EF SEPT 1 - GREY ASSIGNMENT SCORES A FINELY MEASURED VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, September 2, 2012

Eagle Farm, September 1, 2012.
Track - Good 3, Rail out 1m.
Open Handicap - 1500m.
1 Grey Assignment; 2 Hidden Kisses; 3 Satch; 4 Skating On Ice.
Time: 1-29.65. Last 600: 35.28.
Margins: 1.00; 0.80.

The highly successful Kelso Wood / Chris Munce combination was again to the fore at Eagle Farm on Saturday when Grey Assignment produced the goods to land the eighth win of his career.

Munce immediately put the gelding right into the race. The six-year-old was fourth, then third early on as Munce kept a watching brief on Satch and Miss Barwang who had gone out to set the early target.

Approaching the home turn Satch and Miss Barwang still held sway at the head of affairs, but Grey Assignment was right up behind them, starting to switch off the rail into clear air … just waiting for Munce to release the breaks.

There was just a brief further hold on things as Munce first allowed Grey Assignment to settle into his rhythm after straightening before asking his mount to quicken. Even then, there was no sudden burst of acceleration … rather a measured building of momentum which slowly carried Grey Assignment up to the leaders.

By the 200m mark Miss Barwang had cried enough, but just as Satch took that one’s measure, he in turn came under pressure from Grey Assignment who slipped past Satch to forge into the lead.

For a brief moment it looked like Satch might still make a race of it, but Grey Assignment was going too well to be denied now and he moved away to win with a length in hand.

That winning margin was over the second placed Hidden Kisses, who had followed Grey Assignment all the way down the straight, running on well enough, but without ever seriously troubling the winner. Hatch stayed on for third.

Grey Assignment has now won eight of thirty-one starts. He also has nine minor placings to his credit. Grey Assignment (Refuse To Bend - Tough Assignment) is owned by A M Lang.

The six-year-old gelding, who was bred by Silvertaire Thoroughbred Racing Pty Ltd, has now earned $195,600.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelso Wood: “He’s one of those type of horses you can keep up for a while. He is a great doer. He doesn’t knock himself about in work or anything like that.

“We sort of keep him a bit on the fresh side and he keeps racing well.

“Distance-wise … I haven’t stretched him out over further yet. I have been tempted to do that a couple of times, but these races that come along like this do suit him.

“He did have a bit of a virus a while back and we had to back off him. He wasn’t really sick or anything like that, but it was just enough to make us back off him.

“It helped him a lot actually. It freshened him up.

“If the right opportunity comes along I will probably stretch him out a bit. In the meantime I will just keep him in races like this.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “Look, he is just racing well. He was a bit fresh when I rode him at Doomben two weeks ago when he raced on the bit. He was a bit more on the aggressive side of things.

“That run obviously benefitted him and he was much better today … much more relaxed. He was a bit fitter and he travelled up really well.

“He’s got options from here. He has won at 2000, but it all depends where Kelso (Wood) wants to go from here. He seems to be racing pretty well at the mile so he might want to keep him at a mile … 1800.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Grey Assignment): 3.00 out to 3.20 in to 3.00.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Danagaze (L. Cassidy) over-raced in the early stages and near the 1000m shifted out to avoid the heels of Hidden Kisses (R. Wiggins).

Near the 500m, Grey Assignment (C. Munce) shifted out around the heels of Satch (T. Harrison) to obtain clear running and bumped Hidden Kisses.

Frozone (G. Colless) hung in in the home straight and proved difficult to ride, and when afforded clear running to the outside of the heels of Danagaze near the 200m, continued to hang in, which resulted in G. Colless being unable to ride Frozone out in his normal manner.

Skating On Ice (M. Cahill) raced three wide throughout.

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