DOOM MAY 22 - WEALTH PRINCESS SETS RECORD STRAIGHT

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Doomben, May 22, 2010.
Glenlogan Park Stakes (Group 3 - Fillies & Mares) - 1350m.
Time: 1-19.31. (Carrying 54.5kg)
Track - Dead 4. Rail - out 2m.
1 Wealth Princess; 2 Jerezana; 3 Flying Tessie.

Trainer Brent Gillovic’s face wore a smile satisfaction as he came down to the winners’ enclosure at Doomben after the running of the Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes on Saturday.

His runner, the four-year-old mare Wealth Princess had just stormed to victory in pulsating fashion to take her race record to six wins from nine starts, with two runner-up finishes.

That record, you would assume, would speak for itself and in fact most punters recognised the merit in those performances (which included a Group 1 runner-up finish behind Lord Tavistock in the Waikato Draught Sprint) and they helped install Wealth Princess as equal favourite for the race, but Gillovic’s satisfaction stemmed from the fact that several of his countryman back in New Zealand had apparently written the mare off after her shock defeat in her first Australian start at Coloundra on May 9. Gillovic was quiet and polite, but he clearly enjoyed proving the knockers wrong.

Wealth Princess shared favouritism with Jerezana, a daughter of Lonhro racing out of the Peter Snowden stable. The market proved to be spot on as these two runners filled the first two places leaving the best of the chasers almost two lengths in arrears at the line.

Where the market was slightly off the mark was in the fact that the race was not as close a contest between the these two main protagonists as the betting had predicted.

Both of the main fancies loafed along early sitting well off the speed being set by Rare Diamond and Conquering Queen. Wealth Princess, who was held wide, was seven lengths off the lead in the early part. She only had two runners behind her at that stage. Her market rival Jerezana was second last while Flying Tessie brought up the rear.

The field became far more compact approaching the turn. On straightening, Rare Diamond and Conquering Queen still held sway at the head of affairs with Express Air next best hugging the inside rail, but jockey Michael Walker, who had been biding his time on Wealth Princess, now got busy putting a winning plan into action.

Walker launched the mare’s challenge from some five to six lengths off the pace and the four-year-old responded with meaning, accelerating quickly to surge into contention.

Jerezana, who had tracked Wealth Princess throughout, tried to go with the New Zealand mare. The problem for the Snowden trained runner was that, while jockey Kerrin McEvoy’s tactic of following Wealth Princess and allowing that one to pull Jerezana into the race served a purpose, it also meant that Wealth Princess got first run on Jerezana who was left chasing all the way up the straight.

Wealth Princess’ superb turn of foot enabled her to speed past the bulk of the field to get to the front inside the 150m mark and her commitment to the cause saw her maintain her sterling effort all the way to the line to keep the determined effort of the hard-finishing Jerezana at bay. The winning margin was 0.80 lengths.

With the focus on the first two finishers, the effort of the third placed Flying Tessie’s passed very much under the radar, but it should be well worth making a note of her name. Flying Tessie cornered in last place, switched out to be the widest runner in the straight, and then ran past a several talented runners in the chase home. It was a very good effort.

Wealth Princess will only remain with Gillovic for the duration of his Queensland campaign after which he will transfer to the Lee Freedman stable.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Brent Gillovic: “I have her for this campaign and then she is off to Lee Freedman. I am rapt because there was a lot of knockers back over in New Zealand and she answered her critics today. That’s Kiwi’s isn’t I suppose, you know, ... get down on them if they don’t do the job.

“It was a bog track there at the Sunshine Coast (in Wealth Princess’s first run in Australia). They said it was a slow seven. They ran 1-15-and-a-half and you know she’s a 1-08 sort of horse and she didn’t travel well.

“I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me to be honest. She is a real good mare, but we have had a few problems. She had a bad flight over. She had a bug before she left so we missed a bit of work there. Just niggly things.

“We were using the Sunshine Coast as a trial and she had 58.5kgs and it was a bog track and she’s a bit of a duffa on bad ground.

“Listen, nine times out of ten I wouldn’t have run her, but I had no choice. She had to go round because there was no 1200m races. I didn’t want to run a 1350 first up.

