SCST SEPT 06 - RED FERMENTS ON A ROLL

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 8, 2009

Sunshine Coast, September 6, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Class 6 Handicap - 1300m. Time: 1-17.95.
1 Red Ferments; 2 Pass The Bubbly; 3 Semi Wells.

The Patrick Sexton trained Red Ferments continued his run of good fortune when he scored for the third time in his last four starts under an astute ride from stand-in jockey apprentice Michael Hughes.

Hughes held Red Ferments in third place behind the tearaway leader Call To Order and Pass The Bubbly until the turn. Call To Order cried enough soon after straightening and Pass The Bubbly surged forward making an early play for victory.

Red Ferments, along with a hungry pack of runners, set out to chase the new leader. There was no instant acceleration from the five-year-old, but he gradually built momentum, with half the field in tow, and the effort was good enough to reel in French Bubbly in the final few strides to just escape the crush of runners disputing the minor placings.

The run of the race belonged to the stayer Cape Breton who flew home late in his first-up run over a distance well short of his best. He is one for the notebook!

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Patrick Sexton: “He’s been a horse that I’ve liked. I use to train him a while back and he’s form sort of dropped off a little bit. I’d always sort of loved the horse ... the horse himself ... and the new owners were interested in coming in with me. It’s just been a wonderful venture since then, you know. Like he is not a world-beater, but he is very consistent.

“We gave him his first start for us on the Cushion Track (at Toowoomba) in July. He’s had five runs for three wins since then. It’s been sensational. His run the other day - in his only defeat in his last four runs was very good because I’d spaced it three weeks apart and that gap was probably a little bit long. I was about a week over and that’s why he just got beat (by 1.10 lengths).

“I knew today ... I thought today he would be up near the mark and full marks, I must say, to his regular rider Ronnie Goltz. I really want to mention him because he rides him every day. He loves him to death. It was only due to family commitments on Fathers’ Day today that he didn’t come. He is a great friend and he was the first person to ring me ... straight away, when they went past the post.

“He is a great part of everything we do and he loves this horse. I had this horse in at Doomben on Wednesday over a mile and due to Ronnie’s good advice, you know, he said to scratch him. He knew he couldn’t ride him here today, but he said this race will suit him better. He is a real team man. He is very professional and he is a wonderful part of my business.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Approaching the finish line, Cape Breton (M. Hellyer), in attempting to take a narrow run between Pass The Bubbly (J. Bowditch) to his inside and Cash In A Hurry (C. Reith) to his outside shifted out, making contact with Cash In A Hurry.