DOOM AUG 28 - JEDI STARFIGHTER CAUSES MASSIVE BOILOVER

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Doomben, August 28, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 6m. Penetrometer - 4.6.
1MW Handicap - 2220m.
Time: 2-16.68. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Jedi Starfighter; 2 Cross Town Traffic; 3 Loves A Challenge.

The Trevor Thomas trained Jedi Starfighter caused a massive 201-1 boil-over in the second race at Doomben on Saturday.

You have to go back a long way to find the previous 200-1 plus winner in Brisbane. In fact according to statisticians that would be a forty-seven year journey back into the past to find the name of Sir Ivo who won at Eagle Farm in 1963. Both Sir Ivo and Jedi Starfighter officially started at 201-1, although, on Saturday, one bookmaker was so happy to be taking any money on Jedi Starfighter, he offered Thomas, who was taking his token $10 each way bet, 301-1.

When he bought the horse Thomas said, ‘I was the only one silly enough to put my hand up.’ That is probably what the bookmaker was thinking about Thomas when he put his hand up again to place his bet, but it was a winning move.

To understand the price all you had to do was take one look at the Jedi Starfighter’s form. In his four runs this prep, the chestnut had finished a combined total of 71.50 lengths behind the winner (an average of 17.87 lengths a race). In those four outings he had finished last twice, second last once and third last once.

Most times when a long-priced winner gets home, punters can go back to the form where they will invariably find something they missed … something that gives some credence to the horse turning around its fortunes.

In the case of Jedi Starfighter there was nothing to be found in the form. There was a gear change (blinkers off for the first time and bit lifter on first time), but to have any belief that simple change would lift Jedi Starfighter into the winners’ enclosure would have required an exaggerated leap of faith.

The bottom line is you couldn’t find Jedi Starfighter as a winner with any logical argument. Punters just had to take the bruising and move on.

Jockey Nathan Thomas had Jedi Starfighter back in ninth place, three wide just worse than midfield, in the early part. Chinrub led early and he held a two length lead over Regal Gaze early in the back straight with Cross Town Traffic taking a sit in third place.

There was plenty of movement of horses as the field started the sweep to the home turn. Regal Gaze went up to take the lead away from Chinrub, but the big mover was Jedi Starfighter who made ground quickly out wide on the track to move up to race outside Regal Gaze in the leading line.

Jedi Starfighter’s forward move was so noticeable that it prompted commentator Alan Thomas to say, ‘ geez, some of these are going early,’ but Jedi Starfighter’s move was clearly designed to place others pressure.

As Jedi Starfighter joined issue with Regal Gaze, Chinrub dropped away. As the early leader fell back he slightly inconvenienced the favourite Loves A Challenge, who had to angle out slightly before giving chase once again.

Regal Gaze, the stable-companion of Loves A Challenge, had the inside line and he slipped away from Jedi Starfighter by two lengths on straightening. Loves A Challenge had recovered to move into third place just ahead of Cross Town Traffic and the race looked to be a fight between these four runners as the field pounded down the home straight.

Regal Gaze started to feel the pinch inside the final 200m. Jedi Starfighter was doggedly refusing to go away and, when Regal Gaze weakened, Jedi Starfighter hit the front with 120m left to run.

Loves A Challenge and Cross Town Traffic were battling away on the outside of Jedi Starfighter, close enough if good enough, but the big chestnut kept fighting on all the way to the line where he prevailed by a the half-head margin that had most punters tearing up their tickets and throwing them away in a shower of confetti.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Trevor Thomas: “When I bought him he had hair on him three inches long. I said, he’ll go for nothing this horse. I was the only one silly enough to put my hand up and I got landed with him.

“It’s funny. You think he will be an easy horse to ride, but he’s not … because if you are quite happy to fall out the back with him, he’s quite happy just to go around and follow them.

“I said to Nathan (Thomas) today, I said, look … it doesn’t matter where you are, what you are doing. I don’t care if you are five deep, whatever, just have him a little bit closer. I said, at the 1000 look to start going forward.

“I said if you are close to the lead then you know there is not enough pace on, so really inject something into it at the 800 and make it a bit of a staying test, you know. He’ll run all day.

