CAUL SEPT 18 - RAINBOW STYLING LANDS NATURALISM

By Taron Clarke | Sunday, September 19, 2010

Caulfield, September 18, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True. Penetrometer 5.04.
Naturalism Stakes Open Handicap (Group 3) - 2000m.
Time: 2-01.68. 600m Sectional: 35.70. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Rainbow Styling; 2 Valdemoro; 3 Moudre.
Margins: 0.3L x 0.2L.

Champion jockey Chris Munce returned to Melbourne and scored a consolation victory aboard the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes trained stayer Rainbow Styling, after his primary mount for the card Ringa Ringa Rosie had finished well back in an unsuitably run race earlier in the day.

Beginning brilliantly from his inside barrier draw, Munce urged the six-year-old son of Zabeel along in the early stages to take up a prominent position.

The favourite for the event was ruling Caulfield Cup favourite Moudre, who needed to win the event to guarantee himself a place in the final field.

The field of stayers settled into stride and the New Zealand galloper Sterling Prince took up his customary role of pacemaker.

Rainbow Styling and Chris Munce settled in third position on the fence, four lengths off the leader.

The punters elect Moudre, as with his normal pattern of racing was forced to settle towards the rear of the field some fifteen lengths off the top.

Last week’s flop in the Group Two Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley, Valdemoro settled mid field on the fence seven lengths off the pacemaker as the field wheeled the turn at the 1200 metre mark.

Sterling Prince and Steven King sent the field along at a solid clip and this in turn broke the field up.

Inside the 800 metres and some twenty lengths from the freewheeling Sterling Prince was the favourite Moudre for jockey Craig Williams. Williams was already hard at work on the son of Blevic urging the Warrnambool trained galloper along to try and pick up the bit and come into the event.

Rounding the final turn in the staying test, Mourayan for Nick Hall surged to lead ahead of Sterling Prince and on the outside was Apprehend.

Moudre was under the whip swinging for home and was making slight headway although still spotting the leaders eight lengths as Williams brought him to the middle of the track.

Rainbow Styling had enjoyed the run of the race and the Queensland based hoop Chris Munce brought the Nick Moratis owned galloper off the fence and tracked up behind Mourayan.

In the early part of the straight Munce went to bring Rainbow Styling across the heels of the three leaders but missed a run to the outside as Valdemoro chimed in four wide.

Munce then elected to drive Rainbow Styling for a split between the tiring Mourayan and Apprehend, who had raced up to strike the front at the 200 metre pole.

Once balanced, Munce got to work on the Sydney galloper and he came with giant strides to grab Apprehend at the clock tower with Valdemoro and in particular Moudre coming with explosive runs.

Over the final 50 metres, jockey Chris Munce was able to extricate enough out of Rainbow Styling to score a neck margin over the Tony Vasil trained Valdemoro with a head back to the fast finishing favourite Moudre.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Wayne Hawkes: “I actually said to Chris Munce before the race that there are not many horses that would get beat in this race after finishing six and a half lengths behind Theseo first up.

“It’s a leader’s track and he rode him well … albeit he was looking to get out on the corner. I was hoping he was going to stay there and he went back to the inside.

“It was a different ball game today. Today was the first day we have come off heavy and wet tracks in Melbourne and back onto the good surface.

“We took him to Brisbane and he won up there one day. He is certainly not the elite. He is a six-year-old gelding by Zabeel and he is starting to hit his straps and that’s what the sons of Zabeel can do.

“Today was his target. We were just happy to bring him to Melbourne and look for the right race and as I said the other day was brilliant in the Weight for Age race and the way he ran.

“He is not in the Caulfield Cup, but it is a different type of race this sort of race. Someone just said to me then ‘is he a Caulfield Cup horse’ and I said ‘he is not really as he doesn’t usually run a mile and a half … 2200 metres is normally about as far as he wants to go.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “It was a good gallop from the thousand metres on. They went along at a pretty solid gallop and he was just about if the splits come for this bloke.

“He travelled really nice. It was the first time round here and he travelled up really good.

“He relaxed really well and I think there is still a bit of improvement in him too.

“I think he is just an honest trier and he puts his all in every time.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Rainbow Styling): 10.00 out to 14.00.
Favourite (Moudre): 2.25 out to 2.70. Finished third.

Horse to follow: Solidly run race where the backmarkers were left behind when the leaders sprinted at 600 metre mark. Moudre finished like a rocket once balanced up and will now have to score a win in the Group One Turnbull Stakes in order to beat the ballot for the Caulfield Cup. Mr Charlie, who finished fifth, did enough to suggest he is a stayer of the future and appears to be looking for the mile and a half.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fanjura blundered on jumping away, shifted out abruptly crowding Mourayan and Token Of Honour. D Dunn was almost dislodged from Fanjura in the incident.

A short distance after the start Harris Tweed shifted out hampering Exceptionally.
Exceptionally in turn bumped Moudre.

Near the 1300m, Rainbow Styling (NZ) had to be eased off the heels of Apprehend, which shifted in and away from Mourayan (N Hall), which had also shifted in slightly. N Hall was advised to exercise more care in future.

Fairfield Flame raced wide without cover in the early and middle stages.

Rounding the home turn and in the early part of the straight, Rainbow Styling (NZ) was held up for clear running.

Rainbow Styling (NZ) eventually gained clear running near the 200m where that gelding and Mourayan (IRE) bumped.

Near the 300m, Mourayan (IRE) shifted out when under pressure and bumped Apprehend.

B Melham (Capecover) explained that his mount lugged in quite badly when the pace quickened and for that reason was unable to ride the horse out in his normal manner in the straight.

Trainer Mr R Hickmott was questioned regarding the apparent change of tactics on Mourayan today and he explained that whilst they had instructed N Hall to be more positive today on the horse there was no pre-race plans to lead. He added that N Hall in his opinion used his initiative to go forward to avoid being caught wide.

D Dunn (Fanjura) explained that he had concerns with the gelding’s action upon returning to scale. Stewards will follow up this matter with trainer Mr L Freedman on Monday.

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