FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - RIGHT BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS. ROLL ON THE CARNIVAL!

By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, May 8, 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.

Back from suspension and it proved to be a pretty gruelling weekend for me.

I had six rides at the Sunshine Coast on Friday. I ended up with seven rides … one was scratched … at the Gold Coast on Saturday and then another seven back at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, so there was no chance to ease back into it.

I did find success on Prime Minister’s Cup day. It wasn’t a feature race but my win came aboard a horse, Peron, who could be headed for better things.

She has won four out of five so far and she had excuses in defeat too. She is an above average type with good ability.

On Saturday she had a couple of things go against her in the run.

She met with some interference about 200m after the start and she got hit in the jaw with something coming to the turn. I’m not sure if it was a plate or the shoe or what it was, but she was left with an abrasion there just under her jaw.

She threw her head up when it happened. It is quite noticeable on the video. It was approaching the turn, just as she was coming into it, that she got her head up.

It didn’t deter her that much because once she got balanced again she ran on really well.

The only time she was beaten was over 1600, but the mile trip had nothing to do with the result. She turned her head as the gates were activated. She missed the start … and also the ground wasn’t in her favour on that occasion. She doesn’t seem to be that good on race affected ground where she is not the same filly.

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Visiting horses did dominate the results, probably to an expected degree, on Saturday. The score was: Locals 3. Visitors 6.

They’ve got the numbers I suppose, but we’ve also got horses that are going to stand up.

Buffering … this week. He is going to be hard t0 beat in a Group 1, but yeah, I guess the statistics over the years tell the story. We know, one way or the other, the visiting stables are going to have a big say in our carnival.

Peter Snowden, who had two feature winners from two runners on Saturday, seems to have a particularly strong team this year.

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I was also on two interesting runners who finished unplaced on the day and my assessment of both of their runs at the end of the day was pretty similar.

More Strawberries … she ran ok considering it was her first run for almost twelve months. She had 60kgs. She had an outside barrier. She covered ground.

I think she did enough for her first-up run.

Happy Zero’s performance probably fell into the same sort of category. Second run back … carrying 58.5kg.
He is probably where they (the Hawkes training team) want him to be at this stage of his preparation.

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In answer to a number of queries … yes, the circumstances in which I picked up my recent suspension were a bit unusual.

Most people who offered feedback have not been able to find a precedent where a jockey was suspended for that particular offence where nobody other than my own horse was inconvenienced.

The relevant Stewards’ report states, ‘M. Cahill, rider of Rock Hunter, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding, in that near the 200m he was careless in attempting to secure a run to the inside of Arctic Passage (J. Stanley) where there was insufficient room to do so, which resulted in Rock Hunter suffering interference and losing ground.’

While it was a rare ruling, I didn’t have any problem with the outcome.

As I said at the time, it was my fault, although I do think it was only the fact that the horse over-reacted to the situation … he sort of lost his hind-quarters and hit the rail … and, if it hadn’t been for that there probably wouldn’t have even been a stewards’ enquiry.

But there was. I accepted that and what happened afterwards.

I’m back now … and it’s all systems go.

Roll on the carnival.

Till next week,

Michael

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