THE DANIEL BOWEN TRAINED AT WITZ END TAKES HIS 'UNLIKELY HERO' TAG TO THE NEXT LEVEL
By Graham Potter | Thursday, August 22, 2024
At Witz End has secured a place in the $2 million Kosciuszko lineup at Randwick on October 19 ... a reward that is as deserving as it would have highly unlikely at the start of the year.
The fact that trainer Daniel Bowen has worked wonders with the now nine-year-old since At Witz End came into his stable having not posted a race win in twenty-three starts since saluting in July 2021, has been well documented, as has Bowen’s intention to ensure At Witz End’s name remained in the mix for Kosciuszko selection ... which is a contest in itself with every runner being nominated by Kosciuszko Sweepstake winners ... as the son of Epaulette’s form began to flourish once again.
In all, since kicking off with Bowen, At Witz End won four races in the four-month period from mid-March to mid-July, including wins in the $160 000 ATC Cup and the $200 000 Eye Liner Stakes.
Throw in a second-place finish in the Glasshouse and a third-place finish in the Chief De Beers ... again both Listed races ... and it is clear to see that while At Witz End’s form was building momentum, so too was his claim for Kosciuszko selection ... and, once the fourteen sweepstake winners were decided on Wednesday morning, it didn’t take long before Bowen received the phone call he had working on getting for many months. Read more ...
THE DANIEL BOWEN TRAINED AT WITZ END TAKES HIS 'UNLIKELY HERO' TAG TO THE NEXT LEVEL
_______________________________________________________________________
There was no ordinary run-of-the-mill race finish.
Jockey Jake Bayliss might have made the mistake which resulted in the somewhat chaotic final 75m of the race … he has owned up to that … but his riding skills, once put in that difficult position, more than compensated for his error.
In fact, it would be fair to say that they were key to avoiding a possible catastrophe.
As so often is the case in racing, it all happened in a blink of the eye and, for most, it would take a good few viewings of the race replay to ascertain exactly what happened.
No opinion from any of those observers though, would be as precise as Bayliss’ version of his split-second scare, his reaction and, ultimately, how he came out of it the other side as a winner. Read more ...
'MORE MANE THAN REIN' FACTORS IN AN UNUSUAL FINISH
_______________________________________________________________________
Mark Du Plessis will be back at trackwork tomorrow morning where he will return to the saddle for the first time since a bizarre incident during the running of the second race at Eagle Farm on June 28 took him out of action.
“It was my first ride of the day and around about the 100m mark it felt like someone hit me over the back with a log,” explained Du Plessis, recalling the incident.
“It was a bit scary. It was just some sort of feeling I’d never had before. You can’t really pick it up in the race.
“Luckily, my horse (Blantons Run) was in fourth place on her own at the time, and when I went to pull her up my right leg had no feeling.
“In the fourth box, I had to ask Nathan (trainer Rochelle Pereira’s partner) to help me off the horse because I just felt very restricted and in a lot of pain. Read more ...
MARK DU PLESSIS SET TO MAKE A WELCOME RETURN TO TRACKWORK AFTER AN INJURY ENFORCED LAYOFF
_________________________________________________________________________
|