DOOM SEPT 25 - POOR JUDGE GETS THE VERDICT

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Doomben, September 25, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - out 5m. Penetrometer: 5.20.
Open Handicap - 1630m.
Time: 1-39.70. Last 600m: 35.60. (Carrying 56.5).
1 Poor Judge; 2 Rightson; 3 Sam's Express.
Margins: 0.50; 1.75.

There was more of a hint of satisfaction in the smile on the face of trainer Norm Hilton after Poor Judge had secured his second, successive, solid win over the mile trip.

The doubters questioned the gelding’s ability to see out the distance and, while the five-year-old is probably still a work in progress with the regard to the way he will best travel over the trip, the results on the board have taken the question mark out of the equation.

A record of twelve wins and five minor places from twenty-four starts confirms Poor Judge’s well above average status.

There was a bit of needle in the race. Jockey Justin Wood, who cropped severe criticism for his ride on Rightson when that runner was beaten by Poor Judge in their last clash, switched mounts this time around.

With his claim, Poor Judge had an appreciable, favourable pull at the weights over Rightson, yet the betting market still kept the latter in the game as the bookmaker’s boards indicated it was a two horse race. Poor Judge started favourite at $2.60. Rightson was right on his heels at $3.00.

Wood had no hesitation in chasing Poor Judge around his field from the outside draw. He completed that task with a minimum of fuss and led before the first turn.

Wood was then quite happy to let Sam’s Express go past him as the field entered the back straight and he settled his mount in second spot, two lengths behind the new leader.

At that stage Rightson, who was only ordinarily away, raced back in sixth place, giving Poor Judge four lengths start.

Sam’s Express continued to lead until the turn. He was only there courtesy of Wood’s patience and when Wood asked Poor Judge to quicken approaching the turn, the Hilton trained runner quickly ranged up alongside Sam’s Express.

The big mover on the turn though was Rightson. Bobby El-Issa had kicked his mount into gear and revved up as early as the 600m mark and the Barry Baldwin trained runner quickly made up ground four wide out on the track.

On straightening Poor Judge was about to ease into the lead from Sam’s Express. Fulmonti was prominent along the inside and Rightson was now in fourth place, and closing, just two lengths off the action.

As Poor Judge stretched out Sam’s Express tried to stay with him. The latter was still right there approaching the 200m mark, when Poor Judge shifted in … a move which resulted in Sam’s Express having to be checked.

Sam’s Express’s challenge evaporated in that moment and with Fulmonti only plodding on it was left to Rightson to come out and test Poor Judge’s commitment to the cause.

Poor Judge kept Rightson on a two length hold until just inside the final 100m when Rightson began making inroads into Poor Judge’s lead but, in the end, Rightson again had to settle for second best as Poor Judge kept his focus to the line where he scored by 0.50 lengths.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Norm Hilton: “Is he a miler now? That must make him a miler, hey!

“I didn’t really anticipate being in front at the start like that. I said, we don’t have to lead. If we were fourth we’d be happy. Having said that it was always our plan to be positive and be up there somewhere. It was actually better for us for the other horse to go.

“He did fire up a bit at the start there to get across and he went a furlong with his mouth open … and then he settled nicely, especially when the other horse went around him.

“He popped in behind him and I was real happy with that.

“He’ll probably have a break now. We’ll probably give him a good spell and then bring him back and get him ready for the Winter Carnival. We’ll just take it one step at a time. We’ll give him two or three starts before the big races.

“I think he’s got a good future.

“That’s Justin’s first win for me. He did an excellent job.

Jockey Justin Wood: “From that alley (Poor Judge jumped from the extreme outside draw) … although it was only a nine horse field, I thought, well we still have the outside alley so we have got to be positive to start with. We were going to get a spot first and then we going to look to settle.

“He cruised over to the front really easy before the turn. I thought, this is lovely. You know, from the first turn I thought, we’ve got this locked up if he is going to be consistent in this ground.

Michael Hellyer (riding Sam’s Express) came around me and put on a bit more pace, but I just thought to myself, I’ll just riding my own horse.

“Yeah he did have his mouth open early. He is such a lovely moving horse … he had his mouth open, but he was still coming back to me.

“I just wanted to maintain half-a-length to one off the fence. I didn’t really want to be getting into that deep sort of part and have him slipping and sliding.

“I slowly crept up to him and sort of let him have a bit of a hit out and that. I was always a bit wary that Rightson was going to try and run us down, but he was never going to get near our horse.

“I always thought it would be a dogfight between us and Rightson, but I thought we were better at the weights and we’d always show up better at the end in the heavy going.

“When the pace came on I wasn’t fussed because we’d had a pretty easy time until then and I knew he would run it out.

“I was always one hundred percent confident. He is a good horse.

“Beforehand, everyone was going on … he won’t run a mile, he won’t run a mile. I said, he’s had two starts over a mile. The one he probably wasn’t right for. The other one he bolted in. He does get a mile.

“It’s a good result for me. I had a quota this week. I got time (a week-and-a-half) at Ipswich last Friday and I thought, my last week I’m going to ride six winners. I ridden seven now, so it’s been a pretty big week.

*Unfortunately for Wood, the news for the week was not all good and it ended on a rather sour note courtesy of the Stewards intervention which put his riding skills under strict scrutiny (see Stewards Report Extract).

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Poor Judge): 2.50 out to 2.60.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Daring Fortune (C. McIver) lost its position on jumping away between Yummy (C. Munce) and Deacon (M. Cahill), both of which shifted ground.

Cocktail Supreme (J. Taylor) over-raced through the middle stages.

Near the 500m Deacon improved up on to the heels of Poor Judge (J. Wood) and had to be steadied.

Near the 200m Poor Judge (J. Wood) shifted in under pressure resulting in Sam's Express (M. Hellyer) having to be steadied from the heels of Poor Judge and alter course.

Whilst the degree of interference suffered by Sam's Express was low, stewards, in consideration of apprentice J. Wood's race riding record, ordered him to attend two sessions of tutelage with the Riding Skills Panel of Racing Queensland Limited prior to him being permitted to resume race riding.

Stewards further advised J. Wood that upon his return to race riding they would monitor his riding and if at any time they believed further remedial action was required, he would be immediately referred back to the Riding Skills Panel.

A post-race veterinary examination of Yummy revealed the horse to be suffering from cardiac arrhythmia.

Trainer H. Norman was advised that before Yummy is permitted to race again it must perform satisfactorily in a barrier trial and he must produce a veterinary certificate of fitness for the horse, including the results of an ECG.

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