DOOM NOV 20 - COLLESS SHINES ON AGE OF HEROES

By Graham Potter | Monday, November 22, 2010

Doomben, November 20, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3m. Penetrometer: 4.6.
2MW-LY Handicap - 1350m.
Time: 1-19.38. Last 600m: 35.28. (Carrying 55.5kg).
1 Age Of Heroes; 2 Save A Buck; 3 Mr Hornblower.
Margins: Long-head; 0.75.

The Alan Bailey trained Age Of Heroes made it back to back wins when he scored a spirited win at Doomben on Saturday when holding off the strong challenge of Save A Buck by a long-head.

The chestnut son of Grandera was coming off a Class 6 win where he carried 58kg to a 1.50 length victory over Telesto Warrior over the 1350m trip at Doomben.

Back over the same track and distance, down in weight (from 58kg to 55.5kg) and with a favourable number two alley Age Of Heroes was sent out as favourite for Saturday’s event.

The chestnut was slow into stride but he quickly rectified that slip by following Rockdale, who had jumped from the one barrier, through on the rail to settle in a comfortable fifth position in the early part.

By continuing to save ground, Age Of Heroes naturally improved his position up to third, just a little more than two lengths back, in the sweep to the turn.

On straightening, jockey Glen Colless angled Age Of Heroes out two wide to come across the heels of the leading duo of Rockdale and Helideck as he lined up his run home.

Behind that Save A Buck was matching the move of Age Of Heroes, to the point that, when Colless asked Age Of Heroes to lengthen his stride and go after the leaders, he now had Save A Buck in tow, slipstreaming him and looking every bit as big a danger to Age Of Heroes as the two runners ahead of him.

It was a long chase home and it took Age Of Heroes almost the whole length of the straight to claw his way into the lead inside the final 75m.

In the same way that Age Of Heroes had been cutting back that leeway on the leaders in grinding fashion, so too had Save A Buck been constantly inching his way up alongside Age Of Heroes, but Colless’s ability to get that vital bit extra out of his mount when it matters most was a huge contributing factor to Age Of Heroes keeping his head in front to take the honours.

All credit to Save A Buck and jockey Jason Taylor for their second placing. They certainly valiantly probed Age Of Heroes defenses for any weakness, but in the end they had to settle for second place.

The ever-green nine-year-old Mr Hornblower was held up in the straight but he persevered with his task. Mr Hornblower kept coming and got his reward when he got up to snare third place in the final stride when relegating Rockdale back into fourth spot by the bob of a head.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Alan Bailey: “It’s hard to win these races … you know with Helideck and those sort of horses. They’ve won the Cup at the Gold Coast … they only finished a couple of lengths back in the Eye Liner … they are good horses aren't they?

“He is a good trier this bloke. He’s is no world-beater, but he will try his guts out. Every time you bring him to the races he puts in.

“It just took him a little while whip up. He is a little bit like that. He just about reaches that little flat spot and then he picks it up and runs to the line good.

“What you see is what you get with him. He does the same thing every week.

“Yeah, it was a great ride by Glen (Colless). The barrier helps, but he doesn’t have many bad rides. I’d rather have him with me than against me.”

Jockey Glen Colless: “He is always a bit of a risk with an inside gate because he doesn’t begin that good. He sort of takes twenty yards to get going.

“With Rockdale driving inside him today he was able to just find the fence and just muster under his own speed.

“He toughed it out today, because on the corner they sort of let rip the two leaders. To his credit … he might not be the soundest horse in the world but he puts it in every time.

“He was up in class a bit and they sprint from a long way out. They sort of really put on the pressure from the 500 today.

“They made me have to chase … but, what I liked about him, was that half a furlong out they looked like they were going to hold me off or come at him and he digs deep.

“Save A Buck did threaten, but I thought once he got to me its run had peaked and my bloke just keep hitting the line.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Age Of Heroes): 2.00 out to 2.25.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Masai Pride (B. Stewart) was slow to begin.

Cocktail Supreme (S. Seamer) blundered shortly after the start and lost ground.

Growsir (E. Wilkinson) began awkwardly, resulting in E. Wilkinson striking the offside barrier gate.

Kanetoshi King (M. Cahill) and Cocktail Supreme raced wide throughout.

Approaching the 800m Growsir was inclined to over-race and had to be steadied to avoid the heels of Helideck (J. Byrne), which shifted in.

M. Morris, the rider of Patties Mate, was issued with a charge of careless riding under AR. 137(a) in that near the 900m he permitted his mount to shift in when not sufficiently clear of Shooting Scene (C. Munce), resulting in Shooting Scene being tightened on to Save A Buck (J. Taylor) and having to be restrained.

After M. Morris pleaded not guilty and made further submissions, stewards were of the view that Growsir, when being restrained, may have shifted out slightly which contributed to the incident and for that reason the charge was not sustained.

Approaching and rounding the home turn Unsupervised (L. Cassidy) was held up and unable to improve and approaching the 100m was inconvenienced by Kanetoshi King, which shifted in slightly under pressure.

Rounding the home turn Mr Hornblower (M. Wood) was held up and unable to improve.

Stewards sought an explanation from L. Cassidy regarding the performance of Unsupervised. L. Cassidy explained that the gelding travelled well, however he was unable to test the horse in his normal manner in the home straight as the horse resented racing in restricted room between Shooting Scene and Kanetoshi King.

Apprentice E. Kehoe, the rider of 4th placegetter Rockdale, was found guilty of a charge under AR. 137(b) in that she failed to ride her mount out to the end of the race and was fined $400. In assessing penalty, stewards took into consideration E. Kehoe's relative inexperience riding in the metropolitan area and her previously unblemished record.

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