FLEM AUG 07 - KAVANAGH’S ELUSIVE TOUCH WINS AURIE’S STAR

By Taron Clarke | Monday, August 9, 2010

Flemington, August 7, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - out 9.0m.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Group 3 - 1200m.
Time: 1-11.13. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Elusive Touch; 2 Leica Larrikin; 3 Beltrois.

After a relatively quiet winter, Melbourne Cup winning trainer Mark Kavanagh took the limelight at Flemington after his galloper Elusive Touch won the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap. After transferring from the Sydney stable of Tim Martin to the Kavanagh yard, Elusive Touch has now had four starts for Kavanagh for two wins and two runners up cheques.

Elusive Touch was purchased by Tim Martin at the 2007 Easter Yearling Sale for $800,000 and is the first stakes winning son of dam Shelbourne Lass, who herself was a dual Group Three winner. The win brought up a winning double at Flemington for his sire Elusive Quality, after Censor won impressively earlier in the day.

From the straight six start, the Aurie’s Star field jumped away well with Leica Larrkin checked between runners and allowed to ease out to last as the field raced down the centre of the track in the early stages.

The early pacemaker was Grand Duels for jockey Craig Williams. The favourite Elusive Touch was content to sit at the leader’s girth for jockey Stephen Baster. Nearest to the inside fence was Group One winning mare Headway, who was first-up since an autumn campaign. The field was happy to sit four and five horses off the fence as they approached the course proper.

Leica Larrkin after being checked shortly after the start now found himself back in the ruck six lengths off the leader with a wall of runners in front of him. The Handsome One for Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell was the widest runner down the straight and jockey Dale Smith was content to steer a path ten horses off the fence.

The field raced on to the course proper and the leader Grand Duels rolled back to the inside running rail and Elusive Touch was attempting to follow him, but pushing up between runners was Headway for Damien Oliver. Tracking Headway through the field was the Corowa trained galloper Leica Larrikin and he was spotting the leaders five lengths start.

Grand Duels led the field to the three hundred metre mark and was asked for an effort by jockey Craig Williams. Elusive Touch was under hard riding from Stephen Baster and Headway was doing her best to rally between runners. These three runners were a length and a half in front of Leica Larrikin who could be visibly seen searching for run between runners for jockey Matthew Cahill.

At the two hundred metre mark Elusive Touch was responding well to the vigorous riding of Baster and managed to strike the front from Grand Duels and Headway between the pair. Cahill aboard Leica Larrikin had made the decision to switch the big son of Nothin’ Leica Dane back to the fence inside of Grand Duels to come with his run. Wider on the track was Beltrois who was making steady ground from a rearward position for Glen Boss.

Elusive Touch managed to shrug off the tiring Headway and Grand Duels inside the final hundred metres of the race only to be challenged strongly by Leica Larrikin to his immediate inside. Cahill had finally secured clear running along the fence and was riding the half-brother to Leica Falcon strongly in a driving finish to the line.

The pair raced clear inside the final fifty metres with Leica Larrikin driving strongly at Elusive Touch, but Baster had enough up his sleeve to get the Kavanagh trained gelding home by a head from the unlucky Leica Larrikin and that pair beat the rest convincingly with three lengths back to Beltrois who got the judge’s verdict for third place.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Mark Kavanagh: “The horse came to me as a restricted galloper and he has gone through his grades pretty quickly up to winning the Aurie’s Star.

“He likes a bit of soft ground and he likes his races spaced and we’ve just kept him happy and going along ok. I don’t know how far into the spring we’ll go with him, we’ve just got to wait and see.

“The owners thought he would be better suited in Melbourne. They come from Perth and they had other horses down here so it was just easier for them to come over here.

“In August you can find a horse that’s had two or three runs under his belt that can beat the horses that are better performed.

“They’re down in the weights and they’re a bit fitter and they’ve had a bit of racing, especially when the tracks are slow. That was the reason to head into a race like this.

“He’s pretty fool-proof. He’s just a nice horse that does everything right.”

Jockey Stephen Baster: “He’s tough. He’s honest and he obviously goes good down the straight.

“He just keeps finding every time they come to him and probably looking at the other day if he stays to the outside he probably wins there as well. He’s got great form.

“Three hundred metres out I probably thought I was going to struggle a little bit and he puts his head out and keep fighting. The ones that win they just keep winning.

“I think he’ll keep on improving the more he steps up. Kav’s such a great trainer. I think he will take him further than what it is today.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Elusive Touch): 4.00 out to 4.20 into 3.80.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer Mr M Williams indicated that it was the stable’s intention today that Uxorious would be ridden off the pace if circumstances allowed as he was of the opinion that this would be more beneficial than leading in a straight 1200m race. This announcement was relayed after the running of Race 5.

Prior to correct weight M Cahill rider of Leica Larrikin, second placegetter, viewed the Stewards film before deciding not to lodge an objection.

Cheronbutch jumped awkwardly.

Soon after the start Leica Larrikin was hampered when crowded for room between Grand Duels and Elusive Touch which shifted out slightly.

After passing the 600m Leica Larrikin was unable to improve its position when held up until inside the 200m.

M Cahill (Leica Larrikin) was questioned regarding his tactics inside the final 300m as to whether he could have elected to take a run on the fence and inside Grand Duels sooner than he did.

M Cahill explained that he had been instructed to ensure that the gelding got plenty of racing room and that he felt the track was inferior on the fence and for that reason, to make the shift that he did was his last option.

He added that he would’ve liked to have tried to gain a run between Headway and Elusive Touch however was left with no other choice than to make the decision he did near the 200m. He conceded in hindsight that he should have made the shift toward the fence earlier as the run was always available to him.

A post-race veterinary examination of Uxorious revealed the gelding to have the thumps.

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