ROB'S SHOUT - THE RETURN TO A SENSE OF 'NORMALITY'.
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, January 10, 2013
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership and Group 1 winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Hello once again and season's greetings … oh that's right, the festive season is over and forgive me for saying, but thank God for that.
Now before you think I am a total party pooper and a 'Bah Humbug', the Christmas New year period is anything but a festive holiday period for the majority of the racing industry participants.
Understandably many staff want to take their holidays at this period as many of their family and friends are off work so they want to party a bit and enjoy the 'festive season', but the horses simply do not understand this and they still need to be worked and cared for.
Perhaps we can be compared to a dairy farmer as 'the cows still have to be milked'!
Throw in a few staff 'sickies' and the pressure then mounts on the other staff who get under a little more work pressure and the odd temper flare ups so there are times when its anything but the season of joy and goodwill.
I just gotta take my hat off to the industry participants at this time of year because I do know it's not easy and the racing show must go on.
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I am always pretty happy to see some sense of 'normality' return post New Year's … if indeed Magic Millions week can be called normal.
It's been a pretty hectic build up to the millions week for my stable as we do have a number of runners on the big day including a couple of chances in the two feature races.
Greytfilly is an enormous talent as we have seen at each of her four runs but she has some issues with getting away from the gates well and travelling in the early stages of her races.
Of course she cannot do this in the big one on Saturday and get away with it.
From her good gate, if she can get going early she may well be a winning hope with her excellent turn of foot. We have given her a number of 'remedial' barrier work sessions in an attempt to have her right on Saturday for the $1.64 million feature so, fingers crossed!
Heza Jetsetter has been a real work in progress since he first stepped out onto a race track.
He has had to learn his craft but we are delighted with how well he has done to actually get to this stage and be a realistic winning chance in the race. I always knew he was blessed with plenty of talent but he took a while to get his act together.
I have been mildly surprised with the level of punter support he has had this past two weeks which now sees his price into as short as $7.50 in some markets.
Wow, that's pretty exciting stuff as we near the million dollar feature race and the price tells me there are others who also think our bloke is a good chance … or maybe they just have plenty of money to throw away?
Seriously though, this is a very, very tough race but I can honestly say that I reckon Jetty will present in the best possible condition he can and if he has no bad luck I expect to see him rattling home late and strong!
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We have a few other racing on the day with a couple of maiden three-year-olds in the big maiden. Gleesonator drew the horror gate 20 so it will be horribly tough for him and our hopes may well rest with Tiger Jet, but I suspect he will be a better horse when he gets over a bit further than the 1200 of this rich maiden race and no doubt some sharp trainers have set their good maideners for this race.
Gundy Son won a race on this day a few years back now though … the Class 6 Plate, so he's back again having a crack in the 1400 Cup. Bloody hard race but he's coming back to some of his good old form, at least at home on the training track anyway.
Sons Of God has run eight bottlers in a row albeit in easier company than this but he will roll along up front and if they give him a few easy sectionals, well he might be able to nick the race.
BLOODY HARD RACES THOUGH.
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The Gold Coast track has never been a favoured hunting ground of mine.
Not sure why to be honest.
Maybe it's the quirky nature of the track design with the big wide swing around the circle before they enter the straight as it does get a lot of horses on the wrong leg!
I don’t know the reason, but I hope like hell the hoodoo on me isn't around on Saturday.
Big David on the front gate to the saddling enclosure will have a field day turning away hordes of people, including interstate owners and trainers who do not have the required enclosure pass or be wearing the correct attire.
He's the best I have seen!
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On a final note this week, there has been plenty of recent comment about my horse Volkhere and the barrier incident last week where he reared in the gates. He was subsequently taken out of the gate and vetted and then allowed to race as the short priced favourite where he failed dismally.
It's a contentious issue no doubt and fair to suggest that the horse may have suffered an injury in the barriers and he should have been scratched.
Yes and no is my answer as from experience I have had horses play up in the gates and be vetted and still race well and even win.
In this particular case with Volkhere, he returned to the enclosure with a twisted or what we call a 'sprung plate'. This is where the aluminium racing plate is still attached to one side of the hoof but bent out of shape
It makes it very uncomfortable for the horse to walk on it let alone run with a sprung plate.
I subsequently had Volkhere vetted and he was one hundred percent sound.
His blood work was sent to the lab for analysis, his regular track rider who knows him better than anybody said he felt great on the Monday morning and the chiropractor could not find any musculoskeletal problems on the Tuesday morning and his blood results came back from the lab on Monday saying he was all A ok …
I have no doubt the problem in his race was his sprung plate, so whether he did this in the gate or at some stage during the race is impossible to know.
Had the horse not sprung the plate, he may well have won and nothing would have been said about the barrier incident.
It's a damned tough call for the stewards and the attending vet to make re any horse becoming fractious in the barriers and I think the rule is currently right where the vet has the call on whether the horse should run or not.
I think there is an unwritten rule anyway if a horse gets strung up for a period of time, it will be scratched.
Yes, the punters interests must be protected as should the interests of the owners who have forked out a lot to get the horse into the barriers.
It's a tough call on what is right and wrong and I have no doubt the vets involved and the stewards fully understand the implications of running or not running.
In the case of Volkhere being allowed to run … I think the vet made the right decision even though the horse ran poorly but I am sure the argument will rage on whether to run or scratch.
All the best.
Until next week.
Robert
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