DOOM MAR 16 - TEEPOH STRIKES OVER GROUND

By Graham Potter | Thursday, March 17, 2011

Doomben, March 16, 2011.
Track - Good 3, Rail - out 3m (1000m to 375m). Out 1m - remainder.
Maiden Plate (Set weights) - 2020m.
1 Teepoh; 2 Harish; 3 Rusty Trawler.
Time: 2-05.45. (Carrying 55.5kg). Last 600m: 36.43.
Margins: Long neck; 1.25.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “I’m not surprised he’s won, because, from day one, I’ve always thought this horse had more ability than his form showed.

“You know … seven starts … it’s taken him this long to win, but I think due credit should be given to the horse this time back because that is his third-up run … 2000m … and he has won like a nice horse (on the back of runs over 1350m and 1600m).

“Now that he has done that as a three-year-old … I’m not going to make any silly comments … but the horse has always shown me ability.

“Today he has put his foot down and got the result under a lovely ride from Paul Hammersley.

“I’ll have a sniff at some of those three-year-old staying races. The Grand Prix … I’ve won that before with Bell Academy. He won that for me.”

Jockey Paul Hammersley: “I rode him in his first start in a race and from then I just said he wants further … and time. He still wants a bit more time but, as you can see, he is starting to put things together and I think he’ll start learning a lot quicker.

“He was probably switching on and off the bridle at the half-mile … which sort of suggests he wants a little bit further … but when I gave him a slap he started to come to the line really nice.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Teepoh): 5.00 out to 5.50 in to 4.40.
Favourite (Harish): 2.50 in to 2.20. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As no other apprentice was available, stewards permitted J. Byrne to replace apprentice M. Wood as the rider of Leica Beach Boy.

Connections advised it is their intention to have Teepoh (P. Hammersley) ridden in a forward position if circumstances permit. The horse raced in a rearward position.

Winning Moments was declared a late scratching at 1.32 p.m. by stewards acting on veterinary advice that the gelding was lame in the off foreleg. Trainer W. Baker was advised that he must produce a veterinary clearance for Winning Moments before it races again.

Rusty Trawler (E. Wilkinson) was tightened for room on jumping away between Neytiri (J. Wood) and Teepoh, both of which shifted ground.

River Dancing (Michael Palmer) jumped in at the start and made contact with Leica Beach Boy (J. Byrne), which faltered a short distance after the start.

Le Tour De France (K. Wharton) was slow to begin.

Neytiri raced wide into the first turn.

River Dancing raced wide in the early stages.

On the home turn Moringa's Sundance (Matthew Palmer) shifted out making contact with Ivan's Choice (M. Radecker) which then became unbalanced and shifted out taking Teepoh and Rusty Trawler very wide on the home turn.

A short distance later P. Hammersley, the rider of Teepoh, dropped his offside rein for a short distance.

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