EF MAY 11: BENNY’S BACK!

By Graham Potter | Monday, May 13, 2013

EAGLE FARM, MAY 11, 2013.

Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Ascend Sales BRC Dash - 1000m.
1 Benny’s Buttons; 2 Excellantes; 3 I’m Cool; 4 Griffon.
Time: 57.63. Last 600: 33.57.
Margins: 0.20; 1.00.

DAVID FOWLER’S RACE WRAP:

“Benny’s Buttons … He jumped well. Fresh today. He travelled in fourth position. Just when I thought he might start to peak, he raised another effort. He went into another gear and he pipped Excellantes to score.

“Benny’s Buttons has had quite a few problems along the way. What a training effort by Kelso Wood to have him ready first-up. His last run was at the Sunshine Coast Guineas … July 2011, so it was one year and ten months since his last race. A fantastic training performance.

“I suppose it surprised people in some respects. It was a forgotten horse having been off the scene for so long.

“Michael Cahill, our premier jockey, takes his winning tally to seventy wins for the Metropolitan season, so he is on target there to get to the century. Whether he can do it or not remains to be seen, but he has been riding in devastating form right through the season.”

WINNER FEEDBACK:

PART-OWNER MICHELLE LANG-MCMAHON:

“He hurt his suspensory two years ago just after this carnival and he had his time off. We rehabbed him. We sent him back in to Kelso (Wood) and then he fractured his splint bone in two places, so we had to rehab him again.

“He’s in this time and, yeah, it is just exciting. He is my favourite … more than Real Surreal. (The Magic Millions winner).

“I never lost faith in him. He is such a trier. He has got real good charisma and Kelso has always rated him. It’s just nice that he has bounced back today.

“It is not his preferred distance. Kelso kept saying, I don’t actually know what he going to do … he’s had too much time off … he could be a totally different horse, but he’s shown us today."

TRAINER KELSO WOOD:

“He has had major problems over the last two years.

“The injuries were serious enough to finish the horse, but the owner’s diligence and their hard work has got the horse back. They are great horse-people. They have got a great facility and they utilised it to its best to get this horse back to me.

“We’ve put work into him. The staff and everything … it’s been a combined effort and I take my hat off to everyone around him.”

JOCKEY MICHAEL CAHILL:

“Coming up to the home turn I was very confident.

“I had anticipated being back further … first run for two years. His previous attempt over 1000m first-up he was further back.

“Today, he just began brilliantly and put himself into a good spot behind the two leaders.

“I had a lap full of horse and I wanted to remain there until we got closer to the turn, but I was going that easy that I had to come out from behind Excellantes’ heels at about the 550 … sooner than I wanted to.

“He cruised up … he did a bit of a flat spot soon after they straightened … but he got into his stride and he was too strong over the last bit.

“He felt like he looked. I was surprised when I saw him in the mounting yard. I thought gee, this horse looks good. He looks ready. He felt that way going to the gates and that’s the way he raced.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:

Winner (Benny’s Buttons): 12.00 out to 14.00.
Favourite (Griffon): 4.80 in to 4.60. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:

Halle Rocks (J. Cassidy), which slipped prior to entering the enclosure, was inspected by the veterinary surgeon and cleared to start.

Gundy Son (M. Rodd) jumped away awkwardly and lost ground.

T. Bell, the rider of Celtic Dancer, was severely reprimanded for allowing his mount to shift in shortly after the start when not sufficiently clear of Halle Rocks, resulting in that runner having to be steadied.

I'm Cool (A. Allen) and Silver Bullion (R. Wiggins) raced three wide throughout.

Haizum (J. Byrne) raced ungenerously in the middle stages when awkwardly placed at the heels of Celtic Dancer (T. Bell)

Approaching the 400m Halle Rocks was inconvenienced when tightened for room between I'm Cool and Haizum, which shifted out. As a result of this, Halle Rocks shifted out, taking Silver Bullion out on to the hind-quarters of Baqaba (G. Goold). This resulted in Baqaba becoming unbalanced.

Griffon (D. Browne) was held up and unable to improve rounding the home turn.

Gundy Son was held up for clear running in the home straight until near the 250m where that runner had to alter course to the outside of Silver Bullion in order to improve.

Over the final 100m Griffon was unable to secure clear running and as a result went to the line not fully tested by its rider.

A post-race veterinary examination of Halle Rocks revealed no significant findings.

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