NEWS ALERT A HEADLINE ACT

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, June 23, 2009

News Alert provided trainer Con Karakatsanis with another eye-catching success following his major win at the track with Black Piranha in the Group 1 Stradbroke.

The four-year-old gelding was always up with the speed in the Group 3 W.J. Healy Stakes and he kicked on with meaning to outlast the game effort of Wasted Emotions who was giving 2.5kg to the winner.

Karakatsanis couldn’t believe the double figure odds his horse his horse had started at. That had everything to do with the hype surrounding the short-priced main fancy Keano, who ran on late into third placing without ever looking likely to trouble the winner.

W.J. Healy Stakes (Group 3) - 1200m. Time: 1-09.30.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 1m.
1 News Alert; 2 Wasted Emotions: 3 Keano.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Con Karakatsanis: “He did have a problem which we have been able to overcome. He had bad feet. He had bruised feet and he just wasn’t stretching out properly. That’s why he was laying in in his races. Once we got that fixed ... well that chink’s gone now. He is just every honest and he is winning Group races.

“He got caught wide early and had to do a bit of work, so all credit to the horse because he really had to dig deep. He fought all challenges off and he was just too good.

“I couldn’t believe his price today. Jeez he’s worked well since his last run. I was very confident. Matty (Palmer) rode him in a jump out. I’ve been good mates with Matty for a while now. He got off him and said his jump-out was like a Group horse. He went that well and he pulled up sensational. The horse is that well, so, I just couldn’t believe his price. I’m not too sure what I’ll do with him later, but he will be going to the Ramornie (at Grafton). I take him back to Sydney now and then he’ll go up to Grafton. After that he will probably go with Black Piranha to Melbourne, but we’ll decide that later.

Jockey Tye Angland: “We drew bad. We jumped well. There was a lot of speed going on inside me so he sort of done a lot of work to get there. He likes a bit of room so I was happy where I was. From the 600m I let him have a bit of a breather and he was right and ready to go by the four. The other one (Wasted Emotions) did threaten to come back a bit on the inside. He poked his head around there a couple of times. My horse was getting a little bit tired near the end, but he wasn’t going to be denied. He was the stronger horse. It was a nice strong win.

“He is very consistent. He’s got a lot of talent. Probably early on he didn’t know where the winning post was, but he’s got it worked out now and he’s winning nice races.”

Jockey Matthew Palmer (who rode News Alert in work during the week): “It wasn’t really a jump-out. It was more ... it should have been an official trial really. It was 1000m on the B Grass at the coast. It was an open class with a few smart horses in it. His trial was just exceptional, you know. I said to Con (Karakatsanis) I can’t see the horse getting beat. I said the only reason he’ll get beat is if he falls over.

“A few things sort of went wrong over the 1000 last start and back up over the 1200 today really suited the horse I think. So it’s just good for Con and Tony. It’s a big rap for them and they are my best mates so it’s just great ... particularly the way they enjoy it, you know. That’s what it is all about!”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (News Alert): 7.00 out to 9.00.
Favourite (Keano): 1.90 in to 1.80. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
When under pressure in the straight, News Alert (T. Angland) had a tendency to shift ground outwards and because of this, T. Angland was obliged to stop riding on a number of occasions.

D. Gauci, rider of Mr Slick, explained that he was asked by the trainer not to override the horse in the early stages. He stated that Mr Slick left the gates well, then began to over-race on the first turn, got its head up and commenced to hang out badly, and as a consequence of this got on the heels of Maxisun, knuckled and near fell. Wasted Emotions lost its off hind plate in running.

When questioned regarding his riding in the early part of the straight, D. Oliver, rider of Keano, stated he did not think that rounding the turn and in the early part of the straight, Keano was travelling all that well, adding that he was aware News Alert and Wasted Emotions had got away from him, however at that stage he was awkwardly placed and Keano had a tendency to lay in and he was not able to get going on the horse as soon as he would have liked. He did say that although he thought that Keano was a bit flat today after its last run on a heavy track, the colt did close the race off well when he got clear and rode the colt out. The explanations tendered by D. Oliver were accepted.