EF DEC 15 - SIZZLING SHOWS OFF HIS BRILLIANCE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, December 15, 2012

Eagle Farm, December 15, 2012.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Gold Edition Plate (Listed - Three-year-olds) - 1200m.
1 SIZZLING; 2 Platinum State; 3 Saluter; 4 Lucky Hussler.
Time: 1-09.47. (Race record: Youthful Jack - 1-09.46).
Last 600: 34.53.
Margins: 1.50; 0.40.

SIZZLING (3 b c Snitzel - Admirelle).
Owners: D H Devine, Mrs D M Devine, M C Power, Mrs D M Power, N Morgan, Mrs J G Morgan & L R Matthews.
Trainer: Kelso Wood. Breeder: Midburn Creek Thoroughbred Stud.

Sizzling was winning for the sixth time in eleven starts for stake earnings of $882 750. He is a Group 1 winner and he also has two Group 2 wins and two Listed wins to his credit. He has only finished out of the first four on one occasions. That was when picking up an injury in the Coolmore Stakes where he finished sixth, still only 1.90 lengths behind the winner.

WINNER FEEDBACK:

TRAINER KELSO WOOD:
“The last 150m … it is unbelievable what he can run that horse.

‘His track-work has been outstanding. We jumped him out on Tuesday just over 800m and he made up about twelve lengths without being really, really pushed.

“I think he is going better now than he has ever gone before.”

It should be pointed out that the interview was terminated at this stage because Kelso Wood, who is normally a man of few words at the best of times, was quite emotional about the win, underlining just how much the result meant to him.

That emotion would have been fuelled both from his appreciation of the horse’s outright brilliance and the fact that all of the stable’s hard work in handling Sizzling’s recovery following a back injury sustained in the Coolmore at Flemington had helped bring him back to his absolute best. Relief, pride, satisfaction … all of those emotions would have been in the mix.

JOCKEY CHRIS MUNCE:
“If all racehorses were like him, jeez we’d have some good racing.

“Words fail me at the moment. What he did today, to my way of thinking, was close to breathtaking really.

“I just kept him out of trouble early and mid-race. I didn’t want him to get buffeted about in the run.

“I wasn’t too worried about sitting three deep on him on a good speed like that because I knew they would come back to me but, about the 500, they did skip away.

“I thought, well this is going to test you boy. We’ll see how good you are.

“You know, he just never fails to deliver. He arrived so quickly he had them covered already inside the last furlong.

“He is a little beauty.

“Yeah, there is always a worry after an injury. You could probably draw a line through his two Melbourne runs. He struck a slow tempo at Caulfield which didn’t suit him at all and then obviously he injured himself in the run at Flemington.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:

Winner (Sizzling): 1.60 steady.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:

The start of this race was delayed when Saluter became fractious in the barriers. Saluter was examined by the veterinary surgeon and subsequently passed suitable to race.

Players Choice (M. Hellyer), which was slow to begin, had to be steadied shortly after the start when tightened for room between The Conspirator (P. Hammersley) and Sizzling (C. Munce), which shifted out.

Near the 800m, and again near the 650m, Lucky Hussler (M. Palmer) improved on to the heels of Sizzling and had to be restrained.

Reflectance (M. Cahill) got its head on the side and laid out during the middle stages.

Mishani Persuader (R. Wiggins), which had difficulty securing clear running in the home straight, had to be checked near the 150m after improving up on to the heels of Platinum State (J. Byrne).

Grayson Square (G. Cooksley) had difficulty securing clear running inside the final 100m.

G. Colless, rider of Qfighter, which performed disappointingly, informed stewards that in an endeavour to assist his mount in running out the 1200m, connections had removed the blinkers today and made the decision to ride Qfighter more quietly from the wide barrier.

He added that the horse travelled well in the early and middle stages, however was disappointed in its effort over the latter part of the race and he believed connections would now consider spelling the horse.

Kelso Wood