DOOM AUG 27 - BULLS-EYE FOR SPOT ON TARGET

By Graham Potter | Sunday, August 28, 2011

Doomben, August 27, 2011.
Track - Heavy 8. Rail - out 2m.
Class 6 Handicap - 1615m.
1 Spot On Target; 2 Urnfield; 3 Ausworld; 4 Tuscany View.
Time: 1-40.24. Last 600m: 36.57.
Margins: 3.00; 0.75.

Shamardashing might have proved to be the exception in the first four races on the card with his come from behind win, but things quickly went back to the established racing pattern in the fifth race as the Howard Wilson trained Spot On Target led his field a merry dance to claim a strong front-running victory.

Spot On Target had last visited the winners’ enclosure back on June 22 over a similar distance at Doomben but, even allowing for some excuses, his subsequence four starts in which he lacked a finishing effort of consequence dented the enthusiasm about his chances. As a consequence of that form-line the son of Markane was allowed to start at $13.00.

Alan Thomas began his call of the race with the comment, ‘No-one has jumped as quickly as Spot On Target who bounded out of the gates, went straight to the lead and off he’s gone!’

He could have ended the commentary there.

Jockey Andrew Spinks did stack up the field a little bit halfway down the back straight, seemingly giving many a chance from the positions they held at that time, but that was really just giving his opposition a false sense of security.

Spinks continued to rate Spot On Target superbly in the sweep to the home turn before given his mount more rein in the straight. This time Spot On Target was equal to the task. He pulled away from the persistent challenge of Urnfield ($8.00) and put himself well clear of the pack, maintaining a strong gallop to the line to score by a decisive three length margin.

Spot On Target is owned by R D Edgar and P A Kaljo.

Spot On Target is now a four-time winner from thirty starts (with three minor placings). His stake earnings now stands at $190 550.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Howard Wilson: “He should have run second the other day (behind Belltone), but he got in behind the leader and never got out. He didn’t have his chance the other day.

“He loves the sting out of the track. He ran second in the Group 1 TJ Smith as a two-year-old on a wet track (when finishing two lengths behind Linky Dink in June 2009) so he does like it that way.”

Jockey Andrew Spinks: “Howie (Wilson) said to lead on him. I led on him a couple of starts ago when the ground was really hard and he jarred up bad. Like he ran seventh and he fought on alright, but today everything was spot on.

He led pretty easy. He had one on the outside sort of half attacking him, but he settled alright.

“Just coming to the turn I swapped the stick over to the right hand to give something different. That seemed to work and he just kept running and building momentum. He kicked on really well.

“He is a nice horse. He’s run in some decent races when he was younger and it’s good to see him get back to a bit of form.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Spot On Target): 13.00 steady.
Equal favourite (General Purple): 5.50 in to 4.60 out to 4.80.
Equal favourite (Miss Cutie): 3.80 out to 4.80. Finished thirteenth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
R. Wiggins was fined $100 under AR. 85B for accepting dual engagements for General Purple and Bloodhound. B. Looker was substituted as the rider of Bloodhound.

Bloodhound (B. Looker) and Tuscany View (P. Hammersley) were slow to begin.

Lapel (J. Taylor) and Miss Cutie (T. Bell) over-raced in the early stages.

Penny Louise (J. Byrne), Craquelure (R. McMahon), Ausworld (S. Seamer) and Miss Cutie raced three wide throughout.

Approaching the 300m Bloodhound had to be eased when tightened for room between Yummy (A. Mundy) and Mr Nicholas (K. Wharton), which shifted in under pressure.

Stewards sought an explanation from apprentice T. Bell and stable representative B. Killian in respect to the seemingly disappointing performance of Miss Cutie.

T. Bell stated that the horse did not feel comfortable to him in running and in his view did not appreciate the rain-affected surface today which resulted in the mare compounding over the concluding stages. Apprentice Bell added that the blinkers on Miss Cutie had collected a significant amount of mud which may have also had an effect on the horse's performance.

Mr Killian concurred with the comments of apprentice Bell.

Trainer H. Wilson explained that Spot On Target, in his view, when racing in open company at its last start, was not able to gather momentum when racing to the inside of Rockdale in the home straight. Mr Wilson also indicated that the horse is effective on rain-affected surfaces.

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