EF OCT 16 - ESSINGTON SHOWS HIS WORTH

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Eagle Farm, October 16, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - out 4.5m.
Class 6 Handicap - 1400m.
Time: 1-27.19. Last 600m: 37.65. (carrying 54.5kg).
1 Essington; 2 Upper Class; 3 Professor.

The well-bred Essington got the job done in style at Eagle Farm on Saturday, where he claimed his fifth win from only eleven starts.

Essington raced four times for the trainer Robert Hickmott team in Victoria but, when he didn’t find early success, he was passed on and he found his way north to the stable of the MacKay based trainer Darryl Hansen.

The gelding ran second at Rockhampton in his first start for his new stable when resuming after close to a five month layoff.

He then shed his Maiden ticket at his sixth start. That result was the beginning of a four race winning sequence as Essington quickly went through his classes.

He had three runs in less than a month winning a Class 1 in MacKay (on August 17), a Class 2 in Mackay (on September 7) and a Class 4 in Townsville (on September 14) which lifted him to a race-record of four wins from nine starts.

A bigger test was needed to put Essington’s progress in perspective, so Hansen brought the gelding down to Brisbane where he lined up in a Class 6 event at Eagle Farm on October 2.

No cigar this time as that run brought an end to his winning sequence, but the runner-up finish he achieved when finishing 0.75 lengths behind Rock Home Late was still full of merit.

Two weeks later, at Eagle Farm on Saturday, he set the record straight and resumed his winning ways in decisive fashion.

Jockey Stathi Katsidis made maximum use of Essington’s inside draw in the early part. He got enough gate speed out of his mount to hold the rail early on while, at the same time, being happy to allow The Clandy Man Can to race up on his outside.

These two runners raced together at the head of affairs until Katsidis made a conscious, tactical decision approaching the 800m.

That was when he let The Clandy Man Can go and cross in front of him. Katsidis wanted to get off the rail. Instead of asking too much of his horse too soon, he eased, let The Clandy Man Can stride forward … and then shifted out around the leader’s heels.

All of that was done with the intention of finding the part of the track that he had earmarked earlier in the day as being the best going. So it was that when Essington cornered five wide and moved up again to dispute the lead on striaghtening, Katsidis had his mount right where he wanted him to be.

From there it was Essington’s race to win if he was good enough … and that is exactly what he proved to be.

Essington got to the front with 270m left to run. The challengers fanned out behind him … at one stage five rivals were spread right across the track snapping at his heels … but it was the chasers who ran of bite as Essington maintained a strong, sustained effort to go to the line to win with something in hand.

Katsidis did have to work to keep his mount honest to the line, but the manner in which Essington stretched out to secure the win, bodes well for the future.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Darryl Hansen: “He’s just kept improving. Every little thing I’ve asked him to do, he just taken the step. Yeah, it is a great result.

“When we got him … when he got out of the truck I thought, what have we got here? He’s a very little horse and I thought, my God … but he’s got plenty of engine in there.

“He might back-up next week in a 1500m race and then he’ll go to the paddock.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “Yeah, I’m having a good day (this was Katsidis’ third winner).

“At nominations I only had three rides, but my manager worked some magic and got me a full book.

“Darryl (Hansen) said to be he doesn’t get away the best, but he said get him out as best you can.

“I thought I might be sitting in behind them, but there was no speed on.

“At the first opportunity I got out where I could. I let the leader go … got out and came around him … and that was probably what won me the race.

“Had I been stuck on the inside there … as you can see the horses are bogging down there quite easily … I wouldn’t have been happy.

“I suppose the favourite, the horse Jim Byrne was on (Upper Class), was entitled to beat me. He had the run of the race, I thought.

“I thought something like that might come off my back and beat me but, all credit to the horse, he fought on and fought very well.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Essington):2.90 out to 3.10 in to 2.80.
Favourite (Upper Class): 2.80 in to 2.40 out to 2.70. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Cool Edition was a late scratching at 8.47 a.m. on veterinary advice.

Connections advised that, from its difficult barrier, if circumstances permit Go Forest Go will be ridden up on the speed.

Go Forest Go (R. McMahon) was slow to begin.

Upyonder (R. Wiggins) jumped away awkwardly.

Approaching the 800m Go Forest Go improved up on to the heels of Upper Class (J. Byrne) and had to be steadied.

Professor (B. Stewart) laid in when placed under pressure over the concluding stages.

Stewards sought an explanation from R. McMahon in regards to the tactics he employed on Go Forest Go.

R. McMahon stated that whilst it was the connections' intention to have the horse ridden in a forward position, it did not begin well from its wide barrier and as a result he was forced to settle the horse further back than he anticipated.

R. McMahon added that through the middle stages the pace of the race was very slow and near the 600m Upper Class, which was racing forward of him, shifted to a one-off position to improve.

Jockey McMahon added that as a result and in consideration of the speed, he felt it was necessary for him to improve his position and his only means of doing so was to plot a course towards the inside section of the track.

R. McMahon further added that in his opinion the ground in that section was inferior which may have contributed to the horse's performance. He was also of the view that the horse was feeling the effects of recent racing.

Trainer K. Schweida confirmed that the horse would now be sent for a spell.

A post-race veterinary examination of Go Forest Go revealed no abnormalities.

A post-race veterinary examination of Upper Class failed to reveal any abnormalities, however it was noted that the horse had lost its near-hind plate in running.

Following the running of this race, the track was upgraded to Slow 7, retrospective to this event.