DOOM AUG 28 - STARTSMEUP UNDERLINES HIS PROMISE

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Doomben, August 28, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 6m. Penetrometer - 4.6.
QTIS Handicap (3yo’s) - 1350m.
Time: 1-19.88. (Carrying 57kg).
1 Startsmeup; 2 Smart; 3 Rodrigeuz.

Eighth start … first win! Or should that be ‘first official win’. That’s what the record books will show for the Bruce Hill trained Startsmeup who scored with some authority in the opening race on the Doomben on Saturday.

Flashback to December 19, 2009 and the result of the first race that day shows a resounded win for Startsmeup on debut. Startsmeup was ultimately stripped of that race win, but both his performance there and his efforts in subsequent starts against more-than-useful opposition showed him to be an above average gelding and this latest win certainly vindicated that opinion.

(Startsmeup finished a length behind Military Rose in the Listed Bruce McLachlan Stakes and 5.50 lengths behind the same star performer in the Magic Millions two-year-old Classic).

Startsmeup landed in the lead, but when Temple Court (on his outside) and Moment By Moment (on the rail) pressed forward and put Startsmeup in a sandwich, jockey Paul Hammersley elected to ease out of the speed battle and take a trail in third place.

Temple Court crossed into an outright lead early in the sweep to the turn. Moment By Moment took up a position just outside the leader which meant that Startsmeup, who had never been more than two lengths off the lead, was posted three wide as the runners accelerated towards the home turn.

It was a line of three in front as the field straightened. Temple Court (on the inside) was already a spent force though and Moment By Moment and Startsmeup moved forward to join issue at the head of affairs.

That battle for the lead quickly became an uneven contest. As soon as Hammersley gave Startsmeup more rein the gelding bounded away from Moment By Moment, but the race was still not safely in is keeping.

The John Wallace trained Smart, who was chasing back-to-back wins, had raced into contention as the only danger to Startsmeup. Smart chased gamely. He was two lengths adrift with 200m to run. He had cut that margin back to three-quarters-of-a-length inside the final 100m and he had inched to within half-a-length at the line, but, in the end, all he was doing was keeping Startsmeup honest as the latter maintained his effort all the way to the line to finally get on the scoreboard.

Both the first and second place-getters deserve credit for their performances. They gapped the rest of the field. There was a full three lengths back to the scramble for the minor placing.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bruce Hill: “I only gave him two weeks off after last time. I kept him at home … walked him … swam him, and poked around with him.

“He was pretty fit coming in to today and he fought on really well. I reckon he will run a mile. He will relax. He’ll do anything you want him to.

“He’s run in good races, you know. He’s been stiff and he’s struck wet tracks, which he handles but he is not one hundred percent in them … but he has run well all the way through. Things that have beaten him have come out and gone on, which makes him look alright, you know.

“He was a promising two-year-old and he should be an even better three-year-old … when he gets over a bit more ground too.

“No, he won’t go south. I’ll probably work out in the next couple of days whether I’ll give him a break now, or whether I’ll give him one more start before I get him ready for the Magic Millions. Either way I will give him a break and then get him ready for the Magic Millions (In January).

Jockey Paul Hammersley: “Once Jason (Taylor, aboard Temple Court) fired to the front and Brad (Stewart, riding Moment By Moment) went up to sit alongside him, they put me three deep.

“My one does have a tendency to switch off at times, but I managed to keep him on the front foot. He went forward on the turn and he hit the line nicely.

“You know, 1350 … first-up. While I was a bit weary when I was three deep but, to his credit, he fought on well.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Startsmeup): 2.20 in to 2.00 out to 2.10.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Equissential (P. Wolfgram) jumped out at the start and bumped Smart (J. Byrne).

A post-race veterinary examination of Temple Court (J. Taylor), which compounded to finish a distant last, failed to reveal any abnormalities.

Stewards sought an explanation from M. Cahill regarding the tactics employed on Rodrigeuz whereby the horse settled in a rearward position as opposed to its most recent start whet it raced up on the pace.

M. Cahill stated that he had been instructed by connections to take up a rearward position from its difficult barrier as at its most recent start they were of the opinion that it had found the lead too early in the straight and then failed to finish the race off on that occasion.

Trainer R. MaCrae confirmed the instructions issued to M. Cahill and stewards subsequently reprimanded Mr Macrae for failing to fulfil his obligations to advise of a change of riding tactics under AR. 135A.

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