DOOM MAR 12 - ROYAL REIGN CONTINUES HER FINE RUN OF FORM

By Graham Potter | Monday, March 14, 2011

Doomben, March 12, 2011.
Track - Dead 4. Rail - Out 2m (1200 - 900). Out 1m the remainder.
Open Handicap - 2100m.
1 Royal Reign; 2 Humma; 3 Lyncean Academy.
Time: 2-07.74. (Carrying 53.5kg). Last 600m: 37.01.
Margins: 0.75; Short-head.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Sue Hogan (representing the William Pholi stable): “Yes, Bill (Pholi) certainly has got this horse flying … and it is a beautiful effort, particularly by his daughter who rides all her track-work, so she really does appreciate having the female touch.

“She was a bit difficult to train, but Antoinette has done a marvelous job with this mare and she has got her to the point where she’s got her relaxed and able to go well on the track.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “She is very fit, you know. She has had a few runs now and she is still well weighted at 53.5, so really, I suppose, full credit’s got to go to Billy … Bill Pholi the trainer.

“He’s done a wonderful job with her. He’s kept her up for a while and she is racing in beautiful form.

“It might have looked like I got going early, but that wasn’t really the case.

“The horses in front of me were stopping coming to the bend. They were coming back in my face, so I had to sort of get around them … to give her a bit of galloping room more than anything.

“I would have liked to have held on to her for a bit longer, but when they stopped the way they did I had to get out and around them.

“Larry (Cassidy, on board Humma) hadn’t spent much petrol until the last 200m and he was probably looking to get a bit of a kick away from me, but my mare, like I say, was very fit today … still well weighted … and that’s what helped her in the end.

“She looked fantastic today and for a mare … well, you wouldn’t know she was a mare. She is pretty tough and strong. She cops a bit of work.

“She’s very tough. She’s got a heart as big as herself!”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Royal Reign): 4.80 out to 5.50.
Favourite (Fantastic Blue): 3.20 out to 4.00. Finished sixth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Connections advised that Steel Lips (J. Wood) will be ridden towards the rear of the field today.

Tabulate (D. Browne) jumped away awkwardly.

Bell Academy (J. Holder) jumped away awkwardly, shifted out and bumped Steel Lips.

Sermon (S. Seamer) raced three wide in the early stages to a point near the 1500m.

Go Cart (R. Wiggins) also raced three wide in the early stages before being ridden forward to the position outside the leader after passing the 1400m.

A post-race veterinary examination of Saint Minerva (Matthew Palmer) revealed that the mare had sustained a significant injury to its off-foreleg.

When questioned regarding the performance of Fantastic Blue, rider R. McMahon stated that he settled further back in the field than anticipated and the horse travelled comfortably until the 800m where it dropped the bit, and after shifting wider on the track to improve passing the 600m Fantastic Blue did not quicken when placed under pressure and worked to the line only fairly.

More articles