EF APR 1 - BACK-TO-BACK WINS FOR SKATING AWAY

By Graham Potter | Monday, April 1, 2013

Eagle Farm, March 30, 2013.
Benchmark 75 Handicap - 1600m.
1 Skating Away; 2 Black Cash; 3 That’s Karma.
Track - Dead 5. Rail - Out 3m.
Time: 1-37.49. Last 600: 36.21.
Margins: 1.00, 0.80.

Skating Away completed a double to make it two wins from three starts this prep. She did benefit by a peach of a ride from Ric McMahon but carried out her own role in strong fashion when kicking on with meaning after having established an advantage early in the straight.

Skating Away(4 gr m Bradbury’s Luck – Sweet Valley) is owned by D Toparis and Dilleen Thoroughbreds (Mgr: M S Dilleen).

Her race record now reads four wins and four minor placings from ten starts having banked $75450 in stake earnings.

WINNER FEEDBACK:

TRAINER DARREN BELL:

“I basically gave Ric (McMahon) free rein. The only thing was that our plan was to get to the outside if we could because she is a better out there but, obviously, when that inside run presented itself he had to take it.

"Ric almost seemed to wait for it in a way and it opened up the way he anticipated.

“She has always been very strong at the end of her races, but this preparation she is just that bit stronger both mentally and physically and she has been able to put it all together.

“We haven’t set any plans in stone. We’ll just let her poke through her grades.

"The way she is going she looks like she will relax and run a trip … I think even get out to 2000m …without any problem.

“Having said that, she is suited to races where they put the speed on early and she gets back and gets the last crack at them.

“Like I say, we’ll just monitor her as she goes through the grades.”

JOCKEY RIC MCMAHON:

“She did a really good job. She is a relaxed mare who likes to settle early and then hit the line.

“She did that today. She cruised and it was just a matter of getting the run really.

“From where I was at the time I knew that if I stuck inside Tim Bell’s horse (Black Cash) … and Anthony Allen’s horse (Kar Ma Te) was stopping … I knew it would only take me five or six strides to get out to where I wanted to be anyway after saving ground without having to go around any horses.

“Things worked out pretty good. As it turned out, with the benefit of that inside run, she probably got there 100m too early but she was always going to be good enough to get the result.

‘She is pretty good and I think she will be even better in a more genuinely run race where she can get back and produce a more telling turn of foot.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:

Novikov (M. Cahill) was slow to begin.

Cosmonaut (S. Galloway) over-raced in the early and middle stages when racing three wide without cover.

Rounding the home turn Novikov shifted out to improve and brushed Freton (G. Goold).

When questioned as to the riding tactics adopted on Kar Ma Te today, apprentice A. Allen reported that he had been instructed to, if possible, have the horse positioned midfield with cover, however due to being caught wide in the early stages he felt he had no alternative other than to go forward to gain a position closer to the rails.

Apprentice A. Allen was also questioned regarding the reason for shifting out approaching the home turn, which enabled Skating Away (R. McMahon) to obtain a run to his inside. Apprentice Allen stated that in his opinion the inside section of the track today was inferior and for this reason he elected to shift wider in an attempt to finish the race off in the home straight where he felt the going was better.

J. Byrne was questioned regarding the reason for him not riding Master Avatar out to the end of the race. He stated that inside the final 50m he accidentally dropped his offside rein, which placed him at a disadvantage and as he was improving up on to the heels of Black Cash (T. Bell), he was obliged to stop riding and gather his reins. Stewards accepted his explanation.

M. Cahill (Novikov) was fined $200 for using the whip more than 5 times in a forehand manner prior to the 100m.

Find out more about the winning trainer:
Darren Bell

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