THE DAVID VANDYKE RACING SEASON - AUGUST 2019

By HRO | Saturday, August 31, 2019

DAVID VANDYKE RACING SEASON: AUGUST 2019

The David Vandyke stable did itself proud in the opening month of the 2019/20 season.

The return for the month of August was no less than six individual winners with another seven individual runners filling either second place or third place.

This meant that from twenty-one starters for the month the stable returned a 28.57% winning percentage and a 61.9% place percentage.

*It is worth noting that this result was off the back of the stable’s seven wins from seventeen starters in July which means that the stable’s strike-rate for the months of July and August stands at 34.21% which is quite outstanding.

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All of the stable’s race winners for August also have superior strike rates which speaks volumes about the way the stable places its runners.

The individual race winners for the month of August were:

Alligator Blood – who maintained his unbeaten record in his first start as a three-year-old to take his record to a perfect three from three. (a 100% strike rate).

Okeechobee – who shed her Maiden ticket at only her second start. (a 50% strike rate).

Constant Flight – who resumed with a runaway 3.25 length win to claim his fifth win from only ten starts. (a 50% strike rate).

Frangipani Moon – who won for the second time in only six starts. (a 33.3% strike rate).

Iamican – Won her Maiden at her third attempt (a 33.3 strike rate).

Pinnacle Star – who has now won three out of four starts (a 75% strike rate).

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HOW THEY WON:

ALLIGATOR BLOOD – 3yo Handicap – Doomben – 1200m – August 10).

Jumped well and then settled back in a holding position in third and then fourth place in the first half of the race without ever being more than a couple of lengths off the lead.

Two wide turning for home, but now only a length behind the leader, Alligator Blood eased to the front of the pack. He was shaken up briefly coming through the 200m to keep his mind on the job and that reminder brought an immediate response which saw Alligator Blood draw clear to win by a decisive three length margin, still without ever being fully tested.

Alligator Blood was first-up here, a little over six months between runs. All three of his wins have come over 1200m. Ryan Maloney was in the saddle this time, replacing the now retired Jeff Lloyd who posted wins on Alligator Blood in the gelding’s first two starts.

Alligator Blood started at $4.20. He carried 59kg and covered the 1200m in 1.10.93 on a Good 4 track.

OKEECHOBEE – (Maiden – Sunshine Coast 1000m – August 11).

Landed midfield before settling just in the second half of the field for much of the early part. Was still hard-held in eighth spot, caught in-between runners, some five lengths back on straightening. There was a moment early in the straight where it looked like she could be hard pressed to find some galloping room but, when the horses to her outside started to fall away, Okeechobee needed no second invitation. She accelerated quickly and strode to an impressive half-length victory.

Okeechobee had finished third on debut behind the more than useful The Odyssey at Doomben back in October 2018. This was only her second start, just short of ten months after her debut so it was a particularly pleasing first-up effort.

Okeechobee started at $2.70. She carried 53kg and stopped the clock in 58.93 seconds on a Good 4 track.

FRANGIPANI MOON – (Class 2 – Doomben – 1100m – August 14).

Tried to go forward early but was held out three wide and instead settled back in dead-set midfield in the first half of the race. Looked to make a forward move approaching the home turn and did so but cornered four wide a little over three lengths off the lead.

The Spirit Of Boom mare had to dig deep in the run home but she stuck to her task with meaning. By the 200m mark she was just a length off Justify, who had forged to the lead, but closing that gap was not her only task as her much more fancied stable companion Skins and Dreamtimer were both running on strongly, racing tight either side of Frangipani Moon.

It was a battle of attrition over the last 75m and, when the dust had settled, the judge could not separate Fangipani Moon and Justify with Skins just only a short-half head away.

So, in the end, it was a half win for the stable courtesy of the dead-heat, and arguably a hard luck story as well because, as stated in the official steward’s report, ‘after passing the 300m (Frangipani Moon) laid in when placed under pressure. Approaching the 50m (Frangipani Moon) was bumped heavily by Skins, which shifted out.

Just how costly the coming together of the two Vandyke trained horses was in terms the result is up for speculation but, clearly, receiving or giving a heavy bump close to home in a frantic finish is something you would prefer to avoid.

