GOLD COAST JAN 7 - LADY COLOURS SHINES BRIGHTLY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 8, 2012

Gold Coast, January 7, 2012.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
QTIS Handicap (Two-year-olds) - 900m.
1 Lady Colours; 2 Little Critter; 3 Headless; 4 Aronson.
Time: 50.97. Last 600m: 32.96.

This is one for the notebook.

Lady Colours looked a picture in the parade ring and ran accordingly. She was always in the leading line throughout and was kept company by Little Critter until shortly after entering the home straight where Lady Colours proceeded to assert her authority in convincing fashion.

The result was entirely in keeping with her previous result when she finished 1.75 lengths behind Amorino, one of the top fancies for Magic Millions Two-year-old Classic.

A $90 000 purchase, Lady Colours has already recouped her purchase price after only four starts. Interestingly enough, the QTIS 600 boosted first prize for this Gold Coast event was $74 000, which was more money than the winners’ stake collected by Carry To Fortune in the Bad Out Of Hell … the feature race on the card.

It was a good race to win. No wonder jockey Paul Hammersley was beaming from ear to ear as he posed for the cameras over the final 75m of the race!

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bruce Hill: “She went to Ipswich for her first start. It was on heavy going. We were reasonably confident but she was pretty fat. She got the job done there

“Just slowly she has got better and better. Took her down for a run in Sydney. That was a very good run. She did well while she was away and she came home and has just carried on the good work.

“Yeah, I expected something like that today performance-wise. I was very happy with that. She is a lovely filly.

“If she is alright, she will go around next week (on Magic Millions day), but only if she is one hundred percent. She won’t go around for the sake of it. If I’m not one hundred percent happy she won’t go around.

“Nice QTIS horse. The first prize of $74 000 is more than the first prize in the feature (The Bat Out Of Hell). Crazy isn’t it, but I’ll take it.”

Jockey Paul Hammersley: “She is a very nice type. Since she’s come up from Sydney she hasn’t missed a beat. Will get better again after today with another run under her belt.

“I thought the second horse might have had me covered coming to the corner, but once she put a length on it, it was all over.

“Her racing manners are perfect now, especially with the blinkers on. The first start she did want to look around a bit being a little bit green, but she’s improving all the time.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Lady Colours): 3.00 out to 3.50 in to 2.60.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As B. Stewart was late arriving on course stewards permitted J. Ford to be substituted as the rider of Doubtfilly. B. Stewart was subsequently fined the sum of $100.00.

Doubtfilly and Ain't She Sweet (L. Cheshire) were both slow to begin.

Aronson (J. Byrne) raced greenly in the early stages and approaching the 600m shifted in away from Little Critter (D. Missen), resulting in Headless (App T. Bell) and Prefect (J. Taylor) being tightened for room.

Passing the 400m Doubtfilly had to be steadied from the heels of Prefect when that runner commenced to tire.

Leaving the 300m Headless was disappointed for a run between Little Critter and Aronson, which shifted in when racing greenly. Headless then had difficulty obtaining clear running when awkwardly placed between Aronson and Little Critter until near the 100m where it was obliged to alter course to the inside of Little Critter to obtain clear running.

Schweiz (A. Best) and Charge Of Fortune (R. McMahon) both laid in under pressure in the home straight.

A post race veterinary examination of Prefect, which weakened badly in the home straight, revealed the horse to be slightly lame in the near-fore leg. Trainer N. Saunders will be advised that a veterinary certificate of fitness will be required prior to Prefect again racing.

Doubtfilly had to alter course to the outside of the tiring Aronson over the concluding stages.

Headless raced greenly throughout the event.

Stewards sought an explanation from L. Cheshire regarding the seemingly disappointing performance of Ain't She Sweet. L. Cheshire stated that the horse was slow to begin and took up a position towards the rear of the field which is in line with its customary racing pattern. L. Cheshire advised however that she felt that the drop back in distance today from its most previous start did not suit and she was satisfied with the manner in which the filly finished the race off in the home straight.

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