EF OCT 20 - FOR THE THIRD SUCCESSIVE TIME WHISKEY ALLROUND ENJOYS THE SMOOTH TASTE OF VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 20, 2012

Eagle Farm, October 20, 2012.
Track - Good 3; Rail - out 4m entire course.
QTIS Two-year-old Handicap - 1000m.
1 Whiskey Allround; 2 Craiglea Cruz; 3 Jitterbug; 4 Splendora.
Time: 57.88. Last 600: 34.85.
Margins: 0.80; 6.00.

Whiskey Allround sealed his third straight victory with another imposing performance in the first race at Eagle Farm which ensured that he completed his first preparation with unbeaten record. The gelding will now go to the paddock

The son of All Bar One is an impressive looking chestnut with obvious talent to match his striking appearance but he is very much still a work in progress. He has to eliminate quite a few character traits before he becomes a true professional but that will come with experience and, with that experience, it is only reasonable to expect that he will continue to improve in the short term as his career moves forward.

All three of Whiskey Allround’s runs have been over the 1000m trip to date. He annihilated his opposition by 8.30 lengths on debut at Toowoomba on September 22 and then made it back to back wins with his first city win two weeks later at Eagle Farm. On that occasion the winning margin (over Flying Riddle) was 2.30 lengths.

This latest result provided Whiskey Allround with just the sort of test he needed, albeit that only one of his rivals was up to the task.

The 9-1 chance Craiglea Cruz set the target in the home straight and refused to give an inch in the battle, meaning that the chasing Whiskey Allround had to dig deep and show whether he could also add a fighting character to his list of credentials.

That he could!

Craiglea Cruz was brave, as he was in fact in his debut run when he finished third, also behind Whiskey Allround, but in the end it turned into an unequal battle with Whiskey Allround’s superiority telling over the final 150m.

The weight factor underlined the strength of the win. The fact that Whiskey Allround responded so well to the challenge Craiglea Cruz presented him halfway up the straight under the steadying burden of 59kg’s told a story in its own right as Whiskey Allround gave Craiglea Cruz 4kg at the weights and a 0.80 length beating at the line.

But the positives didn’t stop there. The best the third placed runner Jitterbug could do was finish 6.80 lengths behind the winner. Jitterbug, a first timer, had rivaled Whiskey Allround in the betting market but he did not live up to that expectation on the track in his first outing in a contest where race experience clearly was an asset for the winner.

Whiskey Allround is a two-year-old chestnut gelding. He has now a three-time winner from three starts (all over 1000m – once at Toowoomba and twice at Eagle Farm - all on good going).

In his first start at Eagle Farm he carried 58kg and stopped the clock in 58.26 seconds.
In his second start at Eagle Farm he carried 59.5kg and he recorded 57.88 seconds.

Whiskey Allround (All Bar One – Admiral’s Affair) is owned by T R Schmidt; D LWilson; G E Schmidt, K Hooper & K Hooper. He was bred by Mr T R Schmidt.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tony Gollan: “He had a big weight today. Two-year-old’s historically can carry that before Christmas, so we weren’t overly concerned.

“He is a little bit highly strung, but that is obviously something that can’t be overcome … and he is very tenacious, as you saw today.

“The second horse gave him a good fight today. The last 100 was his strongest through the race so that gives us confidence for when he comes back after Christmas.

“He can get a bit keen. He is a high-headed horse as you can see by his action. Just little things like that he’s shown us today means he’s come to the end of the campaign.

“We won’t press on with him. He’ll go straight to the paddock for six weeks now.

“Look, he is three from three. We’ve got a lovely horse for the next autumn.

“We’ll just let him guide us from here. He might just come in and we don’t think he is up to it he might have one run and freshen up and get ready for the winter. There is no real benefit in giving him a massive spell until the winter.

“A six weeks spell now. We’ll bring him back and like I say, we’ll make a call from there.

“There is a lot of upside. He can only improve.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “The Craiglea horse had a pretty soft time in front. When I say a soft time I mean he got there pretty comfortably and travelled up pretty strong.

“For a little while there I thought I was going to have trouble running him down but as soon as my bloke got his head in front he was in for a fight.

“He is a horse with a high head carriage. That obviously comes with a bit of inexperience and immaturity. Ability-wise, he’s got plenty there!”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Whiskey Allround): 1.80 out to 2.15 in to 2.10.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Alondra (App K. Matheson) which was kicked by another runner when parading behind the barrier stalls was inspected by the veterinary surgeon and passed suitable to race.

So Cheeky (S. Galloway) jumped away awkwardly and made contact with the hind quarters of Splendora (L. Cassidy).

Spirited Saint (D. Browne) jumped away awkwardly and had to be steadied from the heels of Craiglea Cruz (K. Wharton) soon after the start.

Alondra over-raced in the early stages of the event.

Frisky Terror (M. Hellyer) hung out rounding the home turn and when placed under pressure in the home straight raced greenly and shifted out.

Whiskey Allround (C. Munce) laid out rounding the home turn and raced with its head on the side.

Alondra raced greenly in the straight.

D. Browne reported that Spirited Saint raced very greenly throughout and despite his urgings was unable to make up any ground in the straight. A post race veterinary examination of Spirited Saint revealed the horse to be shin sore in both fore-legs. Trainer G. Heinrich indicated that the colt will now be sent for a spell and gelded.

S. Galloway advised that So Cheeky was fractious in the mounting yard prior to the race and after jumping away awkwardly could not muster any early speed. S. Galloway added that So Cheeky did make up some ground over the final 100m. Stable representative B. Killian advised that So Cheeky will now be spelled and gelded.