Frangipani Moon was second-up here and took her second-up record to two wins from three starts.

As mentioned, Skins was the more favoured stable runner starting at $3.30. Frangipani Moon … you seldom get a David Vandyke horse starting at $15 … prevailed though winning in a time 1-04.72 when carrying 54kg over 1200m on a Good 4 track.

Frangipani Moon was the first leg of a stable double with Constant Flight on the day.

CONSTANT FLIGHT – (Class 4 – Doomben – 1200m – August 14).

Landed in a share of the lead, held the rail and gradually worked to the front to lead the $101 chance Northern Divine by a length down the back straight at a comfortable gallop … so comfortable that the first the commentator summed up the first half of the race by saying … ’37.39 – the first 600m, so Constant Flight has had a picnic in front!’

Ryan Maloney urged Constant Flight forward on entering the home straight and the son of Written Tycoon had plenty to give quickly opening up a winning margin of three, then four lengths before coasting home to win by an official 3.30 length margin.

Constant Flight, who was first-up here resuming after a four-month break, started at the prohibitive odds of $1.70. He ultimately stopped the clock in a time of 1-10.91 while racing under the steadying burden of 59.5kg, on a Good 4 track.

IAMICAN – (Maiden – Sunshine Coast – 1000m – August 25).

Jumped only fairly but quickly moved up into fourth place and then into a clear third in the sweep to the turn.

The lightly raced three-year-old filly was perfectly poised to strike on straightening. Elite Grey was quickly dispatched by the Iamican but the frontrunner Hinano found a kick and maintained his advantage for much of the straight.

Iamican continued to close steadily though and the timing of her run was good enough for her to take the measure of Hinano inside the final 50m to claim a one length victory.

Iamican, who had finished unplaced in her first two starts in February, won in 57.82 seconds carrying 55kg over the 1000m trip on a Good 3 track.

PINNACLE STAR (BM65 – Sunshine Coast – 1000m - August 28).

Jumped last and was cramped for room approaching the first turn when racing four to five lengths off the lead to the degree that Ryan Maloney had to take hold of the Starspangledbanner gelding and ease back … a move which left Pinnacle Star some four lengths back on straightening with a wall of horses in front of him.

Maloney continued to ride for luck along the inside until, at the 300m mark, he started to negotiate a passage a little wider out. By the 200m mark Pinnacle Star was in open space and in full cry.

Pinnacle Star was now travelling better than anything else but he was kept honest to a degree by Ima Teamboy who threatened to go with him but who couldn’t quite sustain that task, eventually going down by one length to the Vandyke trained winner.

Pinnacle Star has only been beaten once (over 1200m) in four starts with his wins taking him from Maiden, to Class 1 to BM65 victories, all over 1000m. Here he stopped the clock in 58.31 seconds on a Good 3 track carrying 59kg.

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The stable’s runner-up finishers for the month of August were My Boy Sam, Bering Sea, Hold The Line and Crown Dancer.

The stable’s third placed finishers for the month of August were Weboughtazou, Skins, Express Fantasy.

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David Vandyke comments on each of the stable’s six individual winners for August, 2019.

David Vandyke comments on ALLIGATOR BLOOD:

Q: For the first three wins Alligator Blood went Maiden, Class 1 and 3yo Handicap. There were seven months between the second and third victory. Was that just giving the horse time to develop?

Vandyke: “He had a hock injury and he came through that ok but I felt he was always going to be better as a three-year-old and above.”

UPDATE: Alligator Blood’s intended schedule suffered a setback when he was sent south to compete in the Ming Dynasty in Sydney on September 7. Alligator Blood became restless and agitated in the race-day stalls to the point where David Vandyke felt he had no option but to ask for the horse to be scratched. David Vandyke takes up the story.

Vandyke: “He has really surprised us at every step of the way. Usually good surprises but at the same time the Sydney drama was a negative surprise … in saying that, the track was also pretty bad that day.

“He’s come out after that and raced on a lovely surface at the Sunshine Coast. He won well and pulled up good so maybe it was a blessing that he didn’t end up racing in Sydney. While the Sydney experience was terribly disappointing at the time, in hindsight the outcome might have been a blessing.

