EF SEPT 30 - OPPORTUNISTIC SCORES WELL

By Graham Potter | Thursday, October 1, 2009

Eagle Farm, September 30, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - Out 11.5m.
Maiden Handicap (C, G & E) - 1300m. Time: 1-16.90.
1 Opportunistic; 2 Red Raiders; 3 Fifteen Carat.


Trainer Alan Bailey pulled another lightly raced runner with obvious ability out of his bag of tricks when Opportunistic scored a dramatic come from behind victory in only his second career start.

Opportunistic went back to the rear of the field from his wide draw. While that was the plan, the fact that Opportunistic showed no keenness at all for the early action meant that he was some way out of his ground as the field began the sweep to the home turn.

Jockey Scott Seamer had to get to work early and he was really pushing Opportunist along approaching the turn. Seamer took the gelding out to be the widest runner on the track and then started a long chase home. Opportunist had to be hard-ridden all the way down the straight, but once he got the message, he started to eat up ground like a good horse in the making and he swept up in spirited fashion to take the honours.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Alan Bailey: “He’s a nice horse this bloke ... a really nice horse. You’ve got to ride him like that (from behind and then with a touch of aggression to bring him into the race). We rode him like that in a trial the other day. He was back last and he just stormed home. He is just one of those horses you have got to ride quiet and he will really hit the line.

“The (wide) draw was never a worry. I reckon we got the best draw we could have got. I’ll probably give him one more run on a Saturday over a mile or something and then put him away for the carnival. Remember he is only a three-year-old. There are plenty of carnival options for him.”

Jockey Scott Seamer: “He’ll improve every time he goes around. He is a horse that doesn’t know a lot. I couldn’t get him to travel until we got to the 700. I came out a little bit quiet on him and he just dropped the bit. I probably should have come out and pushed him a little and then let him come back underneath me, because it took me a furlong-and-a-half of pushing to get him on the bit again. But once he got travelling, we just came out and away he went.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Opportunistic): 2.25 out to 2.30.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer B. Laming, through his representative M. Campbell, was reprimanded for presenting Whataman late to the saddling enclosure.

Zibibbo (App M. Hellyer) and Opportunistic (S. Seamer) were both slow to jump. A short distance after the start Fifteen Carat (S. Katsidis) raced greenly between President (J. Byrne) and Bustopher Jones (A. Pattillo). Approaching the home turn Fifteen Carat improved its position between President and Whataman (A. Mundy) and as a result received heavy contact when racing in restricted room due to Whataman shifting in. Bustopher Jones (A. Pattillo) hung out rounding the home turn and in the home straight proved difficult to test when under pressure.

French Legend (A. Spinks) shifted in abruptly when under riding between the 300m and 100m. Trainer B. Baldwin was advised that due to the horse's wayward tendency today it would be required to compete in an official trial before racing again. Fifteen Carat and Whataman both raced wide for the majority of the event.

Following the event S. Katsidis reported that Fifteen Carat had a tendency to race ungenerously and as a result had recommended to the connections that they consider removing the blinkers in an effort to have the horse race tractably. Trainer H. Wilson confirmed that he would consider the advice of jockey S. Katsidis and consider removing the blinkers.

A post race veterinary examination of President failed to reveal any abnormalities.

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