BRC JUL 04 – PERCHANCE’S BIG MAIDEN WIN

By Matthew Grimson | Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Eagle Farm, July 4, 2009.
Brisbane Town Plate.
(2yo and up, Maiden Handicap, Set Weights) - 1400m.
Time: 1-24.86. Track - Dead 4.
1 Perchance; 2 Alberton Park; 3 Sir Mossman.

There was big money on offer for the $100 000 Brisbane Town Plate Maiden - the joint richest Maiden in Australia.

Several sets of connections would have been licking their lips at the lucrative first prize on offer, but the answer to that $64 000 question became quite apparent long before the runners crossed the line.

Perchance (who is from the Kevin Moses stable, but currently under the care of Alan Bailey) destroyed his opposition with a powerful performance. The four-year-old made an early dash for home and such was his acceleration that the race was already safe within his keeping when the runners were still halfway up the straight ... and there certainly can be no dispute that he was due. Perchance had finished runner-up on four successive occasions prior to facing the starter here.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Caretaker trainer Alan Bailey: “He’s improved out of sight in the last couple weeks. He’s settled in really good. I was a bit worried about the barrier, but I said to Kevin (Moses) this morning if his run’s up to his work he’ll win anyhow, you know ... he’s work has been enormous through the week. He worked very good.

“We added the blinkers to him and they made all the difference. He’d get to the half and have a look around and he wasn’t getting to the line as good as what he should have been. As soon as we put the blinkers on and made him go to the line a couple times he’s improved out of sight.

“Nah mate, we haven’t made any decision made on him at this stage. I’ll just talk to Kevin when we go home and see what we’ve got to do with him.”

Jockey Glen Colless: “He had every possible chance last start (when finishing in second spot at Doomben). Today I rode him pretty ordinary. I was four deep the trip, but that was to his advantage today, I think. Horses seem to be travelling a little bit wide. He travelled wide throughout but he always travelled well. He really let down today, which was a bit different from when I rode him at Doomben. The blinkers might have just switched him on hey.

“I sort of began well from the wide gate, but then I elected to come back to try and get in, but I was always four wide for the trip. You know, to the horse’s credit he really knuckled down. I don’t think it was much disadvantage travelling wide today. He still had to cover plenty of ground and he did it at the right end. It was a good effort.

“At Doomben (in his previous start) he’d just come up from Sydney. He’d only been here a few days and the travel might have knocked him around a bit. He’s been here for three or four weeks now since that run and we’ve been able to work him down at home and look after him. Alan’s done a good job with him while Kevin’s away.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Perchance): 9.00 out to 11.00.
Favourite (Namsarai): 3.50 steady. Finished seventh.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Reve D’or, Namsari, Bullion Bay, Perchance, Sacrista and Moonlight Hussey raced wide for the majority of the event. Passing the 400m Troubled attempted to shift out from behind the heels of Reve D’or to improve and made contact with Namsarai. A post-race veterinary examination of Namsarai failed to reveal any abnormalities at the time of inspection.