ROB'S SHOUT - AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY OUT
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, February 23, 2012
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Hello again,
I guess if you had said to me on Saturday morning that Buffering would be clocked to run the Lightning Stakes in 56.07, I would have had a confident glow about me the entire day … bearing in mind that time would have won the previous eighteen of twenty runnings of the famed Group 1 Sprint.
In fact the time equaled Testa Rossa’s time when he won the Lightning in 2000 and only Schillaci has gone quicker when he ran the five furlongs in the sizzling time of 55.9 back in 1992.
It was an extraordinary feat once again from the ‘wonder mare’ Black Caviar to run a fraction outside of the track record! It left many seasoned race goers in awe especially when it became known she had run a sectional between the 600 and the 400 in a mind blowing 9.98 seconds.
It was this sectional which helped her assert her supremacy but, for a couple of strides there, it looked like the darling of the turf may have been in trouble with the hulking Hay List probably running the race of his life.
A huge amount of credit must go to John McNair for turning Hay List out in excellent order. He looked fantastic when he walked into the enclosure and it was quite clear that he was ready to rumble.
Mind you, I still thought my bloke, Buffering looked a treat and, as unlucky as Hay List has been to bump into the wonder mare and chase her home for four Group 1 seconds, my little bulldog has now ran second or third to the two sprinting champs on 3 occasions.
Conceivably he could have been a three-time Group 1 winner, but as Michael Rodd said after the race when interviewed, he just keeps bumping into these good ones.
I'm sure there's a Group I win for him somewhere. He's just so honest.
It was once again a day of great theatre in as impressive a venue that Flemington is. I am usually there on Derby Day or Cup day so it was a real
pleasure to be there with only 23 000 (the official figure) in attendance.
The sporting capitol of the world … but even the locals may becoming blase` about the Black Caviar procession!
Great facilities and a high level of comfort and enjoyment! That’s what a day at the races is all about … or should be anyway!
Perhaps this might well end up being Black Caviar’s final race in Australia but, after the left turn into the Lightning, I won’t even begin to speculate where she may well go!
Personally I think the sooner she gets onto a plane the better … just kidding … but the fact is we know we simply cannot beat her!
I guess it’s probably been some time, if ever, that three local Queensland trainers have had runners in a Group 1 at Flemington. I thought all three of the local horses from Jason McLachlan, Tony Gollan and my stable ran excellent races and I am sure there will be success in the near future for each of the runners! I hope so anyway!
Back home at Doomben I was delighted to finally see Marked live up to the nice opinion I have of him.
Circumstances have gone against him a bit at his last couple of runs with wettish tracks and being inside of horses in his runs.
Larry Cassidy rode his first winner back for me for some time with a masterful display and his timing was spot on. Funny that his old nemesis in Jimmy Byrne actually jumped off Marked so I had no hesitation in booking Larry for the gig.
Nothing like having the lads a little hungry eh?
Jimmy quickly bounced back however with yet another win on Tomboy.
Tomboy is doing a super job and now has a pretty imposing record of eight wins from fourteen starts and seven wins from her last nine races races.
It gave me a lot of pleasure as she is a fragile unit and she has to be handled with kid gloves! She has very suspect joints which require careful maintenance and, incredibly, she had not had a saddle on her back since Tuesday so, fragile she may be but, in another sense, she is also a tough unit.
She will have regular beach trips over the next two weeks with Renita wading her through the salt waters as we attempt to have her fit and healthy for a crack at Black Type in the Listed Mile in two weeks at the Tattersalls meeting at Eagle Farm.
If she continues with her fine form and she comes out of that race in good order, we may give her a trip away to the ‘big smoke’ in Sydney for a shot at the big time in the Group 1 Coolmore over 1500 at Rosehill Gardens on the Saturday 24th March!
She would need to just about win the Tatts mile to justify that trip. I thought it was a clever ride of Jimmy on her on Saturday. He has developed a great association with the four-year-old mare.
This Saturday its back to the skies for Brownie and myself for another trip South with Woorim having his first run back in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
The 1100 is clearly short of his best distance but under the right circumstances he can really sizzle to the line and we have him feeling awesome.
Caulfield can suit him with a hot speed and a genuine good 3 or dead 4 surface.
We’ll find out soon enough.
Robert
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