded for room and had to be checked between The Handsome One which shifted out and Vocalic which was taken in by First Command.

Near the 400m Perturbo shifted out and inconvenienced Dubleanny.

The track was downgraded from Slow 7 to Heavy 8 at 2.16pm after the running of this race.

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