ROB'S SHOUT - QUEENSLANDERS READY TO ROCK IN OAKLEIGH PLATE AT CAULFIELD ON SATURDAY

By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, February 21, 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.

I want to kick off this week by mentioning what an achievement it is for four local Queensland trainers to each have a runner in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield this Saturday.

It’s always very special to have a runner at the highest level and yes, it is a special feat to see four local horses lining up in the time honoured sprint.

It’s been a good race for us the last few years with Mick Mair and myself winning it and how great would it be for either Jason McLachlan, who went oh so close last year behind Woorim with Facile Tigre, Tony Gollan, with the ever consistent Spirit Of Boom, Desleigh Forster with the very much in-form Adebisi or Woorim, who is there to defend his crown, to win the race.

It would be super for Queensland at a time when our racing needs a good confidence boost and a dose of good publicity!

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I do believe one of us could indeed win the race as is reflected in the early betting market.

Spirit Of Boom has shortened into $13 bucks. Adebisi and Woorim safe on $15 bucks and Facile Tigre just behind them on $17 dollars.

Barakey is no doubt an extremely good horse with 11 wins from 11 starts and the rightful favourite but this is sure to be his biggest test to date.

Shamal Wind could be a real star in the making. She will need to be to win a Group 1 against open sprinters at her fourth lifetime start! The bookies think she can as she is quite short at $5 dollars.

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Woorim very nearly didn’t make it to defend his Oakleigh Plate title for a couple of reasons.

Way back in September last year we were getting him ready for another tilt at the Melbourne Spring Carnival and after track work one morning we found him sore in one of his foreleg tendons.

I’ve gotta say at the time I was very concerned and I did actually think my first Group 1 winner may have run his last race, but subsequent veterinary scans and evaluations suggested it was just some bruising to the tendon so we elected to give him a good break and come back for the Autumn.

We are hoping that was a blessing in disguise as its given his troublesome hooves plenty of time to ‘grow out’ and I am pleased to say his feet are in as good a condition as they could be in at this stage.

Then, on Tuesday night with his scheduled ‘cargo flight’ to Melbourne with Spirit Of Boom, the plane was delayed for a number of hours due to a technical fault with cabin pressurisation or something.

The upshot being that the horses did make it to Melbourne but the plane was then immediately grounded due to the techo malfunctions so, fair to say, the boys are lucky to make it and Woorim was very nearly racing at Eagle Farm this Saturday.

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I had nominated Woorim to run in the Falvelon this week in case there was a flight hiccup as has happened in the past.

Some wags have suggested that he was nominated to compress the weights down to help my good mare Funtantes!

As it’s turned out that has indeed happened but it was not the intention as Woorim needs a run leading into the Newmarket Handicap in two weeks so it was either the Oakleigh Plate or the Falvelon. I am happy it’s the Group 1 at Caulfield.

The likelihood of a heavy track on Saturday would have just about ruled out Funtantes running anyway as she cannot cope with a heavy track as four attempts have proven to us.

The forecast for Thurs/Fri/Sat has been very ominous all week for the local track at Eagle Farm and what a pleasure it is been to so far see the Met Bureau has been off the mark!

They are now tipping only a light shower or two and Billy Shuck suggested to me after I commented how well Doomben raced on Wednesday that he thought Eagle Farm will race better on Saturday if we can miss the forecasted rain.

Now that is good news as I reckon I have a few chances on Saturday and the better the track, the better the stable chances.

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I am flying down on Saturday morning with Damian Browne for a ‘hit and run’ just like last year.

I am delighted to have Damian on Woorim as he knows him so well and as we saw in last year’s race. He is not prone to ‘panic’!

From the outside barrier, Woorim will be back there smoking his pipe and hopefully he has ‘game day’ cap on and Damian can get him to pick up the bit coming into the straight ready to unleash his booming sprint.

Yes, the 58 kilos is significant and can act as an anchor. The upfront pressure and tempo is crucial to our chances and certainly on paper anyway, it does look like it may be a pressure-cooker race.

I hope so!

If it isn’t, then it’s going to make Shamal Wind, Barakey and even Adebisi hard to run down … look out for the big bay ‘Show A Heart’ gelding thundering down the outside though!

If all is well with Woorim after this run, we plan to then run in the NEWMARKET Handicap in two weeks’ time.

Maybe then back home to prep him for a crack at the Stradbroke which I reckon he should have won two years ago!

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It is certainly a huge thrill having horses competing at the highest level in the country but I do also get enormous satisfaction seeing some of the ‘works in progress’ coming to fruition.

One of these is the diminutive mare, Show Affection. We have been patient with her to date and she was quite impressive in her win last Saturday. Only the 10 career starts as a four-year-old but already a good record of four wins and four placing’s.

She was a clear last coming into the straight before she unleashed a strong run after a bit of interference to get there in the finish.

The kind of win I think that suggests she has a fair bit of promise and a good future. Maybe a nice fillies and mares stakes race during our winter carnival like the Glenlogan Park would be within the realms of her reach?

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I would also like to mention the ride of young Anthony Allen on Show Affection.

We didn’t expect to be back that far but Anthony kept his head and got her home.

You may notice Anthony has been getting the gig on a few of the stable runners of late. I predict a bright future for this young rider and he has the right attitude to match.

I have such confidence in his abilities that I have entrusted him with the ride on Tomboy in the Listed Falvelon stakes on Saturday. Whilst his claim is a nice bonus usually, this is a non-claiming race.

We all know of the great season young Tegan Harrison is having and it’s a bonus to have a number of other very promising young apprentices coming through the grades.

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It’s been a frustrating time of late weather-wise here in the ‘Sunshine State."

Some tough working conditions each morning with the constant wet but it’s the uncertainty that the wet tracks cause to programming horses which is the most difficult for me as a trainer but I also know how difficult it is for the track curators.

I thought Doomben raced brilliant on Wednesday for a heavy 10 and fingers crossed Eagle Farm will play ok for Saturday’s meeting.

That’s it for this week. I hope to have another Group 1 next to my name on Saturday … well, if it’s not me, I do hope it’s one of my Queensland colleagues!

Go Queenslander!

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