“She has got an absolute sensational turn of foot this mare and I was very confident she’d run in the money today and I’m happy she has delivered. She’s a character to train. You’ve got to hold onto her. She could run 33 anytime you like.

“I said to Michael (Walker) don’t get carried away, you know. You are three wide and that’s alright, but make sure you’ve got cover. I said she’s got three or four hundred metre sprint and use it to your best and keep out of trouble. Just give her an uninterrupted run down the outside.

“I will have to talk to Shaun Buckley, the owner, and he will talk to Lee (Freedman) no doubt. I don’t know if she will be re-handicapped for the Stradbroke with this, I wouldn’t know. If they don’t, then I guess we’ll probably run her in the Dane Ripper in two weeks and then maybe set her for the Winter Stakes.

“Yeah, the Stradbroke is in our minds but I wouldn’t back her up, I don’t think. She’s not a filly that can back up from one week to the next to be honest.

“It will depend on the owner. It will be his decision.”

Jockey Michael Walker: “Yeah, she is a really highly strung thing hey. I think it is just her, you know ... as Sunline did ... the best fillies and mares they get a bit toey and get highly strung. I think that is what makes them so good. They are tough.

“Her last run ... you know she only got here on the Wednesday and raced on the Sunday. She didn’t travel good. The plane got caught up in the air for another hour-and-a-half because of the fog ... they couldn’t land. There were horses getting uptight on the plane and she was one of them.

“She got off the plane. He blood wasn’t right ... there was a bit of flem in her nose. Things weren’t right, you know, but today she showed her true colours.

“The reason I came to ride her because I am really close with Shawn Buckley, the owner. I came last year to ride Dane Julia and all Shaun Buckley’s horses. He is a really good owner. He treats me well and I look after him also. I obviously came to ride her for him.

“He was a bit worried ... he’s just purchased her ... he was worried about her last run. I just told him, don’t worry about it mate. She was on a wet track. She was carrying a lot of weight. She didn’t get over the trip (plane flight) as well as we thought. So I said to him, we’ll be alright.

“I was confident. On Thursday I rode work at Eagle Farm in the morning then I went up to Coloundra (where Wealth Princess is based) and galloped her. After that Thursday gallop I knew she would win.

“She was back to herself. She was bucking, kicking, biting ... trying to bowl you over going out to the track.

“You know Brent Gillovic, the trainer, he’s done an amazing job. You know people in New Zealand ... the press ... they wrote her off. They just said she only beat New Zealand horses and she’s going to Aussie and she’s not good enough. I knew she was good enough and so did Brent Gillovic.

“Yeah, I live here now. I only made the decision about two weeks ago. I love the weather here too much mate. I’m the new face on the scene. That was my first winner since I started here. I just be free-lancing and see what happens.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Wealth Princess): 3.80 out to 4.20. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Jerazana): 3.40 out to 4.20. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Flying Tessie (N. Rawiller) was slow to begin. Princess Quality (T. Clark) and Kanzan (M. Zahra) made contact at the start.

For some distance approaching and passing the 1200m Princess Quality and Kanzan bumped on a number of occasions.

Kanzan, Bejewelled (J. Cassidy) and Princess Quality raced wide throughout.

Pennacchio (C. Munce) was inclined to lay in when placed under pressure in the early part of the straight and near the 150m had to alter course to the inside of the heels of Conquering Queen (S. Katsidis).

Approaching the 100m Deer Valley (J. Byrne) attempted a narrow run between Rare Diamond (T. Bell) and Pertinence (D. Browne). A short distance later Deer Valley brushed the hind quarters of Pertinence, resulting in that runner shifting in slightly and Deer Valley having to be checked. Stewards were satisfied that there was no one rider at fault in this matter and took no further action.

When questioned regarding the performance of Wealth Princess, rider M. Walker explained that the mare raced flat at Caloundra on Sunday, 9 May, as it had travelled from New Zealand three days prior to that race. M. Walker explained that Wealth Princess has since settled into its normal routine and its performance today reflected that the mare is back to her best form.

S. Katsidis advised that Conquering Queen, which weakened over the final 300m, in his opinion may benefit from being freshened up.

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