FULMONTI LEADS NEW ZEALAND BRED CHARGE IN HOLINDALE STAKES

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 2, 2009

Gold Coast - AD Hollindale Stakes (Group 2) - 1200m. Time: 1-48.17. Track: Good 3. Rail: True.
1 Fulmonti; 2 Izonit; 3 Sir Slick.

The Chris Jordan trained Fulmoni led home a New Zealand bred trifecta in the Group 2, A.D Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast. Izonit finished second. Sir Slick finished third. The first three runners past the post were all New Zealand bred.

Fulmonti was eased back from his inside draw to race in midfield, scraping paint in early part. The gelding was hard held and cramped for room approaching the turn. Fulmonti got his break when The Sportsman began to weaken and drop away. Jockey Joe Bowditch quickly moved the six-year-old into the gap, but he was still faced with two challenges.

Firstly, he had to get to the free-running Sir Slick, who had kicked on after leading to the turn. Secondly, he also had to tame the strong run of Izonit, who, at full stretch on the outside, was the first runner to seriously threaten Sir Slick’s authority.

Fulmonti was brave enough to angle a run between his two main rivals and determined enough to make it stick as he carved out a well-deserved victory.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Chris Jordan: “Kerry (Chris’ brother) won two Hollindales, He won with Hunter (in 1990) and Corndale (who denied Rough Habit a hat-trick in the race in 1993). He said to me this morning, it might be your turn - and it was. He’s always been a good horse to me and he is not finished yet by the look of it. He’s always threatened to win one like this.

“That was his first go at Weight-For-Age today. He drew two. He is the sort of horse you can’t dig him out, but once he gets travelling ... and he travelled beautifully for Joe (Bowditch) today, you know, all the way. That’s the sort of way he has got to race, you know. He’s got a good turn of foot, but he can’t sustain a big, long run on it. He’s not nominated for the Doomben Cup, so I don’t know where we’ll go now. I’ll have to discuss it with the owners and see what’s going down. I didn’t nominate for the Cup, so I’ll probably get a boot up the arse for that now.”

Jockey Joe Bowditch: “I was looking to sort of get out and give him clear running, but he was going to be held up. So I went back inside and luckily things opened up for me. He attacked the line. Geez, he dug in. He really tried hard today. I had twelve months off because I did a crucial ligament in my knee and got a broken tibia in a fall in September 2007, so it’s nice to be back with a feature win. That’s my biggest win in Queensland since I moved up here about four years ago. I won the Bernborough, but this tops that.”