EF MAR 19 - RACING HEART UNDERLINES HIS STAYING POTENTIAL
By Graham Potter | Monday, March 21, 2011
Eagle Farm, March 19, 2011.
Track - Heavy 8. Rail - out 6.5m.
Class 6 Plate (Set weights) - 2200m.
1 Racing Heart; 2 Hollywood And Vine; 3 Scarlett Jo.
Time: 2-24.85. (Carrying 56kg). Last 600m: 39.25.
Margins: 5.00; Long-Head.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “You can’t fault the horse. I mean any horse that can maintain their form for, you know … five, six … I think this horse has done it for seven or eight runs now.
“He deserved that. It was a well-deserved win two weeks ago and he’s backed up the form again today.
“It was a clever ride from Larry (Cassidy). It took him a while to get him out there. He gave up the lead, took a sit, gave him a breather … and, you know, he went at the right time.
“These ‘Set Weight’ Plates are fantastic races. There is another one in two weeks. He goes up 1.5kg. We’ll be there in two weeks.
“I think next year we’ll see the best of this horse. He’s come a long way this preparation.
“We are giving him one more run and then he can have a bit of a holiday then come back and go to Open Company next prep.”
Jockey Larry Cassidy: “Rob (Heathcote) has done a fantastic job with the horse. He ran in the Derby last year and, you know, he didn’t run that bad a race in that.
“He can stay and is a stayer on the up. This time next year he could be very good.
“When we get a track like this he just grows another leg. The conditions … well, I put my first set of goggles down before we got to the crossing, because I couldn’t see.
“I pretty much rode down the back where all I could see was blurs of the horses in front of me. I just waited until I was clear before I pulled the next set (of goggles) down. It was that bad.
“They say there is nothing heavier than a Heavy 10. Well there is. There’s one out there now.”
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Racing Heart): 2.20 out to 2.60.
The winner was the favourite.
STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Due to the reassessment of the track stewards permitted Slepner to be declared a late scratching at 1.30 p.m.
Hazeldon (P. Hammersley) and Saint Romain (App M. Wood) were slow to begin.
Fantastic Blue (App B. Evans) raced three wide in the early stages before being ridden forward to the position outside of the leader near the 1200m.
Maling (A. Erhart) pulled hard in the early stages of the event.
Hollywood And Vine (D. Browne) and Scarlett Jo (J. Byrne) raced wide for a major part of the event.
Bitasilk (App M. Palmer) hung out during the event.
Stewards will interview trainer M. Kropp regarding the racing manners of Bitasilk.
Due to the continued heavy rain and following an inspection of the track surface stewards abandoned the meeting following this event due to safety concerns relating to the riders' visibility.
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