FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - A DAY OF UPS AND DOWNS AT THE COAST BUT IT ALL HAD A HAPPY ENDING

By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, March 20, 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.

It was a change having a Metropolitan meeting at my home town at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

It meant I didn’t have to drive up the highway and so it was a less rushed start to the Saturday race-day than usual for me and I thought my prospects were fairly good for the meeting.

Fifty metres into the third race, I wasn’t so sure about that when I came off Come Said The Boy.

We were just coming over on to the course proper after starting in the 1200m chute and I was just easing my horse over behind the speed ahead of me when it felt like Come Said The Boy broke down. The dirt flew up and he dislodged me. I just came off the side of the horse.

They’re saying the incident could possibly be blamed on the change of grass where you go from the chute onto the course proper.

Whatever the reason, I did come off. I suffered a cut to my forehead and took a blow to my mouth but, thankfully, there was nothing there to stop me fulfilling the rest of my engagements for the day.

It was a strange one. I haven’t had that happen to me before. Like I said, I thought the horse had broken down. Fortunately it didn’t, but that’s how it felt to me in the saddle at the time.

I was pretty lucky really.

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Not that things improved too much in the next race!

As it turned out, Saturday was as bad a bias track as I’ve ridden on for a while.

You couldn’t go near the rail … but, at the time of the fourth race in which I drew barrier one on Spirit Of Flatley, I thought I’d still give it the benefit of the doubt.

I stayed on the rail and I didn’t beat a runner home.

My horse probably still wouldn’t have won anyway, but the inside going definitely didn’t help to a significant degree which changed my riding mindset for the rest of the card.

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Next I was on Going Going Gone, who was defending an unbeaten record in the first of the feature races on the card.

This time there was no cigar but the filly ran well and scored a creditable second placing behind the first-timer Tinto. The effort from the wide barrier didn’t help her a lot in the finish.

She wasn’t as sharp into stride as she has been in her previous runs. It took a little for her to get into position and that maybe took the edge off her finish.

She felt strong throughout though. The winner just overpowered her in the last 100m.

I think the trainer is probably going to give her a short rest now. She deserves it. She has done a really good job to date.

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The day was made all worthwhile though when I was fortunate enough to take out the second feature, the Queensland Carbine Club Gold Coast Stakes on River Lad for trainer Natalie McCall.

The connections approached my agent for me to ride him. I was actually offered the ride on the runner-up (the favourite Signified) and a couple of others in the race too, but luckily we managed to pull the right rein, so to speak, and ended up on the winner.

I was a bit concerned when the barrier draw came out. River Lad was drawn outside and that was the last place I thought I would want to be but, as it turned out with the way the track raced with the bias away from the rail, it wasn’t such a disadvantage.

Nobody has got a crystal ball so you do have to wait and see how the track plays.

Sometimes the pattern of even the first two races and be misleading but, on Saturday, the bias away from the rail had been firmly established by midway through the program, with most jockeys then looking to come wide and that’s how it proved all day.

It was a swooper’s track … that what it turned out to be … and it fitted River Lad’s pattern and the way we were able to ride him.

I was able to get him back off them a bit. Natalie had spoken to me before the race about her concern as to how River Lad might handle the turn. She was proved correct.

River Lad wanted to lay … he wanted to get on one rein from about the 600 and I had to sort of make him get around the turn. He had an inclination to run away from the 600m to the straight, but once he straightened up and got balanced he was ok.

He chased really hard in the straight. I was able to come when I wanted to and pick the right part of the track. He felt like he had the other horse covered form the top of the straight. He just took a while to get there.

He was impressive. He did well to run the other one down.

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The premise regarding riding tactics was the same with my last race winner, Regular.

I was three wide in the run. He was going well, but I wanted to be in that position where we were when we came into the straight.

It was vital to get to that outside part of the track and, fortunately, that was where we were able to make our challenge.

Regular just won, but it was a good effort under the 59kg.

In the closing stages, when the other two came at him, you could feel him stretch his neck out. He was determined.

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So that was my day.

An ordinary start but a good finish.

Till next week,

Michael.

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