FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - STRADDIE TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS BOOM THREE-YEAR-OLDS TAKE ON ESTABLISHED STARS
By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, June 5, 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.
The Stradbroke takes centre stage in Australian racing on Saturday and it should be a rousing race with a good spread of chances ready to stake their claims.
My horse, Spirit Of Boom, has drawn two, a barrier position many would covet but the draw does mean different things to different horses.
In general circumstances, I would want a draw the closer the better to the inside, but with this horse barrier two is not a distinct advantage as he is a horse that likes to be ridden quietly and he likes a bit of space.
I’m not complaining too much about it. I’d rather be there than sixteen plus and in any case, wherever you are positioned at the start, you just have to work with what you’ve got.
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The Stradbroke is a nicely balanced race.
You’ve got the boom on the three-year-olds, but there is no shortage of genuine contenders amongst the established older horses … especially a horse like Buffering now that he has drawn well in at six.
I think he is right in the race now.
I’ve got a healthy respect for Buffering and the way things could pan out for him in this race.
Because he has drawn well he won’t have to use a lot of petrol to take the lead. I know there’s an argument that he has contested so many Group 1’s without winning, but he has seldom run a bad race given the quality of horses he has met (like Black Caviar and Hay List) and the fact that a couple of times things haven’t gone right for him and he has still run well.
All the time he has shown he is right up to Group 1 level.
Group 1’s are not easy to win. Things have got to go right for you and Buffering gets another chance for that to happen on Saturday.
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Sir Moments is another of my Group 1 rides on Stradbroke day. He goes around in the J J Atkins, backing up from his win last Saturday.
He is going well. His win was good last Saturday.
He chased hard in the straight. He is still pretty immature and a bit green in his racing manners. He can still improve on those, but he is clearly going the right way.
I think the 1600m is going to suit him. I think he will be strong at the finish.
He has drawn three … and in his case it’s not a disadvantage at all. That’s a help to him.
He’ll probably race closer than he has. He was back last the other day only because of his wide barrier
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He is not a forward-horse. He is never going to be in the first three or four but, from that gate, he will probably be three lengths closer than if he had of drawn out.
Hopefully I can put him where I want to be. I’m quite happy with that draw.
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My other Group 1 ride is on Heater in the Derby. He has a lot of work to do.
I got a good few rides on the day for John Thompson. It certainly was good news to hear that Nathan Tinkler had withdrawn a number of his horses from the Magic Millions sale so that they can race on Saturday.
Peron is staying by the sound of it, which I’m particularly pleased about … as are some of the stable’s better, younger horses.
The stable has taken those horses to this level so it would be hard to give them away now.
I think it is very good news … well it is for me! Not only Saturday but going forward.
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As always, the weather and the underfoot conditions could be a factor on race-day but, whatever it dishes up, it is likely to be pale in comparison to the conditions we faced at Toowoomba on Cup day on Sunday.
Oooh, it was a tough day. I haven’t experienced conditions like that … well, maybe a couple of times in Hong Kong and Macau when I rode in pretty ordinary cold weather, but, beyond that, Sunday at Toowoomba took me back to the days when I was riding at tracks like Goulburn, Albury … Canberra … in the middle of winter in the freezing cold.
You wouldn’t think you would experience those conditions here in Queensland.
It was like being in a different country. ‘Sleety’ race for most of the day and really cold.
It can get cold in Toowoomba and, when it does, riding there is not an enjoyable experience.
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Michael Nolen had asked me a couple of weeks ago to ride Dodging Eddie in the Toowoomba Cup.
I rode him at Ipswich and he didn’t get tested. He got blocked for a clear run, but he felt alright so I thought I would go and ride him.
I felt Dodging Eddie was a bit unlucky in the Cup. I felt I probably should have won.
He struck a bit of traffic problems there at the 550m and I think that cost him more than the margin by which he was beaten.
Critically, it was at the time that I struck trouble that Skye Bogenhuber took off on Bang On. I was coming back off horse’s heels when she was shooting forward so that played very much to her advantage as the gap between us at that stage of the race widening very quickly.
That is to take nothing away from the winner (Bang On). Credit to the horse and the ride by Skye Bogenhuber.
She rides the track very well as her record shows. She is a clear leader in the Toowoomba premiership and she is to be applauded for completing the Weetwood / Toowoomba Cup double.
Enjoy Stradbroke day.
Till next week,
Michael
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