EF OCT 01 - LOOPED WINS WELL FIRST-UP WIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, October 3, 2011

Eagle Farm, October 1, 2011.
NMW Handicap (Colts, Geldings & Entires) - 1200m.
1 Looped; 2 Stoner; 3 The Cranberries; 4 Street Stall.
Track: Good 3. Rail: True.
Time: 1-10.96. Last 600: 36.91.

Just as he done when resuming in his previous preparation (when still based in Victoria), the Lawrie Mayfield-Smith trained Looped scored a clear-cut win first-up at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Produced at exactly the right moment by apprentice jockey Patrick Keane, who was also on the horse when he last won (at the Gold Coast over 1400m on May 14), the five-year-old had little difficulty in running away from his opposition over the concluding stages to score in comfortable fashion.

This was Looped’s fifth win from twenty starts. It was also his second win from his last three starts indicating that Mayfield-Smith has gone a long way towards working out the key to this son of Danzero.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Lawrie Mayfield-Smith: “I gave him a long jump-out the other day and he won it very easily and went enormous.

“Last time in he was a bit silly in the head. We got him up from Victoria and he was just a silly type of horse. He wanted to get his head up. He wanted to run off.

“This time he’s settled and everything. He always had a bit of ability, but he just didn’t want to put it out there.

“This time he has got stronger and is racing a lot more genuine.”

Jockey Patrick Keane: “Lawrie (Mayfield-Smith) has been very supportive of me since I came up here.

“He got me going at the Gold Coast along with Kelly Doughty. He gave me my first Metropolitan winner up here on a Wednesday meeting and now he’s given me my first Saturday winner in Brisbane.

“He jumped good. They went hard early. He couldn’t go the pace.

“He’s a horse you’ve got to sort of let him find his feet and let him travel. You’ve got to get to him a little bit to suck him through the race.

“Coming to the home turn he really started to travel and I knew the leaders weren’t going to come back to me. So I just put him in the race and I knew in the last furlong he was going to be too strong for them.

“He just ran away from them and hit the line beautifully.

“He’s not the easiest horse to ride. He’s got a mind of his own. As long as you’ve got soft hands with him. All you’ve got to do is keep doing that little bit with him to let him think he is doing alright.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Looped): 17.00 steady.
Favourite (Amber Ale): 3.60 in to 3.20 out to 3.50. Finished fourteenth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Amber Ale pulled up lame in the off-foreleg. Trainer M. Nolan will be advised that a veterinary clearance would be required for Amber Ale prior to its next race start.

Irritant (T. Bell) and Monashee Warrior (R. Wiggins) raced wide throughout.

Stewards sought an explanation from apprentice B. Looker regarding the strong tempo that was set by his mount Lone Assassin in the early and middle stages.

B. Looker stated that he was instructed to lead on the horse, as is consistent with its normal racing pattern, however after obtaining the lead approaching the first corner he was unable to settle Lone Assassin, which resulted in the horse covering the first half of the race in a faster than average sectional time.

Trainer R. Macrae confirmed the instructions and after viewing the video of the race agreed that Lone Assassin raced too keenly throughout the middle stages, and advised stewards that 1200m may be beyond him and that he now intends to step the horse back in distance in future starts.

Stewards sought an explanation from A. Pattillo regarding the seemingly disappointing performance of Eight Pieces.

A Pattillo stated that Eight Pieces travelled well on the speed however was immediately under pressure when asked for an effort passing the 400m and disappointed in the run to the finish.

Trainer Mr. D Simmons could not offer any explanation for the disappointing performance other than that the gelding may not have been suited by racing on the pace when the tempo of the race was fast.

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