SCST OCT 02 - IF IT CAN IT WILL HELPS SCHWEIDA GET BACK ON TRACK

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sunshine Coast, October 2, 2011.
Track - Good 3: Rail - out 6m.
Class 1 Handicap - 1600m.
1 If It Can It Will; 2 Country Classic; 3 Midnite Raid; 4 Diamond Ace.
Time: 1-37.24. Last 600m: 38.42.

It’s been a frustrating time for trainer Kelly Schweida.

If you have been going to the races regularly in recent weeks and watching the place-getters return to scale, the Schweida saga might just have caught your attention … but you would have to have been looking at the number two box.

Prior to Eureka Jack winning at the Gold Coast on Saturday, the count on Schweida’s run of second placed horses he had sent out since his last winner had reached double figures. To add insult to injury, most of those who had to settle for second place were only beaten by very small margins. It had been a classic case of close, but no cigar … until the stable’s luck changed with Eureka Jack’s win.

With the monkey seemingly off his back, Schweida brought one horse to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday. By now he would have been forgiven for having a philosophy of ‘if it can it will’ … that can have a good or bad interpretation … but the horse by that name served him well by coming up trumps in the third race on the card.

The stable, luckless for so many weeks, appears to have turned the corner, but it will have to strike in town to confirm that fact. Watch this space.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Schweida: “Glen (Colless) is the man. He is so relaxed this bloke. He gets an extra couple of lengths out of anything. I rate him one of the best jockeys in Queensland … if not the best. He’s just too good for them.”

HRO put it to Glen Colless that, when asked for a comment, Schweida had praised the jockey and not mentioned the horse.

Jockey Glen Colless: “That’s probably because he has been a bit of a terror of a horse for him as you can see in its form.” (If It Can It Will finished a tailed off last in his previous start at Ipswich).

“Today it all panned out good. He behaved in the gates and began. He got outside the leader and he was off the bit at the half-mile.

“I had to really worked hard on him for a half-mile. He just kept ducking away.

“There’s probably not too many wins in him, but he got the money today.”

*If It Can It Will shortened in the betting, coming in from 15.00 to a starting price of $7.00.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (If It Can It Will): 12.00 out to 15.00 in to 7.00.
Favourite (Jade’s Delimma): 1.90 out to 2.30. Finished seventh.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Macho Cat (R. Hancock) and Not A Lady (A. Pattillo) were both slow to begin.

Approaching the 300m Express Warrior (J. Byrne) shifted out around the heels of Serekh (P. Schmidt) in an endeavour to obtain clear running and in doing so made heavy contact with the hind quarters of Country Classic (P. Keane), resulting in Country Classic shifting back in, causing Express Warrior to become very unbalanced between Serekh and Country Classic.

Country Classic raced greenly over the final 200m.

Jade's Dilemma (R. McMahon) shifted in when placed under pressure over the final 200m.

Jockey E. Kehoe reported that Toyhero choked down over the concluding stages of the event.

Trainer J. McLachlan reported following the event that Desert Canny (N. Thomas) had blood present in its mouth. A post-race veterinary examination of Desert Canny revealed that the mare may have dislodged a tooth on the way to the barrier.

When questioned regarding the seemingly improved performance of If It Can It Will (G. Colless), trainer K. Schweida stated that he believed the addition of a more experienced rider and the horse beginning well and being able to travel in a forward position contributed to its improved performance today. Stewards noted the explanation.