FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - SOMETIMES IT IS A TOUGH CALL WHETHER TO TAKE RIDES DOWN SOUTH OR NOT

By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Five-time Group 1 winning jockey Michael Cahill is the latest addition to the HRO blogging stable. Apart from Australia, Michael has ridden in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, South Korea and Mauritius. He brings thirty-three years of race riding experience to the game and with this greater all-around experience Michael is superbly qualified to give insightful commentary on the racing scene. Michael’s personal blog, ‘From my perspective’ will appear every Wednesday on HRO.

One of the highlights of the weekend from Queensland racing’s point of view was the good win of Adebisi in the Group 3 Rubiton Stakes at Caulfield.

Desleigh (Forster) has got him going really well. He has fought on well his last couple of wins. There has always been a bit of a belief that he might be vulnerable if horses challenged him, but I think he put that notion to bed now. His last two runs have shown that not to be the case.

The 1000, or the 1100m that he ran on Saturday … I think is ideal for the horse. Maybe 1200m the furthest. Any race where he can find the lead, as he did on Saturday, he is hard to beat … I’d say anything up to 1200m.

I was given the opportunity to take the ride, but I had a good book of rides here at Eagle Farm, so I decided to take the latter option.

It is always a difficult call whether to go down south and ride a particular horse or not. Chances are you will probably only have that one ride on the day and, if it is a feature race, your horse is likely to be meeting some strong opposition. In a lot of cases they are taking on the best when they do go down there. A horse travelling … a strange track … you know, they need a lot to go right!

A lot depends on what rides you are offered at home on the day.

Obviously people want to know early what they are doing. You try to find out early what opportunities you are likely to have. Having a full book of rides … or even close to a full book with several chances is a big factor in any consideration.

It is not easy to go away and leave those horses behind. To go for one ride instead of having seven or eight here … it is just something every rider has to weigh up as those circumstances arise.

You sort of cross that bridge each time you come to it. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go on occasions, but I have worked hard to build momentum in Brisbane this season and you do put that at risk to some degree if you start giving up rides locally to head down south.

I remember Michael Pelling seldom went down there despite having a lot of offers to go.

I have a taste of action down south in my time with some success. I have ridden a bit in Melbourne … not a great deal, but I have ridden down there.

My biggest win came in the Champagne Stakes at Moonee Valley. I won that as a Group 3 or Group 2 filliy’s race. I won it on a Bevan Laming trained filly named I’m A Ripper. She was a good two-year-old.

I’ve ridden in the Thousand Guineas. I came fourth in a Caulfield Cup. I haven’t ridden in a Melbourne Cup, but I’ve ridden in many of the big races like the Derby, the Australian Cup etc.

Will I go down there again should another opportunity arise?

Everybody’s different, but in my case it sort of comes down to the particular circumstances in play at the time when these things come up.

For reasons I’ve explained, it is seldom an easy call.

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Punters certainly don’t miss a trick.

Several noticed that Patinack had six runners at Eagle Farm on Saturday and I did not have a ride for the stable … and some have queried what was happening with that.

It really is just the way things come up.

In Count Encosta’s case, he is generally ridden by Damian Browne. I think that was about the fourth time Damian has ridden the horse in a row.

If a jockey rides a certain horse and it goes reasonably or goes well, John Thompson seems to leave that rider with the horse, or at least give him the option to ride him again.

It was the same with Sookie and Tim Bell. Again Tim has ridden her in her last four starts so he was automatically going to ride her again.

It is something like an unwritten stable policy and it works well enough for Patinack.

Other logical decisions have its effect on jockey selection.

With Prost in the last race, the stable wanted to use a claiming apprentice to get relief from the 59kg. Two of the others they had, Hussonet, Offense … on paper looked like they might be up against it.

With regards to the grey filly that won the first race, Grey Countess … I could have ridden her.

She had raced at Randwick back in October and resuming in her first local start, but I chose to ride Tip Top Tiger.

That was my decision … which just goes to highlight the fact that it is not only interstate decisions that can be difficult to make, there are also plenty of races locally that test a jockey on the decision-making front.

A good result is getting your choice right more often than you get it wrong.

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Just a word on Tip Top Tiger, who ended up a beaten favourite.

He was bit disappointing on face value. They were just too sharp for him.

He is a very laid-back colt … very switched off … and that is pretty much how he raced. He began ok, but he just couldn’t muster enough speed to be in a competitive position.

I was hoping he would run on. He worked to the line ok. He got a bit worried when a horse came up alongside him on his outside turning for home. He was watching it a bit.

I think he will be much better with experience. I believe Danny Bougoure is going to try him with blinkers.

Apparently a lot of the Fastnet Rock breed do go better with blinkers.

That was my recommendation after the race, but I think Danny had already reached that conclusion himself.
I think the horse has got a lot of ability. He just didn’t show it on debut.

For whatever reason, whether he got a bit over-awed on race-day or whether he just couldn’t get into his comfort zone in the race (he was off the bit all the way), he just didn’t run to his ability.

Punters would do well not to be too critical of any horse after one run!

Next time over 1200m with the addition of blinkers you’d hope to see a different horse!

He might, in fact, turn out to be a 1400m, 1600m horse. Like I said, he is a very laid-back … particularly for a two-year-old.

He is very switched off, a trait which is likely to be a good thing in the long-term. They often make the best horses.

Till next week,

Michael

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