DEB’S PICK THE RIGHT OPTION

By Matthew Grimson | Friday, June 26, 2009

Deb’s Pick might have only beaten four runners in an ordinary line-up at Eagle Farm on Wednesday, but he was scoring in only his third start on soft going in which he was not entirely comfortable.

Those are two positive factors to take away from the result. Deb’s Pick will be tested more next time but, for now, the first win is in the bank.

Eagle Farm, June 24.
Maiden Plate (Set Weights) - 1846m. Time: 1-58.73.
Track - Heavy 8. Rail - out 9m.
1 Deb’s Pick; 2 Summerslittleangel; 3 Dramatising.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Eric Hayes: “It’s nice to get a win. I wanted him to lead. It’s the only way to ride him. He led at the Gold Coast last time, and we wanted him to lead today irrespective of the wet. You put him in behind and he won’t stay on the bit and he won’t travel. Then you put him in front, he spits the bit and then he travels. He was always going to lead. He’s got head problems.

“Jason (Taylor) rode him at the Gold Coast in the wet and reckons he didn’t go one yard in it and he still came second. We tossed up today whether we started him or not on the heavy. The field fell away and there was only six or seven originally and then five, and I had a look at the form of the other ones and I thought, well, they’re no better than us so we might be able to keep going and get through it. Believe it or not, there is a mile on here in a month’s time on a Saturday. That was 1500m today and he’ll go up to 1600m next start. Hopefully that’s his go, you know. We think he is a mile horse.”

Jockey Jason Taylor: “He was playing up in the barriers. He was a touch slow to begin so I gave him a little dig up to get on the bridle and he showed enough pace to get on across up to the lead. Then I managed to get him a breather in front. Probably about the 150m mark, I thought the second horse was going to run him down, so I just gave him a bit of a smack behind and, to his credit, he found. I think he had a bit left in him. He was holding them at bay quite easily on the line, but he never handled the track at all so it was a big effort.

“I was on him for his last run on a slow track at the Gold Coast. He ran second, but still didn’t handle the track. A firm track and he would have won. On top of the ground he’ll be 100 per cent better.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Deb’s Pick): 2.30 out to 2.70. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Chilli Mud Crab): 2.30 out to 2.70. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Dramatising (C. Reith) jumped away awkwardly. Deb’s Pick (J. Taylor) was a little slow to begin. When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of Chilli Mud Crab, C. Grylls stated that after travelling a short distance the horse seemed to be floundering in the going and he felt the gelding did not handle the heavy track. Trainer L. Birchley agreed that the horse did not appear comfortable in today's going. A post race veterinary examination of Chilly Mud Crab failed to reveal any significant abnormalities and a swab sample was taken.