DOOM AUG 15 - JUSSEMI BITES BACK

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 17, 2009

Jussemi, the Rex Lipp owned, trained and bred chestnut, added an eighth notch onto his belt when he arrived with an inch perfect challenge to snare Bell Academy in the very last stride.

The Toowoomba Cup winner was happy to lope along towards the rear of the field in the early part before improving up to just worse than midfield in the back straight. By the time the field approached the home turn jockey Jim Byrne had pushed Jussemi forward to race just off the speed, perfectly poisedto strike.

As Bell Academy moved up to head the long-time leader Clavillo shortly after straightening, Byrne got to work on Jussemi. There was no immediate response from Jussemi ... rather a gradual warming to the task and a marginal outward shift as the seven-year-old brushed past Yield Curve and into clear running. Once there Jussemi started to build momentum.

The problem was Bell Academy had got first run and was now in full cry for the line. At the 200m mark, Bell Academy held a two length advantage over Jussemi. By the 100m mark the deficit was down to a length - but Bell Academy wasn’t stopping. Slowly ... slowly Jussemi reeled in Bell Academy and a last-gasp lunge on the line secured a hard-fought victory.

Doomben, August 15, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Open Handicap - 2200m. Time: 2-15.72.
1 Jussemi; 2nd Bell Academy; 3rd Yield Curve.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Rex Lipp: “This was the plan after the Toowoomba Cup (which was won by Jussemi) ... to have a crack at this one. It’s just the right distance. He is a dour stayer. That’s why we gave him a run last week (over 1800m) at Eagle Farm, but he just didn’t handle the track at all.

“We bred him from our old mare Jussara. She is by Sky Chaser and this bloke is by Semipalatinsk so he is just going to be a dour stayer. We just gave him all of the time in the world to mature. He is just starting to produce his best now.

“We’ll send him for a spell now. The long-term plan in the next year is the Queensland Cup over two miles. There won’t be any dramas with the trip. He’ll run all day.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “He is a horse that generally gets back and switched right off in his races. I rode him a couple of starts previous at the Sunshine Coast on the Cushion Track and he takes a fair bit to wind up. When he does wind up he really attacks the line.

“Today I was hoping there would be good tempo sort of thing. If there wasn’t ... pre- empting a mid-race move ... but, thankfully, there was a good pace on and I was able to ride the horse the right way. The saddle tends to shift back on him because he is such a big, narrow-gutted sort of a horse, but he does take a very deep stride and, you know, when it comes down to fighting out a finish with a horse you’re better off just keeping him in full stride.

“I did think he was going to win by a little bit further than he did. I did get a bit anxious the last couple of strides. I thought I had Bell Academy pretty much wrapped up, but to that horse’s credit he just kept fighting back so it really made my one stretch to the line.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Jussemi): 5.00 out to 6.50.
Favourite (La Zeel): 2.80 out to 2.90 in to 2.70. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer R. Lipp was fined the sum of $100.00 for late declaration of rider for Jussemi. Approaching the 200m Jussemi (J. Byrne) shifted out to improve and in doing so made contact with Yield Curve (S. Seamer).

Stewards sought an explanation from S. Katsidis the rider of La Zeel in regards to the tactics employed on the mare today in particular, the circumstances which led to La Zeel settling further back in the field than is its normal pattern of racing. S. Katsidis stated that shortly after the start when Clavillo (B. Stewart) assumed the leading position he was of the opinion that he could not cross that horse and decided to settle La Zeel in the position outside Clavillo. S. Katsidis added that rounding the turn out of the front straight Lord Rupert (C. Reith) worked forward to his outside and he felt that if he allowed Lord Rupert to cross La Zeel may settle for him after getting cover behind Lord Rupert. S. Katsidis added that when Lord Rupert allowed Bell Academy (L. Cassidy), which had been racing three wide, to take up a position outside the leader he was then placed back worse than midfield. S. Katsidis further stated that he contemplated improving his position three wide from the 600m however, in consideration of the horse's finishing effort at its last start where it only exhibited a short sprint he felt that it was in La Zeel’s best interests to maintain cover and afford it clear running in the straight. His explanation was noted.

A post race veterinary examination of Scattergun revealed the horse to be lame in the near-fore fetlock. Trainer B. Smith advised stewards that the horse would now be retired from racing.