MV AUG 21 - QUEENSLAND CONNECTION REUNITES TO WIN CROCKETT
By Taron Clarke | Sunday, August 22, 2010
Moonee Valley, August 21, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - out 4.0m. Penetrometer: 5.36
Crocket Stakes Listed 3YO Fillies SW+P - 1200m.
Time: 1-12.62. (Carrying 55kg).
1 Dutchy’s Lass; 2 Cristallo; 3 Parisian Sunrise.
Former Queensland trainer Shaun Dwyer landed his first Black Type win since relocating to Bendigo in 2009 when Dutchy’s Lass led from barrier to box to land the Listed Crockett Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday afternoon.
Dutchy’s Lass, by Dwyer’s former classy two-year-old Dutch Harry, carried a distinct fitness edge over her rivals going into the Crockett Stakes fourth-up.
Coming back in distance from her previous start at Flemington over 1400 metres, Dutchy’s Lass continued her impressive form at the Moonee Valley circuit taking her record to two wins and a second from only three outings on the Strath Ayr surface.
Brilliantly away at barrier rise, jockey Michael Rodd had no hesitation in sending Dutchy’s Lass straight to the front and upon settling held a clear two length margin over the Peter Moody trained Miss Gai Flyer.
The easing favourite in the race was Moody’s other runner in the race Curtana, who was ridden by stable jockey Luke Nolen. Curtana was well served as the gates opened, but Nolen allowed the daughter of Exceed and Excel to drift back through the field and settle in fifth position some six lengths off the speedy Dutchy’s Lass.
Michael Rodd elected to let Dutchy’s Lass free roll in the lead and showed out by two lengths over Miss Gai Flyer as the field raced towards the 800 metre mark. Peter Morgan’s lightly raced filly Cristallo, managed to get into a good position a length away in third and on her inside was Lucky Doris settling in fourth position.
The favourite Curtana was given plenty of time to balance up by jockey Luke Nolen and raced in sixth position outside of Parisian Sunrise and that pair spotted the flying leader Dutchy’s Lass some seven lengths.
Dutchy’s Lass and Michael Rodd were able to steady the speed slightly as the field raced down the side of the track and showed out by a length and a half to Miss Gai Flyer with Cristallo tracking in third. Favourite Curtana was still content to race back in the field on the outside of Parisian Sunrise.
After giving the leader a furlong to catch her breath, Rodd let Dutchy’s Lass quicken up again in front and this in turn saw Boss start to slap up Miss Gai Flyer to chase the leader. The stablemate and favourite Curtana was now asked to pick up the bit and start to chase the leader as Luke Nolen brought the filly three wide and out chasing.
On the swing for home the leader Dutchy’s Lass was well clear by two and a half lengths from Miss Gai Flyer who was under the whip and coming off her back was Cristallo. Gradually working into the race was Curtana, but was still some six lengths off the leader.
Dutchy’s Lass straightened some three lengths in front of Cristallo who had raced to second over the tiring Miss Gai Flyer. The favourite Curtana appeared to be making no impression out three wide on the track and saving ground closer to the inside was Parisian Sunrise.
But it was clearly evident soon after straightening that no one would catch the high balling leader Dutchy’s Lass, who held a commanding lead inside the 100 metre mark. Jockey Michael Rodd sat down to punch the filly out over the concluding stages and she scored a confortable victory by two and a half lengths over Cristallo with a further length and three quarters back to David Hayes filly Parisian Sunrise in third position.
The favourite Curtana finished off the race solidly over the concluding 100 metres coming home in fourth position some four and a half lengths from the winner. Her run should be forgiven on a surface clearly not conducive to backmarkers.
But all the honours were with the old Queensland alliance of Shaun Dwyer and Michael Rodd. The last time the duo paired up with a sprinting filly was when filly Regimental Gal won the 2003 Magic Millions Classic.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Shaun Dwyer: “The ease of the win did surprise me a bit. You know those two horses of Peter’s are pretty smart. I don’t know whether the blinkers improved her. She certainly hasn’t run a bad race here at the Valley. What do you say? She just went good and Michael rode her well. It’s a good result.
“Well after the last race the boys were thinking we might send her back there (to Queensland) for some QTIS races, but she’ll be staying here. I’m not quite sure. I’ll talk to the boys.
“I just think she’ll probably be a bit better next year when she grows. We got her going alright now. She needed the blinkers and just didn’t see the 1400 metres out last time … although Glen Boss and Jake Noonan both said in their last two rides that she probably was waiting for them and that’s why the blinkers went on.”
Jockey Michael Rodd: “It was good. I wish they could all be that easy.
“I rode her a while back and she just fell in at Sandown. Different horse today. She’s a lot stronger. She’s thickened up a lot more than when I was on her back then, so that’s a big plus … but I just went into the race with the mentality that she was the fittest.
She was hard fit. She was dropping back from 1400 to 1200 metres. She’s got the blinkers on so I thought I would go a little bit steady early on and see if they could catch me as we got around the turn.
“I think the way the track’s playing it’s probably favouring the horses that are closer to the fence and she was an outsider so I don’t think the others were really worrying about me too much, so I think we sort of got away with one then.”
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Dutchy’s Lass): 16.00 out to 17.00 in to 12.00.
Favourite (Curtana): 2.20 out to 3.30. Finished fourth.
STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The start of the race was delayed six minutes when Royal Bender had to be re-plated after it lost its near-fore plate during the preliminary.
Royal Bender jumped very awkwardly.
Cristallo jumped a little awkwardly, shifted out and bumped Parisian Sunrise.
Rounding the turn near the 200m Lucky Doris, which was giving ground, shifted out and made contact with the hindquarters of Parisian Sunrise. This resulted in Lucky Doris getting very unbalanced.
L Nolen reported that Curtana was not suited by the pattern of racing today as it was difficult to make ground.
C Symons could offer no excuses for the disappointing performance of Lucky Doris today.
After the running of the race the Club’s veterinary surgeon reported that Royal Bender had struck itself on the off-fore fetlock and had a slower than normal recovery and Cristallo had mild colic.
G Boss (Miss Gai Flyer) was of the view that the filly failed to handle today’s track conditions and recommended that blinkers be added.
A post-race veterinary examination of Miss Gai Flyer revealed no abnormalities other than a slower than normal recovery.
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