THE RACING RECORD: ROSEHILL, JANUARY 30
By Graham Potter | Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Our Boy Malachi simply toyed with his rivals when resuming in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes over 1200m at Rosehill ... with Tommy Berry having time to tee up a posed, winning smile as the star seven-year-old cruised to the line to secure no less than his eighteenth career victory.
That was one of the highlights of a day cut short by a violent storm which caused the last two races to be abandoned.
John O’Shea’s Goldophin stable sent out two winners in the form of the unbeaten two-year-old Tessara (who took out the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes in only his second start) and Allergic, whose move from Melbourne looking for the softer ground in Sydney proved to be a winning strategy.
Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse, as per usual, kept their own personal scoreboard moving. Waller took out the day’s opener with Start Wondering, who has a seventy-five strike rate since coming to Waller from New Zealand, while Waterhouse was lining up a Guineas option after River Wild, the son of Fastnet Rock, saluted for the second successive time.
The $750 000 purchase Honesty Prevails repaid a fair piece of that investment with a debut win in the Group 3 Widen Stakes for trainer Rick Worthington while Canberra based trainer Keith Dryden is eyeing his home town Cup as the target for Halfpenny Gate who took the inside line to score in the Highway Plate.
For all the winner feedback from the meeting (see below).
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RACE 7: EXPRESSWAY STAKES (GROUP 2) – 1200m:
For Three-year-olds and up.
OUR BOY MALACHI (7 ch g Top Echelon – Rusticate):
Won as easy as you like first-up after eight month following a bleeding attack back in May 2015.
Race record now stands at an outstanding 18 win and 2 places from 22 starts. It simply does not get much better than that.
Record includes a winning sequence of eleven straight victories ...
... and another, separate sequence of six successive wins.
He made his debut on the sand track at Gympie four and a half years ago.
Has now on in all of his eight preparations.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
MICHAEL HAWKES (Speaking in behalf of the Hawkes training partnership):
“He jumped well and he and Tommy (Berry) were in control from the get-go really.
“It was good to see him come back. You want these good horses in racing. As I said pre-race, he is a winner. That is what he is all about.
“Obviously it is one race at a time, but that was a great start to the prep. Tommy didn’t even have to go for at all. At the top of the straight I knew it was all over. He hadn’t let him go. He just nursed him.
“That’s what we had said, ‘just give him every opportunity and if you don’t have to let him off the bit, don’t do it.’
“He is an absolute winner. That is what he is!”
JOCKEY TOMMY BERRY:
“He is an emotional horse to ride because he just tries so hard and does everything you ask of him.
“It was really heartbreaking for me, the Hawkes team and all of the connections when he went out with a bleed the last preparation because he is such a beautiful horse. For a horse to win eighteen is exceptional and he not only still beat some nice horses there but he did it easy.
“I think he is back to his best. I don’t think he has improved at all. I don’t think he has to.
“Hopefully he is up to a Group 1 this preparation. He deserves it.
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RACE 3: CANNONBURY STAKES (GROUP 3):
For two-year-olds (colts and geldings).
TESSERA (2 b c Medaglio D’oro – Chatoyant):
Remains unbeaten after two starts – both over 1100m (in soft and heavy going).
Won a Group 3 event in only his second start.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER JOHN O’SHEA:
“He is an unassuming little fellow, but he keeps getting to job done.
“Coming here today I know there were a lot of queries about the potential of other horses. We just felt that you know what you get with him. He comes to the races and gives you one hundred per cent, so it is quite rewarding for the team to produce him like that here today.
“He’d made nice improvement since his debut win. That was another thing that led us to believe he would be competitive today. Some of the opposition had a pretty good reputation about them. He conceded weight to them and won again which is testament to the fact that he’s probably got a future.
“I did have a race picked out for him in three weeks, but now I’m probably entitled to set the bar a little bit higher for him.”
JOCKEY JAMES McDONALD:
“I was on board on debut as well and he was even more impressive today.
“He is a pretty underestimated colt. He beat a high class field here. He’s definitely got plenty of more upside too. He got joined by Defcon halfway up the straight but showed his fighting qualities.
“He is a very good colt in the making.”
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RACE 4: WIDDEN STAKES (GROUP 3):
For two-year-old fillies.
HONESTY PREVAILS (2 b f Redoute’s Choice – Flavoured):
Debut winner in Group 3 company. Purchased for $720 000.
Got $91 000 back in her first start.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER RICK WORTHINGTON:
“She is a smart filly. All along I’ve been of the opinion that whatever she does this prep, next prep will be so much better.
“We’ve cuddled her. The most work she has done is two trials and a piece of work on Tuesday leading into this. As I said to Jason (Collett) when I legged him up, I said, ‘mate, if she handles to going I think she’ll beat these.’
“I said that privately to him, and it was good to see her frank that thought. I’ve been very quiet about this filly because in my position just with small team poking along ... you know, the emotion is there ... but I’m trying to keep myself contained.
“From here I’d like to see her have a little freshen up down on the farm and, without getting carried away, maybe something like the Riesling and the obvious from there ... but, one step at a time.”
JOCKEY JASON COLLETT:
“I jumped on her on Tuesday morning with Rick asked me to come and have a bit of a hit out on her. It was a pretty testing surface there ... the Warwick Farm course proper and he was confident coming here today.
“Yeah ... she got to the front pretty easily. She was just class.”
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RACE 2: HIGHWAY PLATE – 1500m
For three-year-olds and up. Class 3. Set weights.
