FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - ANOTHER WINNER, BUT I'M STILL CHASING A BIG ONE FOR THE CARNIVAL

By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, May 22, 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.

For the second week in succession I kicked off a Brisbane Racing Carnival meeting with a winner and then came up empty for the rest of the day.

Any winner during this highly competitive time is welcome though and there certainly was plenty to like about the way Sir Moments took out the first race, the Listed Dalrello Stakes on Doomben Cup day.

I was on him in his previous start as well (at the Gold Coast in the Ken Russell Memorial). I think he ran quite well down there.

The run was a bit inconclusive really, because he kept getting disappointed for clear running from just before the home straight to the line. (Sir Moments ultimately finished sixth on that occasion, 4.30 lengths behind Le Val).

I went up and rode him in track-work last Tuesday, before I went to Patinack, and he galloped very well. It was winning work on Tuesday.

I thought if he lived up to his track-work on race-day it would take a pretty good two-year-old to beat him. He is a pretty impressive horse.

I think the blinkers helped him a bit on Saturday. They helped him race a bit closer and it probably helped him focus a bit coming between horse too, because he sort of got jostled a bit.

Once he got balanced he had the race won.

He is still a bit green. He is a big leggy fellow. He is a bit babyish. He wanted to switch off near the line. He is still learning obviously.

Distance-wise, he does give the impression that he can go to the J J Atkins.

He’ll run the mile.

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The closest I came to adding to my tally after that was on Transporter in the Lord Mayor’s Cup.

Obviously I was disappointed to get beaten a narrow margin in a Group 3 race, but I was proud of Transporter. He is racing really well.

To run Solzhenitsyn to a neck is no disgrace at weight-for-age. Solzhenitsyn is a Toorak winner and he ran third in the Hill Stakes to Pierro.

Transporter keeps stepping up to the mark.

John Thompson and I spoke about the race beforehand. Ideally we wanted to be in the one-one, third or fourth. We believed Transporter is a better horse when he has got a horse that he can follow … that he can chase.

We were a bit reluctant to lead on him.

We thought there was every chance that Solzhenitsyn would go forward and we would end up behind him and that is pretty much how it worked out.

I would have preferred to have been a horse back, but it quickly developed into a two horse race … a really good contest … between the two runners who would not have been there had they not missed the acceptance deadline for the Doomben Cup.

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I ended up picking up the ride on Fibrillation in the Doomben Cup because Stephen Arnold was suspended.

She had a nice enough run in the race but there were just a few better on the day. She hadn’t had a run for a while. She’ll probably take a bit of benefit out of that.

There were also a couple of ‘disappointments’ … with excuses.

In The Roses, Catalonia copped the backwash of some pretty severe interference in the turn out of the straight. She just didn’t seem to recover from that. She just never really got into any rhythm after that interference. That was the end of her.

In the Fillies And Mares Handicap Dream’N’Ignite took a backward step out of the gates … and that was the end of her as well.

In my experience of her … if she can’t lead or be outside the leader she doesn’t seem to gallop the same way.

When races are as competitive as they are at this time of year even the slightest thing going wrong can mean your chances go out of the window.

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More Group 1 opportunities to come.

I am riding Spirit Of Boom in the Doomben 10 000 on Saturday.

As far as the Stradbroke is concerned a couple of horses are still in the mix. I’ll see how we get through next weekend. Things might become a bit clearer then.

Till next week,

Michael

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