FLEM NOV 02 - TAGUS STRIKES FOR PATINACK

By Taron Clarke | Thursday, November 4, 2010

Flemington, November 2, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - Out 3m. Penetrometer: 4.83.
Bundaberg Distilling Company Stakes (Listed) Open Handicap - 1800m.
Time: 1-51.69. 600m Sectional: 38.95. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Tagus; 2 Right Fong; 3 Hidden Wonder.
Margins: 3.3L x 1.2L.

The Patinack juggernaut rolled on at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day when rejuvenated galloper Tagus scored a gritty victory in the Listed Bundaberg Distilling Company Stakes over 1800 metres.

Tagus has been widely travelled of late with starts in three states since May. The son of Encosta de Lago may have found a permanent base after three consistent runs in Victoria, culminating in an easy win on cup day.

Ridden by jockey Dwayne Dunn, the pair sat on the back off a hot speed only to be left out in the open at the 600 metre mark when the three leaders capitulated.

Despite being a sitting shot for the entire Flemington straight Tagus kept kicking under the urgings of Dunn to score a three and a quarter length win over last year’s winner of the event Right Fong with a length and a quarter back to Hidden Wonder in third.

Tagus firmed two points late in betting to be sent out an 11.00 chance. Favourite for the event was the Corowa trained galloper Leica Larrikin at 4.40.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer John Thompson: “We've been competitive with no luck but we got the job done, so it was a good effort by all the team.

“He always been nice horse since he's been gelded. He's been very consistent.

“I must give the boys a pat on the back. They got him off Wayne Wilkes. He’s done a good job with him and he only came to us to come down here and run over the carnivals and he's done well.

“He just poked along behind them there and up to the right trip he went well.

“We'll just get through today and have a think about where we go to next.

“Nathan Tinkler’s not here today, but his lovely wife Rebecca is and he'll be here on Thursday.”

Jockey Dwayne Dunn: “The leaders went fast and that was a bit of a concern to me because they were going a little bit too hard and I‘d just dropped off them a little bit and I had to pull the rest of the field forward.

“When I broke between them on the home bend I thought, ‘hang on, we're going to get there too soon', but he just travelled so beautifully and when I put the foot on the pedal he accelerated.

“I hit the front a long way out and it probably gave him a chance to stargaze a bit and take another breath and just go through another 200 metres of the race without too much pressure.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Tagus): 12.00 out to 13.00 into 11.00.
Favourite (Leica Larrkin): 4.20 out to 4.40. Finished ninth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Pacino was a late withdrawal at 12.39pm due to the downgrade of the track.

The start of this race was rescheduled from 3.50pm to 3.55pm.

N Rawiller (Rock Kingdom) reported his mount did not handle the wet conditions today.

M Walker rider of Firebolt (NZ), which was disappointing, advised that the gelding did not handle today’s track conditions. A post race veterinary examination of Firebolt (NZ) revealed no abnormalities.

M Cahill (Leica Larrikin) reported that his mount was on one rein for the first 400m, but from the 800m was on the wrong leg and not handling the going.

A post race veterinary examination of Leica Larrikin revealed no abnormalities.

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