EF NOV 27 - EQUABLE SCORES WELL-EARNED VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Monday, November 29, 2010

Eagle Farm, November 27, 2010.
Track - Good. Rail - out 2.5m. Penetrometer - 5.
Class 6 Handicap - 1400m.
Time: 1-22.99. Last 600m: 35.66. (Carrying 57kg).
1 Equable; 2 Three Swallows; 3 Cool Edition.
Margins: 0.75. Short-half-head.

Few stables turn their horses out consistently looking as well as those who step out from the Gerald Ryan yard at Murwillimbah where stable foreman Matthew Dunn does a great job for the Ryan team.

Throw in the fact that the Ryan horses generally run up to their looks, and the bottom line is that they are often a necessary factor in punters’ calculations as they are often thereabouts in the finish.

In the Class 6 Handicap at Eagle Farm on Saturday Ryan sent out the six-year-old gelding Equable, who topped the betting boards as a solid favourite at $2.05.

Equable duly obliged when being produced out of the pack with text book precision by jockey Glen Colless to run down the long-time leader Three Swallows when it mattered most to go on and win by 0.75 lengths.

The win was a fitting reward for Equable who has, with a one run exception, been a model of consistency since being moved up from Sydney and starting his Queensland campaign on June 23.

Equable won that day when racing first-up after having had close to a six month spell away from the action. Including that run, Equable has now had an extended eight race preparation which has resulted in two wins, three runner-up finishes and two third placings while staying true to the 1200m to 1400m distance range.

It had been a fair time between drinks for the son of Faltaat (from June 23 to November 27) but at least he has been keeping his stake earnings scoreboard moving and Saturday’s win took that figure to a highly respectable $251 832 accrued via a race record of seven wins, seven second places and six third places from thirty-seven starts.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Matthew Dunn (foreman for the Gerald Ryan stable): “Yeah, that is his first winner at the track … but he’s only won one other race up here. He won first-up, I think.

“I think he probably gets a mile. He gets a mile but he needs the tempo on. If they run a mile at slow speed he doesn’t run it properly, you know. He gives the impression he is going to, but when you step him up the tempo comes into it.”

*Equable did win over 1800m (in Sydney) and 2040m (in Melbourne) earlier in his career.

Jockey Glen Colless: “Look, he is a pretty good chaser that horse.

“I spoke to Matty (Dunn) beforehand. He said, I don’t care where you ride him. He just likes to chase. When that thing (Three Swallows) got away I always thought he was going to run him down.

“He is one of those horses … as long as something is in front of him, he will keep chasing all day, so that probably suited him right down to the ground the way that horse went out hard up front.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Equable): 2.00 out to 2.10 in to 2.05.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer T. Crane advised that Cool Edition would be ridden further back in the field if circumstances permit. The horse was ridden accordingly.

Three Swallows (J. Piper) jumped away awkwardly.

J. Piper, rider of Three Swallows, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding, in that near the 1200m she permitted her mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Mr Nappy (L. Cassidy), resulting in Mr Nappy being taken across the rightful running of Rattle ‘N’ Run (P. Hammersley), which further resulted in Rattle ‘N' Run having to be restrained to avoid the heels of Mr Nappy, resulting in Rattle ‘N' Run becoming unbalanced.

J. Piper was suspended from riding in races for a period covered by ten meetings, to commence at midnight, 4 December and to expire at midnight, 18 December.

Apprentice A. Butler reported that My Limit had a tendency to lay out throughout the event.

Stewards sought an explanation from C. Munce and trainer T. Crane regarding the reason for Cool Edition not improving into a run that was available after passing the 100m between Heartsun (E. Wilkinson) and Equable (G. Colless).

Trainer T. Crane explained that it was his specific instruction to C. Munce to attempt to shift to the outside in the home straight as Cool Edition races best when ridden this way and has in the past resented improving between horses under pressure in the straight.

A post race veterinary examination of My Sweet Cookie failed to reveal any significant abnormalities. Trainer L. Bryant reported that in light of the gelding's performance, he would review the current racing program of My Sweet Cookie.

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