DOOM AUG 29 - TOO EASY FOR KENTISH ROSE

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

Doomben, August 29, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 5.5m.
1MW Handicap - 1640m. Time: 1-39.58.
1 Kentish Rose; 2 Eddie Rapido; 3 Use To Be A Dancer.

The Robert Heathcote trained Kentish Rose stepped up to a mile and landed a knockout blow, pole-axing her opposition to win every bit as easily as the 3.00 length margin suggests.

Jockey Larry Cassidy settled the mare in fourth place for much of the running before shifting out and forward into third place, swinging three wide, as the leaders turned for home. The six-year-old then took care of Fond Bond in a couple of strides and then just breezed past the long-time leader Deception Bay with the minimum of fuss before racing away to win as she liked.

It was all too easy.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Rob Heathcote: “Well what we did, you know, and I will be honest, she was looking at the retirement there about six months ago. I mean ... we were never confident with what her correct distance was. We’ve been up to 1800. She’s won over 2000. We’ve bought her back.

“You know what the secret was I think? We put a tongue tie on her. It’s funny you know. Horses that get to the age of six or seven...and I remember reading something Peter Moody said when he won the Caloundra Cup. He put blinkers on an eight year-old mare for the first time in its life, and it won. And I did this with her and it’s really turned her around.

“Her last three runs have been fantastic, you know. She’s had no luck. They have been leader biased kind of races and she has got to the line good. From the alley today I said to Larry, you know, see if she can pop in third or fourth on the fence, one back if they are going hard, she’ll hit the line good - and she’s done that.”

Jockey Larry Cassidy: “From the alley I was obviously box seating and I just waited to see what the grey horse (Sniparama) did inside of us - out in front of me - whether he could push the horse outside of him out. I would have stayed where I was but he couldn’t push him out and I thought it was my chance to put myself in a winning spot, and the winning spot we were.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As apprentice O. Turpin notified stewards he had been delayed in traffic and would not arrive in time to fulfil his engagement on Merry Pierce, apprentice J. Wood was substituted as the rider of Merry Pierce and upon application and due to mitigating circumstances was given permission to claim 2 kilograms of his 3 kilogram allowance.

Eddie Rapido (J. Taylor) missed the start. Kentish Rose (L. Cassidy) and Fond Bond (S. Seamer) brushed on jumping away. Approaching the 900m, Sniparama shifted out from the rails and brushed Fond Bond (S. Seamer).

Sniparama, which commenced to yield ground prior to the home turn, was examined by the club's veterinary surgeon following the race and found to be suffering from cardiac arrhythmia and had also suffered a bleeding attack. Trainer D. Newham was advised that Sniparama would be barred from racing for 3 months, and prior to resuming racing, the gelding will have to gallop 1000m before stewards and she would be required to provide to the stewards the results of an ECG for the horse. Sniperama would also have to barrier trial after receiving a clearance from bleeding.

When questioned as to his riding tactics on Deception Bay, which led today, trainer B. Brown stated that he had instructed apprentice Hellyer to position the horse handy as he expected Sniperama to lead. M. Hellyer stated that that when caught four wide on the first turn he noticed that runners to his inside were not pressing forward and he elected to then improve forward rather than be obliged to race wide. He added however after assuming the lead the horse was inclined to over-race initially and took some distance to settle. Trainer B. Brown indicated that Deception Bay had come to the end of its preparation and would now be spelled.