MV SEPT 24 - DASHING RIDE WINS STUTT STAKES

By Taron Clarke | Sunday, September 26, 2010

Moonee Valley, September 24, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - Out 3m. Penetrometer 4.63.
Stutt Stakes (Group 2) 3YO SW - 1600m.
Time: 1-37.29. 600m Sectional: 35.66. (Carrying 57kg).
1 Hollowlea; 2 Run for Levi; 3 Bullbars.
Margins: 1.5L x 0.1L.

Terry and Karina O’Sullivan’s colt Hollowlea continued his consistent form with a slashing victory in the time honoured Group 2 Stutt Stakes over 1600 metres.

In his first appearance at Moonee Valley since the well-publicised fall involving veteran jockey Danny Brereton, Hollowlea started from barrier one and was ridden by visiting Sydney jockey Blake Shinn, who picked up the mount at the expense of an injured Nick Hall.

The win lifted Hollowlea’s winning strike rate to fifty per cent with four victories from just the eight lifetime starts.

From the inside barrier, Shinn elected to let the son of Hidden Dragon settle down midfield, five lengths off the early pacemaker Run For Levi.

The Patinack Farm owned Run for Levi carved across the face of the field from his outside barrier draw under jockey Craig Newitt, who took the mount for the indisposed Nash Rawiller who suffered a trackwork fall earlier in the day.

The favourite for the event was the Peter Snowden trained Bullbars. The Darley owned galloper was ridden by Mark Zahra and the pairing settled a touch better than midfield, just in front of Hollowlea.

Run for Levi ran the field along at a genuine tempo and the field bunched up as the three year olds approached the home turn.

Favourite Bullbars was able to ease out to the three wide line under Zahra in preparation for his finishing burst.

Outside of Bullbars was the Mark Kavanagh trained colt Liveandletdie, and jockey Michael Rodd was allowing the son of Street Cry some more leather in an effort to chase the leader Run for Levi.

Hollowlea continued to track the running rail as jockey Blake Shinn was riding the Stawell trained colt for luck three horses back along the fence.

Run for Levi was hard ridden with the stick by Newitt and, in the early part of the straight, held a length and a half margin over a wall of runners.

Shinn continued to ride Hollowlea patiently and luck was about to go his way.

Censor rolled a horse off the fence and this allowed Shinn and Hollowlea the ability to rail through and save valuable ground.

The Patinack Farm colt Run for Levi was giving plenty of cheek in front of the favourite Bullbars who was chiming in out wider on the track.

Hollowlea and Shinn raced up along the inside of Run for Levi and the duo grabbed the lead in a twinkling of an eye at the 75 metre mark.

In a wonderfully patient ride that paid the ultimate dividends for Shinn and the connections as Hollowlea went on to score a confortable length and a half victory over pacemaker Run for Levi with a small margin back to the favourite Bullbars in third.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Terry O’Sullivan: “He ran well at Caulfield the other day but it was a very firm track and I don't think he let down as good as he could.

"I think the quick back-up has probably helped him and he's just settled a bit better.

"It (the Caulfield Guineas) will be a tougher race than tonight's race but he couldn't have done any more than he did tonight.

"If we get through to the Guineas he will have done a good job and he can have a nice spell after that.”

Jockey Blake Shinn: “It (being held up) stopped his momentum a little, but to his credit he burrowed through and hit the line very strongly.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Hollowlea): 8.00 out to 10.00.
Favourite (Bullbars) 4.40 out to 4.80 into 4.40. Finished third.

Horse to follow: A wonderful ride by Blake Shinn saw Hollowlea grab the cash over the early leader Run for Levi. The favourite Bullbars lost no admirers as he continues his journey towards a possible Derby start.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Eikept pulled hard in the early and middle stages.

Muchos Respectos (NZ) raced wide without cover.

Rounding the home turn near the 250m Censor shifted out slightly to ensure sufficient room for the runner to its inside, that being Hollowlea.

This resulted in Epic Dragon which was racing to the outside of Censor shifting out tightening the running of Ulundi which was checked and in turn shifted out and bumped Muchos Respectos (NZ).

As a result of this incident Maraaseem which was following had to be checked and bumped Domesky shifting out and caused some inconvenience to Eikept.

In all the circumstances the Stewards were satisfied that there was no carelessness by riders involved in the incident, therefore no action was taken.

C Newitt (Run For Levi) explained after the race that his mount did not handle the turns and for that reason he had difficulty in trying to get the horse to maintain a position on the fence.

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