FLEM NOV 04 - BACKGAMMON MAKES WINNING MOVE
By Taron Clarke | Saturday, November 6, 2010
Flemington, November 4, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - Out 6m. Penetrometer: 5.02.
Myer Spring Racing Fashion Stakes (Listed) 3YO Open Handicap - 1800m.
Time: 1-51.85. 600m Sectional: 37.59. (Carrying 55kg).
1 Backgammon; 2 Domesky; 3 Kerchings.
Margins: 0.2L x 0.4L
Darley owned galloper Backgammon returned to the scene of his first victory to score win number two in the Listed Myer Spring Racing Fashion Stakes over 1800 metres.
Backgammon won his first ever race start down the Flemington straight in December of last year and the winning rider on that occasion Mark Zahra took the mount again.
In what has been a solid week for the Darley Operation, Backgammon’s win brought up the third win for the Flemington Carnival for trainer Peter Snowden.
Darley saddled up two runners in the race with the more favoured of the two Zubbaya starting an equal favourite with Absolutelyawesome.
Snowden had the son of Domesday on a VRC Derby campaign until a minor leg injury put paid to the gelding’s VRC Derby aspirations.
The win confirmed Snowden’s view on the three-year-old with a dour staying performance which was good enough to secure a narrow victory.
Backgammon ground away to score a long head margin over Domesky with a long neck back to Kerchings in third.
In what was a good result for all facets of the Darley Operation, Darley sire Domesday provided the quinella in the event.
The head trainer for the Australian Darley Operation will now target a possible start in the AJC Derby or even a Queensland Derby dependant on how the horse spells over the summer period.
Backgammon’s record now stands at eight starts for two wins and $188,555 in prizemoney.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Snowden: “He just kept poking his head through. Really, he's been a work in progress. It's been a race we targeted right from two months ago.
“He's really a Derby-type horse, but he's had a leg injury which shortened our preparation but we earmarked this race as the target race for him and thank God, it paid off.
“It's just a grounding these races. He really wants 2000 to 2400 metres. He's just a bit dour.
"These races we've had leading up to it have been more of less to get him ready for this sort of race.
"Today everything fell into place.
“It was a good ride by Mark. It was fantastic to see.
“This is the end for him. We'll prepare him for the autumn and hopefully a race like the Guineas or the Derby.
"They're the races we'll target, otherwise we'll go to Brisbane for the Derby there.
Jockey Mark Zahra: “He just takes forever to wind up.
"I reckon I gave him about six backhanders before we got to the 500 and when the leaders were starting to stop I just knew that he'd win.
"He was really good on the line.
“I was hoping it would be a good tempo because if it's sit and sprint it doesn't suit him.
All his runs he's been off the bit a long way out and left his run too late, but today the strong tempo suited.”
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Backgammon): 7.00 out to 9.00.
Equal Favourites (Zubbaya): 4.60 out to 4.80 into 4.60. Finished tenth.
(Absolutelyawesome) 5.50 into 4.60. Finished seventh.
STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Gilded Spur shifted out at the start and bumped the hindquarters of Hidden Kisses.
Kerchings raced wide without cover.
M Zahra (Backgammon) was fined the sum of $400 under the provisions of AR137A(5)(a)(ii) for using his whip seven times prior to the 100m.
In assessing penalty Stewards took into account M Zahra’s recent record under this rule.
C Newitt (Absolutelyawesome (NZ)) reported after the race that his mount raced dour today given that it has had a Derby preparation which may have been detrimental to its chances having been brought back to the 1800m of today’s event.
J Winks reported that Employed hung out for a major part of the race.
K McEvoy (Zubbaya) was of the opinion that his mount failed to run out the 1800m of today’s event.
A subsequent veterinary examination of Zubbaya revealed no abnormalities other than a slower than normal recovery.
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