DOOMBEN JAN 04 - DOUGALL’S FINE START TO THE NEW YEAR CONTINUES AS THE GENERAL SALUTES

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Doomben, Janauary 4, 2012.
Track - Good 3; Rail - out 6m (1000 - 375m); out 4m (remainder).
Maiden Handicap (Entires & Geldings) - 1350m.
1 General Collins; 2 Ludvig; 3 Jetalong; 4 Adventurous Reg.
Time: 1-20.76. Last 600m: 34.26.

Toowoomba based trainer Tom Dougall has enjoyed a highly successful start to the new year.

On January 1, Dougall scored a double at two locations far removed from Toowoomba, when Mr Thatcher made it two-in-a-row at the Sunshine Coast and Dr Barnard saluted at Inverell.

Three days later he was back in the winners’ enclosure, this time at Doomben, with the seven-year-old General Collins who showed plenty of relish for his task second-up when downing the short-priced race favourite Ludvig in the final strides.

While the balance of the field has unimpressive form, the win still caught the eye, coming as it did in only the chestnut’s second start following a long layoff which extended from October 6, 2009 until his return at Toowoomba on December 22, 2011.

General Collins will obviously find it more difficult out of Maiden company next time but he might well still be worth a second glance, particularly given the fact that the stable is firing so well at this time.

*Between December 9, 2007 and March 20, 2009 General Collins raced fourteen times for Colin and Cindy Alderson, recording six runner-up finishes and two third placings. Four of his second placed finishes came over 1400m, which seemed to be his optimum distance during that time.

He then changed stables and had two luck-lustre starts for Peter Kings in Queensland late in 2009. Then the long gap between runs before reappearing with a third placed finish at Toowoomba, now under the care of Tom Dougall.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tom Dougall: “I’ve only had him for the two runs.” (General Collins finished third at Toowoomba in his previous start when first-up after a full twenty-six months away from the action).

“To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what was wrong with him or why he was away so long, but obviously there was a major problem.

“Touch wood. It’s all good. We don’t know what the problem was and we are not looking for it.

“His run was pretty good at Toowoomba and I daresay the horse that won at Toowoomba (Hardman Harry) is a pretty good horse.”

Jockey Scott Galloway: “I didn’t want to cross and lead the other horse. He relaxed nicely beside him and I was happy to just keep the odds-on pop honest the whole way.

“I was quite confident that I could beat him on the corner. It did take a little while to pick him up. Once I got inside the hundred and got to work with the stick he really found the line.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (General Collins): 7.00 out to 8.00.
Favourite (Ludvig): 1.50 out to 1.90. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Tough Tactics was declared a late scratching by order of stewards at 1.22 p.m. Trainer T. Thomas was advised that a veterinary certificate of fitness must be produced prior to Tough Tactics again racing.

Brascan (Michael Palmer) jumped away awkwardly.

Leaving the 1200m Pacific Thunder (App B. Wallace) commenced to buck and shifted outwards. Pacific Thunder regained contact with the main body of the field near the 800m and raced wide from that point onwards. Trainer S. Essery was advised that the horse must trial to the satisfaction of stewards before being permitted to race again.

J. Taylor reported that Adventurous Reg was travelling strongly passing the 500m but he was reluctant to improve to the outside of Pacific Thunder given that horse's earlier racing manners. He therefore elected to improve to the inside of Pacific Thunder where a narrow run had opened up.

J. Taylor added that at the same time Utmost Faith (J. Byrne) shifted out to improve which resulted in him being tightened for room and held up and unable to improve rounding the home turn and in the early part of the straight. J. Taylor further added that once clear Adventurous Reg finished the race off quite well.

Jetalong lost an off-hind plate in running.

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