DOOM AUG 29 - BELL ACADEMY BY A NOSE

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Monday, August 31, 2009

Some difficult decisions that jockeys are faced with are often presented as a double edged sword. Win and you are a hero ... lose and the ‘what were you doing’ cry goes out.

Larry Cassidy took that leap of faith aboard the Robert Heathcote trained Bell Academy when he sent he sent the gelding around his field, going from last to first in a 150m dash approaching the 1000m mark. There had been absolutely no pace on in the first half of the race with Chilled carting them along, hard-held, until Cassidy decided to use his racing savvy and back his own judgement.

Cassidy then rated Bell Academy well to the turn where Chilled came around his heels to challenge and Jujulio began to quicken, ready to attack the lead. Bell Academy kicked on cue creating a decisive increase in tempo. Chilled was suddenly under pressure to make up ground, but he had the class and the commitment to stick to his task. Jujulio, for his part, was taking time to build momentum, but he too was well in with a shout as these three runners raced past the 200m mark.

Inside the final 100m Chilled had ranged up almost alongside Bell Academy and Jujulio was coming late. The latter was only going to be rewarded for with third place though as Bell Academy and Chilled joined issue over the last 50m in a pressurised stride for stride battle which came down to a head bobbing climax on the line, where the photograph favoured Bell Academy.

Cassidy was excited about the ride and the result and he celebrated in the saddle on return to scale as he was lauded for the ride ... the talk being how his mid-race move had carried the day. But given the fact that a mere couple of inches separated success from failure here, it should more appropriately be argued that Cassidy’s brilliance came in two parts - firstly, the tactical move which set up the chance for success ... complimented by, secondly, a riding display of the highest order in a no holds barred finish which cemented the result.

It was rousing racing which is always good to see!

Doomben, August 29, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 5.5m.
Open Handicap - 2040m. Time: 2-08.45.
1 Bell Academy; 2 Chilled; 3 Jujulio.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “I am so happy to have Larry Cassidy, you know ... just a brilliant ride. My plan was to ride him quiet, and Larry said, okay, let’s just see what happens. They came out and obviously Chilled showed plenty of intent and Larry said, okay I am happy to sit last, but when they put on a farcical pace, Larry says, right, I’ll serve it up to you ... and I knew we had the fittest horse, and at the end of the day he has prevailed. So no, full credit to Cassidy, he’s just a good... you can see why he has ridden forty plus Group 1 winners. Lovely ride.

“Look, the horse has got his mojo back and it is really good to see him racing so well. Two or three runs ago I was all set to put this horse out in the paddock and I know we tend to bag these kind of races a lot in Brisbane, but at the end of the day they are open company races and he’s a Group 3 horse - he won the Group 3 Grand Prix - and he’s come back and it’s tough for these younger horse.

“He is five now and he has stepped up, and I am really happy with this horse. Lovely ride though, I love riders that take the initiative ... you guys want to pull the breaks on well, okay, I will do something about it. Lovely, good to see."

Jockey Larry Cassidy: “I was looking to get nine points to go to Hayman, and geez think I got it.” (Cassidy was referring to the points allocation on the day for the BRC Jockey Medal for the season which has a prize of a holiday for two on Hayman Island).

“He kicked well. He is racing really well and Rob (Heathcote) has got him going really well. One thing is he can stay and he can put himself there early, but, you know, I was always going to be deep so I came back ... and when they dawdled I thought, well it’s not good sitting back here so I might as well make my own luck and that we did.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of Little Stranger. M. Speers explained that the horse was somewhat flatfooted in the middle stages when Bell Academy improved forward to assume the lead, and the horse did not finish the race off today as expected. Trainer M. Nolan agreed that Little Stranger seemed a little flat today and would now be sent for a spell.