BRC AUG 08 - WINMARA TAKES OUT COUNTRY CUP

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 10, 2009

Trainer Frank Phillips often likes flies under the radar and he did so again at Eagle Farm when he sent out Winmara to claim victory in the featured Country Cup over 1400m.

Phillip’s fine training touch was emphasised by the fact that he brought Winmara back in distance from 2150m to 1400m and had the horse well enough primed first-up to skittle his rivals and win with something in hand to claim her fifth career victory.

Winmara was slow away at the break but gradually improved her position along the rail under a calm ride from stable apprentice Owen Turpin. The six-year-old had improved to midfield in the sweep to the turn and she was right on the heels of the leaders, saving ground, as the field straightened for home.

Never leaving the rail, Turpin pushed his mount forward and Winmara responded like a good thing, forging to the lead and maintaining a strong gallop to the line to hold all challenges at bay.

Eagle Farm, Saturday, August 8, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Country Cup - 1400m Time: 1-24.26.
1st - Winmara; 2nd - Scarbank; 3rd - Innocenttassie.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Frank Phillips: “She is a better stayer than a sprinter, but she usually runs good races fresh. Because there is a cut out of this track today it is probably not as good as it is rated. The track is rated good today, but I rate it myself to be dead - and probably on the worse side of dead - and that was in her favour. The top is quite cut out on the inside and everybody wanted to run away from it. I was asked before the race how I would go and I said I will get some prize-money.”

Apprentice jockey Owen Turpin: “Yeah, the plan was to save as much ground as we could ... be a little aggressive out. But she always is that slow away and always back in her races. Today being a 1400m (Winmara was coming back dramatically in distance, her last start being over 2150m), we had to be a bit more aggressive. I knew that she likes a bit of soft ground and the idea from the word go was to stay hard on the rail. So I just popped her over to the fence ... kicked up there in midfield and just hugged the rail the whole race. It worked out lovely. It was her first-up run this prep. She’s been very fresh in her track-work and it is the best she has felt - ever. I went into the race confident she would have a pretty good chance.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Winmara): 16.00 out to 18.00.
Favourite (Innocenttassie): 4.00 out to 4.60. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Somewhere Safer which injured itself in its raceday stall, was a late scratching at 3.49 p.m. by order of the stewards acting on veterinary advice. Desert Hayil was slow to begin. In the early stages Carnegie Prince had a tendency to over-race and on occasions threw its head about. Snagapot raced wide throughout. Near the 300m Scarbank, which had a tendency to lay in, was inconvenienced by Tocapitalize which, after being hit with the whip, shifted out abruptly. The occurrence was accidental. Over about the last 100m Blue Ego (J. Byrne) was unable to obtain clear running. As a consequence the horse was not ridden out to the winning post as it normally would be.

S. Katsidis (Heza Flashman) explained that he was very disappointed with the horse's run. He said that before the race he gave Heza Flashman a strong preliminary and after arriving at the start kept the horse on the move to ensure it was well warmed up before being boxed. He hoped by doing this Heza Flashman may have taken up a somewhat more forward position than has been the practice in the past. He said the horse travelled satisfactorily and at about the 500m he thought he was some chance of success but when put under pressure Heza Flashman did not respond as he thought it would and was well beaten shortly after. He said he did say to the connections shortly after the race that maybe 1400m is too far for Heza Flashman at this stage.

A post-race veterinary examination of Smartness revealed the mare to be sore in both forelegs. Before the horse can race again a veterinary certificate of fitness will have to be produced.