ROB'S SHOUT - TIME TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, June 16, 2011
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the premiership winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Hello once again,
This is my final blog before I take a break for a family holiday.
It's been a hectic carnival for our stable with lots of runners and it is very pleasing to say that it has been a successful one for us also.
I really believe the format of the carnival now is just about spot on with the three weeks at Doomben before crossing the road for the two big Saturdays with the Oaks day and then the bumper race day with the Stradbroke.
Onto Ipswich for their annual feature Ipswich Cup day, and then back to Eagle Farm for the final Group 1 race on the Australia calendar with the Tatts Tiara! The carnival is nicely rounded out with that showcase. Then on to the Sunshine Coast for the Cup and the Glasshouse to conclude the Winter Carnival!
We were extremely fortunate with the weather 'finally' coming good after a shocking period on incessant rain and wet tracks for many months.
Fingers crossed that Caloundra can manage to dry out a bit for their upcoming big day. It has been a real struggle for them on the Sunny Coast with the synthetic track getting a good work out this past six months!
I was initially disappointed straight after the Stradbroke when Woorim simply never got to see daylight which made it three straight Group 1 races where things just were not meant to be for my stable.
Fillydelphia in the Oaks got caught deep the whole race, Buffering got smashed in the Doomben 10,000 and then Woorim needed a can opener to make his run in the Straddie.
Just not meant to be I guess, but little Buffering did us proud with a real gutsy run to just miss third place. I thought his jock went a bit early with a suspect 1400m horse and maybe cost him third place but it's always easier for us 'armchair' jockeys after the race!
The winner, Sincero, was just brilliant and little doubt he is the rising star in this country.
I noticed that the latest whinge from many punters was his so-called form reversal.
I find that a bit tough on both the horse and the trainer to be honest. He had exceptional form leading into the Stradbroke, he was the long time pre-post favourite and yet after one so-called 'hiccup' in the QTC Cup, which was explainable in the circumstances, many jumped off him!
Up he gets and it's the big form reversal! The telling fact I believe was a critical gear change! Blinkers on!
There are many, many factors that can cause a horse to improve from one run to the next. A change of distance, class, a gear change, a better barrier, even a jockey change … and one factor that I believe is grossly underrated in racing and that's race tempo!
All of these factors can make a legitimate difference into how a horse performs from one race to the next as opposed to that of a runner who has run a succession of unplaced runs and then salutes for seemingly no reason!
There are many who often want to bag a horse when it gets beaten, especially if it is the betting favourite, but the stewards have a strict policy of monitoring improved performances and also the opposite, below par results.
It's the myriad of variables that often escapes the understanding of the betting public whereas the stewards are a lot more knowledgeable on this subject!
Interference in a race, bad barriers and even minor injuries such as black eyes from flying clods can also affect horse’s performances which is why there are rules to ensure that this information is available to the betting public so they can then make their decisions!
In just the last 24 hours a heavily backed favourite, well known to us, in So You Think was beaten at Royal Ascot!
His run was still enormous but he was expected to win. He didn't, but surprisingly his trainer, Aiden O’Brien, has come out and said he had him a bit soft and underdone.
It's just another example of what can affect a horse’s performance. In this case, it may have been trainer error that cost the punters their dough.
The fact he was pretty quick to blame himself was an effort I think to lessen the damage to his 'stud reputation' as well? What was it? Fifty mill for a half in him? Big bucks indeed.
Hard to believe that the Ipswich Cup is upon us again. My old war horse, Our Lukas has won the last two and he created history to do it last year with 56 kilos.
He’s been asked to carry 58 this year in what's going to be a herculean task and probably beyond him.
It's fair to say also that he is down on last year's form at present, but he's doing everything right at home and we are happy that we have him fit and healthy.
Maybe he is mentally off his game or his game second -up run to just go down to Scenic Shot flattened him, but we are still proud of what's he's managed to achieve in his career to date!
Maybe he can have a 'form reversal' and defy his critics!
I will certainly choose a quiet moment in the day to reflect on the fact that our good mate, Stathi Katsidis, rode him to victory last year. Shit. We miss him!
As I mentioned earlier, I am off overseas to Canada to spend some quality time with my family and some very dear friends I met eons ago before I even contemplated racehorses.
Like the horses though, we all need a break and I did find myself falling into the trap that so many trainers do in that they rarely take a break from the daily grind of training racehorses.
'I can't afford to take time off as there's just so much to do.’ Guess what? I blinked one day and all of a sudden my kids were 12 and 14.
I promised then we would have a family holiday every year!
Racing is to me like it is to so many in this industry, all time consuming but it is also important to preserve your health, both physically and mentally, as it is important to balance your all around enjoyment of life.
Talk to you in about a month … maybe sooner if I get bored chasing moose through the forest!
Did someone say they have wild bears in Canada?
Rob
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