RAND AUG 22 - RAREFIED WINS UP AND COMING

By HRO | Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Randwick, August 22, 2009.
3yo Up And Coming Stakes (Group 3 - C & G, Set Weights) - 1200m.
Time: 1-09.98. Track - Good.
1 Rarefied; 2 Shellscrape; 3 Offhanded;

In a drama filled race where Judicial wanted to buck early and Delago Bolt ran to the outside fence on the turn, the two horses that did everything right quinella’d the race.

In a change of riding tactics, the Peter Snowden trained Rarefied settled last early and hugged the rail throughout, having only to come around leader Shellscrape's heels at the 200m to unleash a strong sprint and win convincingly. It was a ten out of ten effort by Chris Munce having a rare ride for the powerful Darley stable.

Runner up Shellscape lost no admirers with another genuine performance while Onemorenomore showed he is on track for the longer races later on with a solid fourth place finish.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Snowden: “We've always been wanting to ride the horse this way but from this time in through one thing or another ... through a bad gate, had a lot of weight trying to put him in the race to give him a chance ... we've been riding him upside down, but it was always a conscious decision to try and ride him this way.

“Today was the perfect chance, level weights and a bit of speed inside him and just to try and see if it made a difference to him. He is such a laid back horse and if we can keep him till late and produce something like we see him do on the track we were always going to get a result and it was no surprise to us.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “He spent nothing early and really travelled quite soft through the run. Where I was in the run I wasn't going to be taking off around them and try and do any magic tricks on him because he probably wasn't good enough to beat them that way so I just sat and waited and when the splits came he took advantage of it. He is a nice horse and has got a good turn of foot.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Winter King shifted out at the start, taking Offhanded out onto Sniplaz. Judicial commenced to buck and ran out shortly after the start, colliding with Winter King, resulting in Winter King shifting out, taking Sniplaz out onto Delago Bolt, which was hampered. In the middle stages Judicial and Delago Bolt over-raced badly.

Stable representative Ms T Rouse indicated that Judicial, in the opinion of the stable, had not handled the pressure of the step up in class and it was now their intention to give the colt a short let up. Stewards ruled that Judicial must trial to their satisfaction prior to its next race start.

Rounding the home turn Delago Bolt hung out and ran to the outside fence. Trainer Mr G Portelli was advised that the colt must barrier trial to the satisfaction of Stewards prior to being permitted to race again.

Approaching the 250m Offhanded, which had been held up for a run, shifted out to improve to the outside of the heels of Sniplaz and, in so doing, made contact with Winter King, taking Winter King out onto Onemorenomore. Onemorenomore was then inclined to lay in and near the 150m bumped Winter King.

When questioned concerning the performance of Sniplaz, as compared to its second place in the San Domenico Stakes at Randwick on 8 August 2009, T Angland stated that the gelding began better today and was inclined to over-race after taking up the position outside the leader without cover. He added that the gelding’s best recent form has been on rain affected tracks and that he had not been suited on today’s firmer surface. A post race veterinary examination of Sniplaz revealed the gelding to have sustained speedy cuts to the near hind pastern. Post race veterinary examinations of Judicial and Delago Bolt did not reveal any abnormalities.