DOOM MAR 12 - TRUE BLITZ TOO STRONG ON THE DAY

By Graham Potter | Monday, March 14, 2011

Doomben, March 12, 2011.
Track - Dead 4. Rail - Out 2m (1200 - 900). Out 1m the remainder.
QTIS 2YO Handicap - 1350m.
1 True Blitz; 2 Bevico Girl; 3 God Bless Us.
Time: 1-21.09 (Carrying 57kg). Last 600: 35.05.
Margins: 0.50; 2.25.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Ray McCall: “He went to the line real strong. Even at this early stage I think he’s looking for a mile, you know.

“A 1400 or even a mile … I don’t think that’s beyond him.

“I haven’t had a tougher two-year-old than him.”

And the trainer, who was struggling to get around on crutches, is no slouch in the toughness ranking himself.

“Oh, I rolled a tractor into the dam, mate. That was last Sunday. It pinned me underneath. That’s all.”

Jockey Damian Browne: “He is an under-rated horse. I rode him in his previous two runs … he’s still got a lot to learn. He got a long way back.

“Probably with the scratchings today it really helped him (four of the ten runners came out). He raced a bit closer.

“I really wanted to come to the outside and I wanted to give him a chance to wind up. As the previous two starts showed it takes a while to wind him up.

‘When Rob Heathcote’s horse (Bevico Girl) sort of started running off a little bit … I burst through there in a straight line without having to come to the outside. It was all good from there.

“I think he is going to make a nice three-year-old.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (True Blitz): 4.40 out to 5.50.
Favourite (God Bless Us): 1.40 steady. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Prior to the commencement of Race 1 all riders held a meeting in the jockeys' room with Mr D. O'Keefe, AJA representative, and Ms P. O'Neill, QJA representative.

As a result of this meeting, the start of Race 1 was delayed and race start times were amended as follows: Race 1 - 12.22 p.m.; Race 2 - 12.57 p.m.

Stewards sought an explanation from G. Colless regarding the performance of God Bless Us.

G. Colless explained that the filly had a tendency to over-race in the early stages and for some distance approaching and passing the 900m had to be restrained to avoid the heels of Miss Leibert (P. Hammersley).This, in his opinion, may have been as a result of racing in blinkers for the first time.

G. Colless further stated that after being held up rounding the home turn he attempted to shift out in the early part of the straight to obtain clear running and as a result he made heavy contact with Collector (J. Holder) and that following this God Bless Us became unbalanced and lost momentum.

G. Colless was of the view that this was the reason for the filly not finishing the race off as expected.

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