EF DEC 16 - FLICKERING STORM FIRES UP

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Thursday, December 17, 2009

Eagle Farm, December 16, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3m.
Maiden Plate (3yo - C&G - Set Weights) - 1200m. Time: 1-12.65.
1 Flickering Storm; 2 Machination; 3 Woodbury Hill.

The John Wallace trained Flickering Storm took natural improvement out of his first two starts and he put it all together three runs into his first prep to taste success by a comfortable 0.75 length margin.

The gelding landed in the lead but then went back to third early as the speed came around him on the outside. He then went back to fourth in the sweep to the turn and was fifth as the field approached the point of the home turn, but while Flickering Storm might have been losing position, he was not losing ground.

In fact, another deft Luke Rolls ride was ensuring that he saved ground along the inside and so it was that when the field straightened, Flickering Storm remained full of running, just a little over a length off the lead, and ready to take the opportunity of the inside rails run that was offered to him when the front-running Woodbury Hill shifted out at the top of the straight.

Flickering Storm responded well to the challenge to move alongside and then go past Woodbury Hill at the 200m mark. Once Flickering Storm was in front the result was never in doubt although the favourite Machination did make a valiant attempt to close ground along the inside in the concluding stages, but for the gelding it was a case of too little, too late.

This win gave Luke Rolls a double on the day and took his number of wins in the Brisbane Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey Premiership to thirteen and a clear second place on that ladder. Premiership leader Michael Hellyer also had a winner at the meeting. Hellyer currently leads Rolls by three winners.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer John Wallace: “Yeah, he keeps getting better. He doesn’t know much, but is improving all the time. I thought he could win the other day at the Gold Coast, but he drew wide and raced outside the leader and he just knocked up a bit. Today with the cover he’s a different race horse.

“I’ve got no plans for him specifically … just to teach him to be a racehorse. He’ll make one.”

Jockey Luke Rolls: “He travelled nicely the whole way. Yeah, once he got to the front he just started looking around, looking about. So I think he’ll be better just leaving his run a little bit longer.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Flickering Storm): 6.00 steady.
Favourite (Machination): 3.60 out to 4.20 in to 3.60. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fly With Me (M. Cahill) was tightened for room on jumping away between Flickering Storm (L. Rolls), which jumped outwards, and Machination (C. Reith), which jumped inwards. Grand Homme (S. Katsidis) was also cramped for room at the start between Barron Valley (J. Bowditch) and General Baxter (D. Green) when both horses shifted ground.

App. jockey L. Rolls, rider of Flickering Storm, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding in that leaving the 1150m he permitted his mount to shift in when not sufficiently clear of Fire Lizard (J. Byrne) and Yamacutta (G. Geran) resulting in Yamacutta having to be checked. L. Rolls was suspended from riding in races for a period covered by 7 meetings, to commence at midnight, 19 December and to expire at midnight, 30 December.

After assuming the lead near the 900m, Woodbury Hill (L. Cassidy) was inclined to hang out and race ungenerously. Woodbury Hill continued to hang out and the horse's racing manners were drawn to the attention of trainer B. Baldwin. B. Baldwin informed stewards he would experiment with blinkers on the gelding prior to its next start.

When the pace commenced to slow leaving the 900m, Machination (C. Reith) raced ungenerously and shifted out from behind Flickering Storm, made heavy contact with General Baxter, forcing that horse wider on the track.

As a result of the pace slowing near the 800m, Machination (C. Reith), which had shifted out from behind the heels of Flickering Storm (L. Rolls), made heavy contact with General Baxter (D. Green) which became unbalanced and had to be checked. Yamacutta (G. Geran) and Fire Lizard (J. Byrne) were both severely checked in this incident, as was Speedometer (B. Pengelly) and Grand Homme (S. Katsidis). Following an inquiry, no blame could be attributed to any one rider and the incident was deemed to be a result of the pace slowing due to Woodbury Hill racing ungenerously.

Flickering Storm (L. Rolls) was inclined to lay out over the concluding stages.

When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of Fly With Me, M. Cahill stated that after being checked at the start it was somewhat reluctant to race, and shortly after straightening, the horse was disappointed for a run leaving the 300m when Fire Lizard (J. Byrne) shifted inwards. Whilst the horse was somewhat reluctant to race in the early stages, M. Cahill was not entirely disappointed with its performance today and may be better suited when stepped up on distance.

Following this race, J. Byrne was examined by the club's doctor and stood down from his remaining engagements.