THE RACING RECORD – DOOMBEN, JANUARY 30:
By Graham Potter | Monday, February 1, 2016
Apprentice jockey Jimmy Orman continued his run at the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership title when he notched up another city double winning on Dream Choice and Privlaka, both for trainer Robert Heathcote.
Orman was involved in a near-miss incident when he came off Little Bit Nifty, who slipped in the parade ring prior to the opening race of the day. The fact that he continued on to complete a successful day after escaping injury yet again show the fine line that participants walk in a risky profession.
Strapper Ashley Roberts did a sterling job in keeping Little Bit Nifty under control while helping guide Orman to a soft landing, but Roberts did pay the price for his endeavours, suffering a foot injury as Little Bit Nifty stepped on him during the incident. (See photo – bottom right).
Orman shone in both of his winning rides, particularly on Privlaka where he pushed the gelding home in the very last stride to give the three-year-old back to back victories.
It is only halfway through the season but Orman clearly is not going to give away that Premiership front-running position away easily.
Glen Colless also rode two winners on the card including the 16-1 chance Ruling Force who was the longest priced winner on the day.
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Heathcote liked what he saw with Privlaka in the 1350m QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap.
“Damian (Browne) rode him second-up this prep, sat three deep, ran third in a stakes race. When Damian came in and said he is a stakes horse through and through this bloke,” Heathcote said.
“He has got a long way to go but geez, he is heading in the right direction. I’ll give him a break now. He needed that win today ... that will probably qualify him for a bigger race. Look, I think he is a nice Guineas horse for the carnival. You know, a 1600m three-year-old feature. I think that’s where he will head.”
And Heathcote was understandably equally as pleased with his other winner, Dream Choice, who took out an Open Handicap event over 1200m.
“I’ve only just started an association with Dynamic Syndications and we’ve got off to a pretty good start. Dream Choice has come up from Sydney where he has been carrying big weights. We targeted this race and it came off.
“We weren’t keen to run him if the weather did open up and it got down to a heavy 8, but that didn’t happen and, gee, he handled the soft ground like a nice horse.”
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Trainer Lindsay Gough looks to have a good horse on his hands in the form of Right Or Wrong.
The son of Manhatten Rain might only have won Class 6 Handicap over 1615m, but it was the confident and efficient manner in which he disposed of his opposition that caught attention, particularly coming on the back of similar romp winning over 1400m at the Sunshine Coast.
“They are funny tracks when they get rain through the day. They chop out a bit, but I think he did his job.
“I said to Robbie (Fradd) if we did get into a winning position not to work him too hard. He is a bit lazy though and he probably switched off a bit late.
“I was hopeful Robbie would get off the fence. He’s had the number one alley once before and he got caught up. He can be a bit flat in the sprint. He doesn’t dash, so he is a bit of a grinder and I was happy he had the room today to work home in.
“This was a step up (from 1400m to 1615m) and I’d like to take him to 1800m now ideally, but we’ll just see how the horse pulls up.
"Possibly, on that, we might go to the 2000m straight away. I always thought that was his cup of tea anyway.”
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Anecdote was another horse whose move from Sydney to Brisbane brought instant success.
Officially Anecdote’s Doomben run and win in the One Metro Win Handicap over 1200m was for Sydney based trainer Joe Pride, but the horse now moves to Steven O’Dea who has been involved in several horses owned by the Proven Thoroughbred Syndicate.
“He came up overnight on Thursday night,” O’Dea said. “He travelled well and settled in well.
“He came up just short of the mark down there. Joe placed him really well here today. He got things to suit. He likes the sting out of the ground and he races up on the speed which, in conditions like today, is an advantage as most horses will struggle to make up ground.
“He is a horse that likes to just roll and get into a rhythm. In longer races he might want to go a bit keen but when there is good tempo on in a 1200m race I think that is going to suit him.
“It was nice today to just get the tow just off the leader and get sucked up to the turn. As I say, he got things to suit today and, at this time of the year, I think he can win a few more races.”
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Kelly Schweida was another trainer to benefit from a horse that has recently been placed in his care when Ruling Force threaded an inside line to score in the Benchmark 75 Handicap over 1350m.
