BRC AUG 01 - GOLDEN ROSE A POSSIBILITY FOR FAB FEVOLA

By Matthew Grimson | Monday, August 3, 2009

Doomben, August 1, 2009.
3yo QTIS Handicap - 1110m. Time: 1.03.60
Track - Good 3. Rail - Out 4.5m.
1 Fab Fevola; 2 Fear No Other; 3 Just A Piccolo.

The Bryan Guy trained Fab Fevola could not have been more impressive. The chestnut blasted away from the start leaving wind burns on his rivals and, once he had established his position of authority, jockey Jim Byrne merely toyed with the opposition before giving Fab Fevola his head in the home straight, at which time the three-year-old bounded away to leave his opposition battling on in a separate race for the minor placings.

Racing unchallenged, Fab Fevola stopped the clock in a new race record time of 1-03.60, taking no less than 0.80 off the previous record which was held by the very smart Chakvetadze.

This is one for the notebook.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Brian Guy: “What can I say? He has always shown a lot of ability from the first time we stepped him out. He just got beaten here (as favourite in his second start) when he was a colt and he didn’t know much about it then. He just got to the front and switched off that day.

“I just thought he wasn’t putting his mind on the job, so we gelded him and I think it has done the trick with him for sure. He is a different horse all together. He came to the races today and he went to sleep and everything was a hundred percent. Last prep he was on the toe and looking and roaring when the ponies walked passed him and things. Today he just went to sleep.

“His trial at the Gold Coast was sensational. He ran 57-something, you know. They don’t run that. I am very excited. I think he is a very good horse and I think that what I will probably do now is bring him back and give him another one. Don’t be surprised if we pay a late nom and go to the Golden Rose . It’s about a month ... 1400m at Rosehill, but it is the easiest 1400 in Australia at Rosehill, so you never know what happens. I think he is up to that class.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “As Bryan (Guy) explained to me, the horse has a bit of a high cruising speed so there is no use trying to tie him down too much. He was first-up and you only have to look at him to know that he is going to need a bit of fitness. You know, he’d blow out bush fires at the moment so he is going to strip a lot fitter.

“You know what, he’s a good horse. Bryan definitely has got something to work with. He’s from a good stable, mate. When Bryan says he has a good horse, he has a good horse. He knows, he has had plenty in his camp before.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Fab Fevola): 3.30 out to 3.50 in to 3.40.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Fab Fevola (J. Byrne) and Lightstar (R. Wiggins) made contact on jumping away. LIghtstar then became unbalanced and shifted in, hampering Tea Roses (S. Katsidis). Mr Tracey (M. Hellyer) had a tendency to lay out rounding the home turn. Upon entering the straight, Deux Chevaux (L. Cassidy) was held up for clear running on the heels of Moonlight Hussey (J. Bowditch) and in endeavouring to obtain clear running shifted out, making contact with Duckin’ Daisies (M. Speers). Fear No Other (G. Colless) shifted ground inwards under pressure over the concluding stages. A post-race veterinary examination of Duckin’ Daisies, which raced wide for the majority of the event and compounded over the concluding stages, failed to reveal any abnormalities. Mondean lost its near-fore plate in running.

S. Katsidis, rider of the 4th placegetter, Tea Roses, was found guilty of a charge under AR137(b), in that he failed to ride his mount right out to the finish of the race. S. Katsidis was fined the sum of $1500.

COMMENT:
The runaway winner Fab Fevola and the second placed Fear No Other had cemented the finishing order up front when Tea Roses, chased up along the running rail by Katsidis, got up along the inside of Lightstar inside the final 75m to move into third placing. With no challengers in sight, Katsidis clearly thought he had that position sewn-up and he stopped working on the horse over the final ten metres only to be caught out when Just A Piccolo flashed up late wide out on the track.

Guy