GCST OCT 18 - WESTERN SHADOW’S STRONG FRONT-RUNNING TACTICS CARRIES THE DAY

By Graham Potter | Thursday, October 18, 2012

Gold Coast, October 18, 2012.
Benchmark 75 Handicap - 900m.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 8m from 1400m to winning post. Out 5m remainder.
1 Western Shadow; 2 Golden Trinkets; 3 Winds Of Fire; 4 Vaarwel.
Time: 51.12. Last 600: 32.67.
Margins: 0.80; 1.00.

Western Shadow might have jumped from the extreme outside draw but his outright early pace and his focused commitment to the cause soon carried him to the front of the field.

Once he has established that hold on a race, it usually takes a better horse to beat him because the five-year-old seldom surrenders his lead without a fight and, on this occasion, that fight carried too much punch for his opposition who chased in vain as Western Shadow made every post a winning one.

The race time showed exactly why Western Shadow’s rivals had struggled to reel him in. Western Shadow stopped the clock in a spirited 51.12 seconds, shaving no less than 1.61 seconds off the previous race record which was held by Hidden Shuffle with the time of 52.81 seconds set on October 8, 2011.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Mark Palmer: “We drew the car-park but you don’t worry about that in a race like this … there is only one turn to get around.

“He certainly has got a lot of speed. I took him to Coloundra last start. He led but there was another horse … a handy horse (Bellantina) … who attacked him all the way and the other one’s come home over the top of him.

“So I said to Tegan (Harrison) I’ll just freshen him up and bring him here. I did virtually nothing with him in-between runs. I just fed him and gave him a pat.

“At the moment our track (at Beaudesert) is getting repaired so we haven’t got a lot to work with, so I thought I’d bring him here and give him the run he needs and pick up some prize-money as well if I could. It’s worked out well.

“He always has been consistent and he is a tough little horse. He’s is bred ok … you know he is not a poshly bred horse, but he tries all the time.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
All But Grey reared in the enclosure dislodging its rider A. Pattillo. A. Pattillo was examined by the ambulance officers and was stood down for the remainder of the event. All But Grey was subsequently withdrawn by order of stewards at 3.37 p.m. Trainer T. Stevens was advised that All But Grey must compete in an official barrier trial prior to racing again.

Boardies (App J.K. Johnson) was slow to begin.

Unique Fuse was slow to begin and raced uncompetitively. After taking submissions from Mr Gill stewards ordered Unique Fuse must officially trial prior to the gelding racing on a turf surface before racing again. A post race veterinary examination of Unique Fuse revealed no significant abnormalities.

Near the 700m Tamose (App K. Matheson) was steadied when tightened for room by Western Shadow (App T. Harrison), which shifted in.

Near the 600m Queenofbeaudesert (M. Hellyer) was steadied when tightened for room between Golden Trinkets (K. Yoshida), which shifted out slightly and Vaarwel (C. Munce), which was taken in slightly by Western Shadow, which shifted in. App T. Harrison the rider of Western Shadow was advised to exercise more care.

Find out more about the winning trainer
Mark Palmer

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