FLEM SEPT 04 - SOUL BARES HIS ALL TO WIN DANEHILL
By Taron Clarke | Sunday, September 5, 2010
Flemington, September 4, 2010.
Track - Heavy 8. Rail - True. Penetrometer 5.02.
Danehill Stakes (Group 2) 3YO SW+P - 1200m.
Time: 1-11.63. 600m Sectional: 34.42. (Carrying 55kg).
1 Soul; 2 Buffering; 3 General Truce.
Margins: 0.8L x 0.2L.
Darley galloper Soul was rewarded for his consistency with a well earned victory in the Group Two Danehill Stakes at Flemington.
Run over the famous Flemington straight six, Soul was able to take his record to four starts for two wins and two seconds in just his first racetrack campaign.
The late scratching of Star Witness earlier in the day did not detract from the field with the two Queensland stars Military Rose and Buffering well fancied in the market. But punters could not go past the Vain Stakes form line from three weeks ago which saw Soul beaten less than half a length by Golden Rose victor, Toorak Toff.
Soul started favourite with punters in on course operations and the consistent son of Command was well away at barrier rise.
Run in glistening sunshine, the Danehill Stakes field came down the crown of the track in search of the better going.
Mark Zahra took the ride on the Peter Snowden trained galloper and elected to settle the gelding in the second half of the field, only four lengths off the early pacemaker who was Innocent Gamble.
The field of three year olds raced on to the course proper at the 400 metre mark and with a lightning turn of foot Sydney jockey Jim Cassidy let General Truce loose and he struck the front from Queensland visitor Buffering and on his outside was the favourite Soul.
Buffering and Soul gradually wore down General Truce over the concluding 200 metres with Soul able to gain the ascendancy over his Queensland rival in the final 100 metres to score a well-deserved victory.
For the second time this campaign Queensland trainer Robert Heathcote had to settle for the runners up cheque behind a Darley galloper after Buffering ran second to Blackball in the Up and Coming Stakes at Warwick Farm a fortnight earlier.
There looks to be more improvement left in Soul, after he tendered to race ungenerously during the early and middle stages of the 1200 metre feature.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Paul Snowden (Melbourne Foreman for the Peter Snowden stable): “He is just an ultimate little race horse, that’s just what he is.
“He would be in the same mould as Aichi a couple of years ago. He’s just a dead set little race horse.
“Even today, he still raced a little bit hot without cover. He was half in behind Buffering and half not … so it adds to the merit of the win.
“He might be able to stretch a little bit further. Dad’s (Peter Snowden) always been confident he could get seven furlongs, so it’s in the back of your mind. He’s been in work a long while now and every run from now on is a grand final for him.
“In the autumn he is going to be a very, very hard horse to beat whatever he goes in.
“We will just take it race by race from now on indefinitely and if he’s telling us he’s had enough, well he’ll go to the paddock, but he’s probably got another good race in him yet.”
Darley managing Director Australia Henry Plumptre: “It’s a pity he’s a gelding … no one’s putting their hand up for that one yet.
“We are very pleased to have a winner on the day. The horses have all run well today, but I think the tracks have tested them a bit … but we are going well.
“This was a horse that came up last year as a two-year-old. They asked to take a gelding … he got very heavy topped and had a bit of trouble with his knees, so we just said yes.
“Very professional father and son team (Peter and Paul Snowden), but the son’s nearly as good as the father so you better watch out.”
Jockey Mark Zahra: “I still wanted a bit of cover, but didn’t really have a chance. They went steady enough so I just travelled and travelled and just had to hope he would find a couple of lengths when I pressed the button and he did. He was too good.
“He wandered around a little bit. it was alright when I was on the hind quarters of Buffering but when I hit the front he wandered around a bit, but he did the job on the line.
“He is a real professional. He jumps and puts himself there … loves the wet. He is fit and he’s done well to win a race like this.
“He tries hard and that’s all you ask.”
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Soul): 3.00 out to 3.60.
The winner was the favourite.
Horse to Follow: It is hard to go past Soul, who is a model of consistency. In his first campaign, the son of Commands appears to be a very adaptable little racehorse and is suited on all types of going. No doubting the Snowden team will give Soul possibly one more start this time in, with a view to the Australian Guineas to be run in the autumn of 2011 as his main aim.
STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT: Star Witness was a late withdrawal on veterinary advice at 12.30pm and trainer Mr D O’Brien will submit a veterinary certificate.
Military Rose shifted in abruptly at the start hampering Storm Burst which in turn bumped the hindquarters of General Truce.
Innocent Gamble wanted to hang out and near the 200m shifted out before being straightened, but in doing so placed Military Rose in restricted room for a short distance.
Smokin’ Joey had a tendency to lay in down the straight and was held up passing the 400m before being put into the clear approaching the 200m.
Inside the 200m Military Rose again had to be steadied to avoid the heels of Buffering which shifted in abruptly.
B Rawiller reported at scale that Columbus did not handle the track conditions today. A subsequent veterinary examination of Columbus revealed no abnormalities.
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