HALFPENNY GATE (5 b g Trotamondo – Half Eight):
Won for the fourth time in 14 starts.
Never further back than second in three runs this prep since resuming after a nine month spell.
This win came off the back of two successive runner-up finishes.
Won here over 1500m. Has won up to 1600m.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER KEITH DRYDEN:
“He’s been very consistent. He is no champion but we didn’t pay much for him. He just keeps putting money back in the owner’s pockets so it has been great.
“Koby (Jennings) rode it very well. I did tell him, you must get off the fence. He did everything he could to get off back he had to go back in.
“I don’t know if the horse is up to it but the aim this whole preparation has been the Canberra Cup, so I’m just working forward towards that.
“If he can win one more race than he will probably scrape into the Cup.”
JOCKEY KOBY JENNINGS:
“It was my first ride on him. I have seen him go around and it was good to get the sit and he feels the way he looks. He picks up when he wants to in that last little bit ... and that’s what counts.
“I did try to get to the outside. Hughie (Bowman – riding Fairyland) had the better horse on the outside of me at that stage and he kept me in so I had no option but to go the inside but it paid off!”
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RACE 1: BENCHMARK 91 HANDICAP – 1500m
For three-year-olds and up.
START WONDERING (5 b g Eighth Wonder – Roseanbar):
Lightly raced five-year-old.
Won for the seventh time in twelve starts.
Has won three out of four starts since transferring to the Waller stable from New Zealand.
Won here over 1500m, which is the furthest Waller has taken his so far.
Did win three times over 1600m in earlier campaigns in New Zealand.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER CHRIS WALLER:
“It was good to see him switch off, relax and have a good turn of foot at the end of the race ...and win by a bit of a margin.
“It’s difficult watching a race like that. You don’t really know exactly what the tempo is like when there is good speed in the first part and then they back off. You are still waiting to see them accelerate at the top of the straight, but he did that alright. It was a polished display in the end.
“He goes a bit keen so we are constantly holding him back. I think that is the key to him. You’ll see the best of the horse ridden like this.”
Waller saddled the race quinella (Marenostro finished second).
“On that run today he’s sort of looking for a mile, probably 1800m, maybe 1900m next start.”
JOCKEY HUGH BOWMAN:
“I was on him in his first Australian start.” (Start Wondering came back a winner that day ... August 15 ... over 1350m). “He certainly put the writing on the wall that first start he had for Chris Waller.
“I guess he was a bit unlucky from a wide draw the other day (in his only local defeat when beaten 0.60 lengths by Great Esteem) but he’s trialled very well in-between runs. He was just able to be covered up today and that certainly assisted him.
“I think he would have done that on any surface today. He is a horse with a bit of class. It’s just important that he relaxes because he wants to get on with it.
“He is going to get better and more competitive when he gets into bigger fields.
“I think he is a stakes horse. Absolutely ... and I think when he gets into the more high pressure races I think you’ll see him rise to the challenge.”
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RACE 6: BENCHMARK 85 HANDICAP – 2000m.
For three-year-olds and up.
ALLERGIC (4 b g Street Cry – Cajou):
Came good for his first win in five starts in his latest prep.
Switched states (from Victoria to New South Wales) in search of the result.
Is now a four-time winner from 16 starts.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER JOHN O’SHEA:
“To be fair, I’ve been really happy with the way he has been going in Melbourne. I think the firm ground there wasn’t suiting him.
"He just likes to get his toe into the ground that little bit and that’s all we seem to have in Sydney at the moment, so we decided to bring him up here where the ground is a bit more forgiving.
“You can see he travelled a lot better today and when James (McDonald) asked him to extend he let down nicely.
“He is a Derby place-getter *so he does have some credentials.”
*Allergic finished third behind Delicacy and Werther in the South Australian Derby in May 2015.
JOCKEY JAMES McDONALD:
“He’s been knocking on the door all preparation and he got everything to suit ... track conditions, tempo and the right race. Good result.
“He’ll run a mile-and-a-half for sure. He relaxes well and he has got a good turn of foot over long distances so I’m sure this won’t be his last win.”
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RACE 5: BENCHMARK 72 HANDICAP – 1400m:
For three-year-olds.
RIVER WILD (3 b c Fastnet Rock – Romantic River):
Made it two wins in a row and three wins from only five career starts in two preps.
Showed great determination in a pressurised finish.
Carried 61kg. Gave the second horse 4kg and the third horse 4.5kg and beat them.
Originally passed in at the sales on a bid of $325 000. Reserve was $350 000.
Has now returned $167 250 in prize money.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
TRAINER GAI WATERHOUSE:
“Very good performance.
.
“I love the way when he jumped very well and a bit a speed went in front of him, he just relaxed. Brenton started to pick him up from about the 600m. He was clearly run off his feet in the straight but Brenton kept at him and at him ... and he kept giving and giving which is a sign of a very good colt in the making.
“The further he goes the better he goes. He’ll head to the Guineas. The boys can decide whether they go north or south of the border.”
JOCKEY BRENTON AVDULLA:
“Look, he is a talented horse. He was never going to win by far but he was always going to get there.
“I couldn’t really lead because I didn’t have the speed to, so I just popped out. Even I was three deep I always had cover because they raced off the fence so I always had a good cart into the race.
“He dropped the bridle for me before we got to the corner, but I knew once I got into him ... and when Tommy (Berry – riding Denmagic) came around me ... he was going to do the job for me.”
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