EF AUG 26 - SOHO MADAME SCORES WITH EASE

By Graham Potter | Friday, August 28, 2009

Eagle Farm, August 26, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 10m.
Maiden Handicap - 1800m. Time: 1-51.08.
1 Soho Madame; 2 All Affair; 3 Circuit City.

The Pat Duff trained Soho Madame has taken eleven starts to break her duck but, as is so often the case when the breakthrough comes, she eventually did so in untroubled fashion, winning as she liked by a comfortable 2.30 lengths. While it has to be noted that Soho Madame beat a weak field, that was all she could do on the day and she now has a win on the scoreboard.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Pat Duff: “They’re Hong Kong owners - the Lucky Owners Syndicate. David Payne trained her in Sydney. She had a few tries and they thought she might be better suited up here. So they sent her up here. She is a very well bred filly and they thought that might be the chance for her to win in town. I don’t know how much further she’ll go, but at least now she is a winner.”

Jockey Mandy Radecker: “Yeah I’m blowing ... good job she was still going. Yeah I’ve still got a cough I can’t get rid of. I got an infection just before Christmas. Most of it has cleared up, but the cough is still around.

“She (Soho Madame) is a bit of a limited type of mare ... very much one-paced Just rolling along where she is happy is the only way to really ride here. If you try and tell her what to you she gets a bit of an attitude. Last week here with Michael Hellyer, he didn’t do anything wrong with her, but she is just a temperamental filly. She got caught in behind a few and, because she had to be restrained, she just fought him the whole way. She ran home nice. The main thing is just not to grab her up because she gets temperamental ... bit of a female thing!”

The win, in her only ride of the day, was a morale booster for Radecker who returned from suspension after missing out on the winning ride on Heart Of The Citi last Saturday. Radecker had ridden Heart Of The Citi in the gelding’s previous seven starts dating back to October 2008.

Radecker: “It was a little bit hard. It always hurts to see somebody else get on your horses but, in saying that, ever said I’ve was apprenticed to Pat (Duff) it’s been very much a team atmosphere so, if it means another winner for Michael (Hellyer) in his Premiership challenge ... because he is trying to have a good go at it this year himself ... it’s one more out of the way. I would prefer to see Hellyer on my rides than an outside jockey that’s for sure.

“We always said Heart Of The Citi would take a few runs to get fit because he was very fat. He did have eight months out. The last race he did win before that one was a 1400m ... Saturday was finally back to 1350m ... so it was all good.”

And what was Radecker doing when Heart Of The Citi turned in his winning performance?

Radecker: “Last Saturday I actually gave myself the job of driving Pat’s younger apprentice, Dean Mc Whinney, around to the races at Gympie. He won the Muster Cup on Nevada Gambler. I picked a couple of apprentices up from Coloundra on the way. I felt like a bit of a nanna looking after them actually ... but I was screaming when Dean won the Cup and then I was screaming when the grey horse won in town. It was just a really good day for the stable.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Soho Madame): 4.80 out to 5.50.
Favourite (Adventurous Reg): 4.00 out to 4.80 in to 4.40. Finished sixth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Bangers ‘N’ Mash (K. Pope) was caught wide in the early stages and raced wide for the majority of the event. A post race veterinary examination of Bangers ‘N’ Mash revealed the gelding to be slightly lame in the near-foreleg. Connections were advised that they must provide a veterinary clearance for the gelding prior to its next race start.

Son Of The General (K. Banks) was held up for clear running until after leaving the 200m. All Affair (P. Wolfgram) was held up for clear running on straightening, and near the 250m was disappointed for a run between Circuit City (R. Wiggins) and Casual Deal (J. Byrne), which was compounding. Jockey S. Drake had difficulty fully testing Legal View in the straight due to its tendency to hang in.

Adventurous Reg commenced to hang out leaving the 800m. When questioned, jockey J. Taylor stated that the horse was somewhat reluctant to race close to the runners on its inside and after leaving the 800m was inclined to hang out. He added that whilst he felt the horse was under pressure before the home turn, it battled on fairly over the latter stages. Trainer's representative Mr P. Beard felt the horse may have been disadvantaged today under its weight and from the wide barrier. A post race veterinary examination of Adventurous Reg revealed the gelding to be lame in the near-foreleg. Connections were advised that they must provide a veterinary clearance for Adventurous Reg prior to its next race start.

A post race veterinary examination of No Way Grey, which finished some distance from the body of the field, was examined by the club's veterinary surgeon and found to be lame in the off-foreleg. Connections were advised that they must provide a veterinary clearance for No Way Grey prior to its next race start.