IPSW OCT 01 - DRAWN TO DUBAI’S INCH PERFECT WIN

By Graham Potter | Friday, October 2, 2009

Ipswich, October 1, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Maiden Handicap (Fillies & Mares) - 1100m. Time: 1-05.26.
1 Drawn To Dubai; 2 Marine Gardens; 3 Dolled Up.
The Michael Lakey trained Drawn To Dubai scored an inch perfect win when coming from well back to get up in the very last stride in a blanket finish.

Jockey Jim Byrne took the mare back to third last early. Drawn To Dubai then proceeded to make up some ground out three to four wide in the approach to the turn, but it was only when Byrne switched the four-year-old out to be the widest runner on the track on straightening that Drawn To Dubai began to accelerate in an eye-catching manner.

She stormed down the outside and ambushed a group of runners who thought they were fighting out the finish to steal the result by a nose.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Michael Lakey: “We ended up racing in a couple of those bigger Maidens in Brisbane ... the big money races. Putting it up in distance was the reason it took a couple of extra runs to get going. We were probably chasing the money and we probably shouldn’t have been. We should have been sticking to that shorter distance.

“There wasn’t a bad run in there. She ran a fair race every time. I thought she’d run a good race today, but she’d just never been to Ipswich before, so I was hoping she would be able to get home.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “She was a little bit unlucky in town as of late. She should have probably won before now, but you’ll take a win anywhere.

“It was probably better that she draws a bit wide. That more or less forces your hand to ride her the way she wants ... the way she has to be ridden, which is quiet. I not sure if this track really suits her, because she doesn’t like to be pushed out on turning. She actually likes to balance up and then let down, so yeah, I’m not sure this track really suited her ... but she did well.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Two Lipsticks (M. Speers) was slow to begin. Nova Ice (S. Katsidis) jumped away awkwardly and shifted out, making contact with Supervolito (A. Taylor). Dolled Up (S. Scriven) jumped away awkwardly and shifted out, resulting in Ignition Miss (M. Cahill) being hampered. Koranovsky (K. Banks) knuckled at the start and shifted out, hampering Shezadollarbird (M. Wood).

Approaching the 700m, Supervolito (A. Taylor) shifted in and made contact with the running rail and as a result became unbalanced. Dolled Up (S. Scriven), which was following, had to be steadied to avoid the heels of Supervolito.

A. Taylor was questioned regarding her riding of Supervolito in the home straight. A. Taylor explained that Supervolito was held up in the early stages of the straight and approaching the 200m she was unable to improve into a run between Nova Ice (S. Katsidis) and Sally Supreme (M. Hellyer) as the runner to her inside, Miss Ironside (A. Kitson), was shifting out. A. Taylor added that following this she elected to shift Supervolito to the outside to improve and the mare worked to the line well and, in her opinion, would take benefit from today's race. Stewards noted her explanation.