EF SEPT 30 - BEJEKA POWERS HOME

By Graham Potter | Thursday, October 1, 2009

Eagle Farm, September 30, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - Out 11.5m.
Fillies & Mares Maiden Handicap - 1300m. Time: 1-18.61.
1 Bejeka; 2 Blue White; 3 Jive Queen.

The lightly raced Bejeka gunned down her rivals with a solid display of acceleration over the final 150m to claim her breakthrough victory in her fifth career start.

The four-year-old went back to the rear of the field early and apprentice jockey Chris McIver relaxed the chestnut and asked little of her until the turn. Bejeka was last on straightening and she still looked an unlikely winner 250m, but apprentice jockey Chris McIver gradually coaxed the chestnut to the outside and asked her for her effort.

Bejeka didn’t fire up immediately when in the clear, but, when she did, she did so in telling fashion, accelerating right over the top of the opposition and going away from her rivals, to the degree that McIver was able to ease his mount short of the line.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Rex Lipp: “I’ve only had her this prep. That’s her third start for me. She was very immature when she came in and it’s just taken a couple of runs to come right. Look, this filly has got a fair bit of potential. We haven’t seen the best of her yet. She’ll go on to better things. She’ll win at a Saturday meeting.

“She’s got no early pace. Actually I thought this might have been a bit short for her, but she was good enough to come home right over the top of them.”

Apprentice jockey Chris McIver: “We had to wait in the gates for them. Then we half got squeezed a little bit at the start and I thought, well the first plan is out of the window (the plan was to race midfield). I decided to ride here quiet and save all the runs in the hope that she would find the line for me. I saved the runs. She was going good enough. I dragged her wide and as soon as I let her go she just dashed and kept going.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Bejeka): 8.00 out to 9.00.
Original favourite (Rockwest): Scratched at the barriers.
Favourite (Hussonite): 4.80.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Rockwest which was fractious in the barriers and broke through required an adjustment to its bridle. As Rockwest had also injured itself in the barriers the horse was declared a late scratching at 2.16pm by order of stewards acting on veterinary advice. Trainer D. Murphy was advised that he must provide two barrier certificates for Rockwest prior to its next race start.

Trainers D. Murphy and B. Smith were reprimanded for presenting their respective runners late in the saddling enclosures.

Jive Queen (S. Galloway) jumped away awkwardly. Bejeka (App C. McIver) was a little slow to jump. Shortly after the start Bejeka was crowded for room between Solysombra (M. Cahill) and Sheisamadoozy (P. Hammersley), which shifted inwards. Solysombra, which was caught three wide on the first turn, was inclined to over-race for some distance.

Near the 300m Hussonite (R. Goltz) shifted out under pressure and bumped Solysombra. A short distance later Solysombra, when unbalanced, shifted in away from Blue White (J. Byrne) making contact with Hussonite.

A post race veterinary examination of Hussonite revealed the filly to be lame in the near side fore-leg.