MV AUG 21 - BREEDING BARN BECKONS BRONISLAVA
By Taron Clarke | Sunday, August 22, 2010
Moonee Valley, August 21, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - out 4.0m. Penetrometer: 5.36
3YO+ Fillies and Mares - 2040m.
Time: 2-10.99. (Carrying 56.5kg).
1 Bronislava; 2 Champagne Love; 3 Skybee.
Former Kiwi mentor Mike Moroney started his spring campaign with an overdue win with mare Bronislava. The mare, by staying sire Galileo, had been out of the money her past four starts after a victory at the Sandown Lakeside circuit back in May.
Ridden by jockey Nick Hall, the five year old mare was sent to the post at double figure odds, with the top weight and Mick Kent trained mare Cameo Minx starting the favourite in an open affair.
From the famous Cox Plate start at the top of the Moonee Valley straight, the field of ten mares began well with bottom weight Champagne Love allowed to amble to the front down the straight the first time. Following Champagne Love across was Bronislava and out wider on the track was the Shaun Dwyer trained galloper Eau De Dali for jockey Glen Boss.
The favourite Cameo Minx for Craig Williams, lobbed in a beautiful trialling position behind the leader as the field raced past the post and out of the home straight on the first occasion.
The other horse in the market was the Chris Hyland trained Miss Phromily. Hyland was looking for an early double on the program after taking out the first event with bargain purchase, Crabs. Miss Phromily was allowed to find her under champion hoop Damien Oliver and raced in last position as the field settled down, some ten lengths off the leader.
Down the side of the track and past the mile start, Champagne Love under noted front running jockey Darren Gauci was making play at the head of proceedings by three quarters of a length to Bronislava who was content to sit at the leader’s flanks with top weight Cameo Minx electing to stay one off the fence in a trailing position.
This in turn forced Eau De Dali to race three deep and after a sustained look over his near side shoulder jockey Glen Boss realised he would have to press on to get in one off the fence. Boss sent Eau De Dali forward and took up the position outside of the leader as jockey Nick Hall allowed Bronislava to take a sit behind the leading pair.
Darren Gauci set the tempo aboard Champagne Love and it was only a moderate speed as the field rounded the top turn of the Strath Ayr circuit. The favourite Cameo Minx continued to get all the favours in the run tracking the speed four lengths off the leaders. The other fancied runner Miss Phromily continued to race at the rear of the field ten lengths of the speed.
With the tempo only moderate up until the 1000 metre mark, it was evident the race would develop into a sprint home. Darren Gauci was at his best in dictating the speed of the race to suit his mount Champagne Love and Bronislava was also enjoying these favours as well as Nick Hall followed Gauci in a trailing position only a length and a half from the leader.
As with the majority of races at Moonee Valley, the field compacted at around the 700 metre mark and this saw a number of runners peel out three deep in anticipation of coming with their run. The first runner of the three wide line was the favourite Cameo Minx. The Glen Boss mount Eau De Dali was the first runner put under pressure as Gauci on the leader Champagne Love, quickened the tempo.
Travelling strongly behind the leader was Bronislava. Jockey Nick Hall could be visibly seen trying to push out underneath the tiring Eau De Dali as the field commenced the swing for home. However, Boss aboard Eau De Dali wasn’t letting Hall out without a fight and held his running line to shunt Hall and Bronislava back onto the fence as the leader Champagne Love kicked strongly.
The favourite Cameo Minx was under strong riding from Craig Williams and was not making any impression on the leader as the field entered the early part of the straight.
The early pacemaker Champagne Love held a one and a half-length margin upon straightening over Bronislava who had managed to get off the fence, Eau De Dali was battling on and wider on the track and the favourite Cameo Minx was visibly weakening. Making up solid ground from a rearward position was Skybee ridden by Peter Mertens.
Bronislava was the fresh horse on the scene after receiving a beautiful run in transit from jockey Hall and they got to Champagne Love at the 100 metre marker with two lengths back to Eau De Dali and Skybee fighting it out for third position. In a stirring go to the finishing line Bronislava hit the front right in the shadows of the post to nail a beautiful front running ride by the old fox Darren Gauci. The slender winning margin was a head with a further two lengths back to Skybee in third position.
Not an excuse in the world could be made for favourite Cameo Minx. After racing in a favourable trailing position and presented down the side of the track, the Mick Kent trained mare failed to impress in the run to the line and wound up finishing eighth position, five lengths off the winner.
The Damien Oliver mount Miss Phromily, who settled last in a slowly run affair made good ground late to finish in fourth position, beaten only two and a half lengths. No doubt the Chris Hyland trained mare was disadvantaged by the slow running of the race and will be better suited in a more genuinely run affair.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Mike Moroney: “Good to see her back in the winner’s circle because she went through a time where she really disappointed a few times ... and it’s hard to get a mare back again, but she’s come back and the last two runs have been a long way better.
“She’s also got a good record here which is always a bit of a help. Last start she was going to drop out to last, but she sort of came again.
"Even though she is a hard going mare at times we thought we would try her at the 2040 metres. The owners were keen to do it and they were right, that’s what she’s probably best at.
“Shortly she will probably go to stud I would think. She’s a well-bred mare with a bit of Black Type and she would probably go to stud I would think this spring.”
Jockey Nick Hall: “It didn’t quite work out as I first thought. I wanted to be outside the leader … clear room being able to serve it up to them, but it didn’t work out that way and luckily enough she had a good enough sprint to finish it off.
“I thought she would be strong. My worry was being out-sprinted, but it was lucky Darren took us into the race, I was able to work off his back pretty well.
“This tracks fine. I galloped here this morning. It’s only a slow 6, but it’s a good racing surface at the moment. It’s not very patchy so it should make for a good days racing.”
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Bronislava): 13.00 out to 16.00.
Favourite (Cameo Minx): 3.50 out 4.00 in to 3.80. Finished eighth.
STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The Stewards, after having questioned trainer Mr B McCarthy as to the reason why N Hall had been dually engaged, were satisfied with the explanation and therefore no action was taken.
Passing the winning post on the first occasion Eau De Dali shifted in and bumped Cameo Minx. Cameo Minx then shifted back out to hold its position one off the fence and in doing so bumped with Eau De Dali on several occasions.
Work The Body raced wide without cover throughout.
Near the 300m Bronislava attempted to shift out when held up for clear running and as a result made contact with Eau de Dali which held its ground resulting in Bronislava becoming unbalanced.
Inside the 100m Champagne Love shifted out under pressure and at approximately the 30m bumped Bronislava.
When questioned regarding the performance of Dazzling Rubi today D Smith explained that the mare’s performance was disappointing as it had worked well leading up to today and the stable were confident of a forward showing.
He added that Dazzling Rubi wasn’t suited when the pace slackened mid-race and was left flat footed when the field sprinted. He was also of the opinion that Dazzling Rubi performs better on softer tracks and being a small framed horse may not have handled the big weight. A post-race veterinary examination of Dazzling Rubi revealed no abnormalities.
C Williams (Cameo Minx) was of the view that the performance today was disappointing and could offer no excuses other than the mare was inclined to hang out. A subsequent veterinary examination revealed no obvious abnormalities.
Trainer Ms M Wells reported after the race that Champagne Love had sustained lacerations to both hind legs which is consistent with having been galloped on.
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