“I said to Nathan don’t take any notice of his last two runs (where Jedi Starfighter finished 9.80 lengths and 11.50 lengths back respectively). They weren’t that bad. He was just given no hope in running. He was four or five lengths off the second last horse and chasing from the 1000 to try to get into the race, you know.

“I got Nathan to come and gallop him on Wednesday, because I wanted someone … it’s easy enough to explain to him that he hasn’t got any sprint, but until you ride them you don’t know.

“So Nathan came and galloped him for me on Wednesday and it paid off big-time.

‘Yeah, there was a gear change. Actually it’s the first time he’s had blinkers off since his first start, I think.

“It was just great to win. I think that was his twenty-first start on grass and it’s his first win on grass. The only other time he showed on grass was when he ran second as a Maiden to Cajun Moon at Coloundra when the EI was on. I had him down there because Stevie (Trevor’s brother) couldn’t travel him at the him.

“I had leased him to Stevie. Stevie had a bit of luck with him. I think he won seven races with him, so that was good.

“I’ve got him back now. I’ve had him back for this preparation. That’s his fifth run in and, yeah, I’m just hoping he can keep going.

“At that price we are part of racing history now.”

Jockey Nathan Thomas: “I didn’t ride him pretty. He was three deep from the jump. I had cover.

“When I got to the 1000 I ended up being four deep, which is hard to do around Doomben.

“Before the race Trevor (Thomas) said to me, if you have to ease at any stage then he won’t run on. He said, don’t try to ride him pretty and I thought, oh well, it’s not going to look good, but Trevor knows him better than me.

“On the line I didn’t actually think I’d won it, but then one stride after the line I had a look across and then I thought I might have hung on. Chrissy Munce said, well done, so I thought I might have got there then, yeah.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Jedi Starfighter): 201.00 Steady.
Favourite (Love’s A Challenge): 5.50 in to 3.40. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Iluva Queenslander was inspected at the barriers by the veterinary surgeon at the request of the rider M. Cahill and passed suitable to race.

Walpersdorf hung out rounding the turn out of the front straight.

Jockey M. Cahill, the rider of Iluva Queenslander, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding under AR. 137(a), in that near the 2000m he permitted his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Walpersdorf (J. Taylor), resulting in Walpersdorf clipping the heels of Iluva Queenslander and blundering.

M. Cahill's licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of 8 meetings, with the term of suspension to commence at midnight on Saturday, 4 September, and expire at midnight on Saturday, 18 September 2010.

At a subsequent inquiry J. Taylor was found guilty of a charge under AR. 175(g) in that during the course of the inquiry into the incident near the 2000m involving Iluva Queenslander he provided false evidence in respect of the clearance provided by M. Cahill (Iluva Queenslander) and the pressure applied by R. Wiggins (Dane Fontaine) at the time of the incident. J. Taylor was fined the sum of $500.

Regal Gaze (G. Colless) raced wide in the early stages. Rock Rules (K. Forrester) and Jedi Starfighter (N. Thomas) raced wide throughout.

Approaching the 700m Dane Fontaine (R. Wiggins) raced ungenerously when its rider was attempting to position it to the outside of the heels of Iluva Queenslander (M. Cahill) in order to improve.

Loves A Challenge (R. McMahon) and Walpersdorf were both held up rounding the home turn behind the heels of the tiring Chinrub (P. Hammersley).

J. Taylor, the rider of Walpersdorf, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding under AR. 137(a), in that near the 400m he permitted his mount to shift out when insufficiently clear of Iluva Queenslander, resulting in that horse being tightened for room between Walpersdorf and Rock Rules, further resulting in Iluva Queenslander losing its rightful running.

Stewards, when assessing penalty, took into account the minor degree of interference suffered to Iluva Queenslander and the exemplary riding record of J. Taylor and felt in the circumstances the appropriate penalty was a reprimanded.

Stewards sought an explanation from T. Thomas, the trainer of Jedi Starfighter, in respect of the gelding's improved performance today.

Mr Thomas stated that subsequent to its last run he removed the blinkers and added a bit lifter when he was disappointed with the horse's performance. Mr Thomas added that the horse had worn blinkers for a considerable period of time in its racing career and he felt that the horse, particularly at its last start, lost interest during the race when racing in blinkers.

Mr Thomas added that with the increase in distance today Jedi Starfighter was able to put itself into the race a lot earlier and felt that this may have contributed to the horse's improved performance.

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