“We were a bit worried about the soft track but, look, he’s done everything right since he’s been here. He’s had three jump- outs so he is reasonably fit.
“He hasn’t put a foot wrong. He is not the prettiest of horses. He seems to have had a few run-ins. He has got a few battle scars but I don’t care what he looks like.
As I say, I was worried about the track beforehand but they were running quick times.
“If the track got any worse we were going to scratch him. We didn’t want to because there was no race for him next week but, as it turned out, the track might have seemed a bit loose on top but it was actually pretty good footing.
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From not so good looking to not so easy to handle ... and who says horses don’t all have their own, individual personalities.
Hot Saga, winner of the 2200m Open Handicap, is a pretty big, powerful horse but trainer Jack Duncan has to deal with more than that.
“He is just a full-blown clown,” Duncan said, after Hot Saga had clinched his eleventh career victory. “No, I don’t think he is anyone’s favourite to deal with.”
“He got the job done ... although he looked like he’d had enough on the line. He bumped into Tinto (a Group 1 winner) in his last two starts. At the Coast last time (over 1800m) he came from last and must have made up ten lengths on them. That was a good run.
“I think he’ll be better for the run today. I’ll probably bring him back here in a fortnight and we’ll just keep plugging away. We’ll keep going. There is no bottom to him.”
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Last season the Les Ross stable was a major force in the two-year-old ranks but, this time around the result of Saturday’s Two Year Old QTIS race (for colts and geldings) ... won by Mishani Sleuth ... provided the stable with some welcome relief.
I hadn’t trained a city winner for four months and I hadn’t trained a two-year-old winner for some time so I couldn’t be confident at all coming into the race,” Ross said.
“Hopefully this is the start of us getting back on track. It’s nice to get a winner. I went down to train Deagon for three months and I’ve been back at Eagle Farm for about a month now and looking forward to getting back to the old routine. It’s been very frustrating the last few months.
“I am hopeful now though. He is a pretty nice horse and I think there are more wins in him.”
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There always seems to be a horse at a meeting that puts punters on the back foot. On Saturday that horse was Kudero whose trainer, Barry Lockwood, agreed that the horse had been placed in the sin bin following his lack-lustre last start performance prior to this outing.
“He’s had an awful record here at Doomben,” (where he has been unplaced in eight prior starts).
“He was lucky he had nowhere to go today (in the running). He had to sit there and wait ... and he got away with it,” Lockwood said.
“It’s all about timing with this horse. If he had got out early anywhere in the race he would have been gone by the corner. But he did nothing in the running and he only got out late and then he took his chance.”
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It is always sad when a long-time stable favourite leaves the racing scene and that was the case with the Desleigh Forster trained Adebisi who saw action for the last time at Doomben on Saturday.
Adebisi raced fifty-seven times for twelve wins, seven seconds and three thirds for stake earnings of $881 000.
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Damian Browne picked up the day’s only suspension.
Browne pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under AR. 137(a) in the second race in that he permitted Volkhere to shift in when not sufficiently clear of Award Season after passing the winning post for the first time.
In a chain reaction, as recorded in the stewards report, ‘Uno Five had to check when tightened for room by Ongoing Venture, which was taken in by Award Season which was taken in when Volkhere shifted in.’
Browne’s licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of 9 days, to commence at midnight on Sunday 31 January and expire at midnight on Tuesday 9 February 2016.
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Whip fines are still the flavour of the month in the stewards’ room.
Four jockeys were lighter in the pocket by the end of the day after falling foul of the rule.
Race 2. App. C. Schmidt - $300 – use whip more than 5 times prior to 100m – AR137A(5)(a)(ii)
Race 7. App. E. Ljung - $200 – use whip more than 5 times prior to 100m – AR137A(5)(a)(ii)
Race 7. B. Stewart - $400 – use whip more than 5 times prior to 100m – AR137A(5)(a)(ii)
Race 7. App. S. Fawke - $400 – use whip more than 5 times prior to 100m – AR137A(5)(a)(ii)
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