We are not sure where the bottom of him is yet. We are all very excited about him. He is heading towards the Caulfield Guineas Prelude now.”

David Vandyke comments on OKEECHOBEE:

Q: Okeechobee had one run as a two-year-old when beaten by a couple of good horses (The Odyssey won that race). Then came out and won in her first start as a three-year-old. The two runs did come ten months apart. Was there any particular reason for that?

Vandyke: “She was in work for a long time before she ran and won first-up (in her second start). She was a bit of a problem at the barriers but we have been able to improve her manners and it was just great to see her win first-up. She has gone out for a break and I’m just looking forward to getting her up to a stakes level during the carnival.”

David Vandyke comments on CONSTANT FLIGHT:

Q: A lightly raced five-year-old with eleven starts. Trialled four times before its first win and then put three-in-a-row together. Pretty consistent in-between times then resumed with a win in mid-August and again made it back to back wins in early September. He seems to be going in the right direction. Are you happy with his progress?

Vandyke: “He has been a very slow maturing horse but, on the plus side, he has been improving all the time. It is great for his owners to see him put a metropolitan win on the board. He has shown us he has got the ability to end up winning at Open company or Listed level and his recent results show he is certainly heading in that direction in a positive way."

UPDATE: Constant Flight has since made it made it back to back wins winning on September 7 at Eagle Farm.

David Vandyke comments on FRANGIPANI MOON:

Q: Consistent without being a star. She has either won or been placed in five out of her eight starts. Your view of her form-line?

Vandyke: “She was a bit disappointing first-up this prep, but she has improved nicely as she has got fitter. I think she is a filly who will keep improving as she gets older.”

David Vandyke comments on IAMICAN:

Q: She had two ordinary runs followed by a six-month layoff after which she came back, resumed and won. Fair to say she came back a something of a different horse?

Vandyke: “Yes, she did. She didn’t know what she was doing out there in her first prep. She has improved a lot during that time off going into this latest preparation. She came back with a good, solid win. She will have learned a lot from that. I’ve turned her back out though and she also will be set towards the Winter Carnival.”

David Vandyke comments on PINNACLE STAR:
Q: Three wins from four starts. You can’t argue with that?

Vandyke: “He is a good, tough, honest horse who is still learning what to do. There are more wins in him.”

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Congratulations to the winning owners:

Alligator Blood:
Ezybonds No 1.

Okeechobee:
Miss E L Lehmann, Mrs M L Brown, Mrs D M Carbis, Mrs J A Henzell, Mrs L B Jamieson, Mrs K A Jamieson, Mrs R N Jamieson, Mrs K C Sutherland, Mrs M M Mayer, Mrs Y Mathewson, Mrs K F Mathewson, Mrs J Mathewson, Mrs E C Crabtree, Mrs W J Maybury.

Frangipani Moon:
Mrs H M Pascoe, Dr D R Pascoe.

Constant Flight:
Mr S G Darby, Mr R S Jones, Beckman Brothers, Two Nations, Mr P J Hall, Chanceux Racing, Mr P O Clarke, Mr R A Clarke, Mr T A Clarke, Mr R F Sutherland, Mrs K C Sutherland, Mr S P Mayer, Mrs M M Mayer, Mr D R Ind.

Iamican:
B K Racing & Breeding Pty Ltd, Musk Creek Farm P/L, Mr M Jamieson, Mrs L B Jamieson, Mr G B Mathewson, Mr B F Mathewson, Mr P A Mathewson, Mrs J Mathewson, Mr J S Brown, Mrs M L Brown, Mrs E C Crabtree, Mr J E Crabtree, Mr L Jamieson, Mr C J Jamieson, Mrs R N Jamieson, Mr D J Vandyke.

Pinnacle Star:
Mr D J Vandyke, Mr R F Sutherland, Mr B R Monk, Mr G K Wood, Mr D J Ciliegi, Mrs K C Sutherland, Miss E L Lehmann, Mr JS Saleh.

*Related articles - The life and times of Alligator Blood - the view from an owner's perspective