SCST AUG 30 - SWISS ACE, A STAR TURN

By Graham Potter | Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Mick Mair trained Group 1 winner Swiss Ace will undergo minor surgery today to remove a bone-chip from his near-foreleg. As a consequence the five-year-old will miss the Melbourne Sprint Carnival.

Mair has made it clear that the surgery is not a direct sequel to Swiss Ace’s trademark robust performance on Sunday.

“There is no great problem,” said Mair. “He pulled up fine really. It’s a minor operation which I wanted to do before. I’ve made the decision to do the operation now because he is not one hundred percent right. He’s probably ninety-nine percent, but if you go down there (to Melbourne) in that top company and you are not one-hundred percent right, they’ll run right over you.”

These latest developments have no affect on the value of Swiss Ace as a stallion which remains secure.

Swiss Ace was the star turn at Coloundra on Sunday when he stepped out on his home track for his first start in a race since the BTC Cup back in May.

In an earlier race on the day jockey Ken Pope had ridden another Mick Mair trained runner at 55kg which means that Swiss Ace carried in the region of 13kg dead weight when he went out with a whopping 68kg on his back. Whoever drew the short-straw had to collect the saddle to saddle him up.

On the walk down to the parade ring, Swiss Ace was like royalty looking down on his subjects. He even stopped of his own accord to pose for a photograph.

Swiss Ace is, quite simply, a magnificent looking racehorse. He is big. He is alert. His eyes take in everything that goes on around him and he does so with a mean look which posts a warning to anybody who doesn’t take him seriously. His attitude is one that says, ‘I rule’, and that fact is well worth being aware of otherwise a reminder might be forthcoming.

As he got closer to the time for action, Swiss Ace’s activity stepped up a beat. He was a handful for his strapper ... not misbehaving, but just up on his toes, moving this way, that way, bouncing, warming up. Just as Pope was about to be given a leg up, Swiss Ace kicked out, a move akin to flexing his muscles.

Then to the start, which was delayed as Swiss Ace proved difficult to load ... to the jump where Swiss Ace shifted out and bumped That’s Better ... and finally to the race finish where Swiss Ace and That’s Better became involved in a protracted dual which lasted the whole length of the straight. Pelltro joined in late to have three runners flashing across the line together.

Inside the final 50m it looked like Swiss Ace would be beaten. It was always still going to be a great effort, but the task of giving 11.5kg to That’s Better and 14kg to Pelltro looked as if it was about the get the better of him.

But that attitude, that fighting spirit, that refusal to be beaten once again kicked in on cue. Swiss Ace kept throwing punches and he came back right on the line to confound his rivals and earn a share of a dead-heat.

The connections of the third placed horse Pelltro asked to view to the photo-finish picture. The rider of the dead-heater That’s Better wanted to look at the patrol film to see if he grounds for a protest against Swiss Ace. Just as they couldn’t get the better of Swiss Ace on the track, their attempts were futile after the fact.

Melbourne, against the best sprinters on offer in Group company was always going to be an altogether different proposition, so the run, against three inferior horses here, of course, must be put in perspective. It didn’t make Swiss Ace a world beater and his task down south would have remained a difficult one and this Sunshine Coast result might have meant little in the context of what was being planned.

Then came the hiccup as the operation, as minor as it might be, translated into a set-back.

The bottom line to come out of the contest though is that Swiss Ace’s good looks, his attitude, his antics, his superior ability and the fact that trainer Mick Mair was happy to showcase them all for a crowd at a Provincial meeting at the Sunshine Coast on a Sunday afternoon was a fine advertisement for racing.

As should be the case, it’s take the horse to elevate the game to its rightful level.

Sunshine Coast, August 30, 2009.
Track - Good 2. Rail - True.
Open Handicap - 1000m. Time: 58.91.
1 Swiss Ace/That's Better; 3 Pelltro.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Ken Pope: “He was never ever going to win by over a length anyway. Any other race he’s ever won the margins have been under a length basically. He doesn’t switch on until he is ready to fight. He only really picked the bridle up at about the 300m when it was time to go.

“At the 200, when I gave him a dig, he’s picked up beautifully. He felt magnificent. It evened out with the weight you know. He’d probably had enough about the last 150m, but he just fights ... sort of refuses to be beaten. You can’t ask for much more with that sort of weight.”

Trevor Thomas (trainer of That’s Better): “Yeah, you’re right. We can say we dead-heated with Swiss Ace. You know the fight they put up ... for my one, that’s his go. He is a lot like Swiss Ace in a lot of characteristics. Swiss Ace is obviously a superior race-horse, but my one also loves a scrap. Once my one gets there and he thinks he’s a chance he takes a lot of holding out. He’s as tough as they come, the old bugger. He’s made of boot leather that’s for sure.

“It was a great result for us. When he came back from Toowoomba (after the Weetwood), I didn’t realise that he limped off the course. He lost a shoe on the way up and he pulled up a little bit sore after the Weetwood. I honestly thought that was him ... I thought he was finished.

“I kept him in the stables here for two weeks. I couldn’t work him. I sent him back to the owners. I said to the owners take him up there ... see how he goes, you know. About a fortnight after they phoned me up and said, he’s alright this horse. I think he’s alright, you know. We brought him back ... so he’s only been in work about two-and-a-half weeks. But that’s him. He never leaves anything in the tank. He’s a bloody great horse to train, he really is.

“Honestly, I went into the race and I thought ... geez, it would be good to run second. That was yesterday. Then I saw that Michael Lakey was going to send his horse around again.” (Pelltro ran in the second race at Doomben on Saturday and backed up twenty five hours later). “I thought, jeez, I’m going to battle to run second, so to come up with the result of a dead-heat was great.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis (rider of That’s Better): “I honestly thought I got beat by the horse outside me (Pelltro). He must have got the bad bob in ... but, yeah, Swiss Ace ... good on him for dead-heating. I was trying to beat him my best but, yeah he is a grand horse. He was a neck behind us a stride out from the line and he stuck his neck out and just got us.

“That’s Better - what a run. It was a super effort by my horse and with, you know, that good form under his belt he’ll go on and do something quite nice.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Prior to the event, Pelltro was examined by the club's veterinary surgeon in relation to its start at Doomben on 29th August 2009 and was cleared to start. The start was delayed when Swiss Ace proved difficult to load. That’s Better (S. Katsidis) jumped in the air at the start. Swiss Ace (K. Pope) shifted outwards at the start, making contact with That’s Better.

Correct weight was delayed when the connections of third placegetter Pelltro sought permission to view the photo-finish. After viewing the photo-finish, connections were satisfied with the Judge's placings.

Correct weight was further delayed when S. Katsidis, rider of equal 1st placegetter, That’s Better, sought permission to view the stewards patrol film in the straight to ascertain if he had grounds for protest against equal 1st placegetter, Swiss Ace. After viewing the footage, S. Katsidis did not wish to proceed further and correct weight was subsequently semaphored on the Judge's placings.