THE DAVID VANDYKE RACING SEASON – SEPTEMBER 2019

By HRO | Monday, September 30, 2019

DAVID VANDYKE RACING SEASON: SEPTEMBER, 2019

The absolute consistency of performance of the David Vandyke stable was again very much in play in September as evidenced by these impressive facts.

The September return was six wins from seventeen starts … a 35.29% winning strike rate. That result came off the back of 28.57% winning strike rate in August and a 41.17% winning strike rate in July meaning that the Vandyke stable has maintained an average winning strike rate over the last three months of 35.01 %.

That outcome would be good over a short period of time … anyone can have a hot spot … but when it is maintained for months on end, it becomes an absolute statement of pride, underlining the all around ability of Vandyke racing to be able to both bring a horse to a point where it is ready to win and then find the right race for it so it’s talent can flourish.

That doesn’t come easy though. Hard work and attention to every detail is the behind the scenes story to the public success.

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The stable’s won six races in September with five individual runners … Alligator Blood being the runner who won twice during this period.

The individual race winners for the month of September were:

Alligator Blood – the months big winner! The son of All Too Hard added a further two wins to his tally to extend his perfect record to five wins from five starts. He faced a huge step up in class and a major challenge when travelling to Melbourne to tackle the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude but never blinked and was always going like a winner when taking out his highest profile win to date.

Constant Flight – who had resumed with a runaway 3.25 length win to claim his fifth win on August 14 make it back to back wins on September 7. (Has a 50% winning strike rate).

Crown Dancer – was temporarily transferred to the Vandyke stable at the start of the new season and claimed her second career victory in her fourth start for the stable on September 15. Crown Dancer formed part of a stable double with Alligator Blood also winning on that day. The Vandyke runners bookended the meeting.

Golden Mean – resumed with a win at Doomben on September 18 which was her third success in only five starts. (Has a 60% winning strike rate).

My Boy Sam – shed his Maiden ticket in town in his third career start on September 25.

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HOW THEY WON: (IN RACE MEETING ORDER).

CONSTANT FLIGHT – C, G & E NMW – Eagle Farm – 1200m – September 7).

Constant Flight had won very easily first up following a four-month break in his previous start and he continued his good work here when scoring by a margin of a little under a length.

The Written Tycoon gelding, who was being ridden by Jake Bayliss for the first time, jumped well, led briefly a hundred metres after the start, but then, with plenty of speed coming on his outside, Bayliss elected to take his mount back into a close-up, trailing fourth position holding the spot on the rail.

Constant Flight saved ground all of the way around the sweeping turn and was well poised to strike early in the home straight but he had to wait on a split between runners … which took a long time coming … before Bayliss could push the accelerator button.

The response was there when required but the task remained twofold. Firstly, Constant Flight had to reel in the frontrunners. That was a test in itself but, between the 250m and the 100m marks, he did close up and hit the lead. Secondly, over the final 100m Constant Flight had to keep finding to see off a serious challenge from behind … but, again, he was good enough to do just that to claim his sixth career victory from only twelve starts.

Constant Flight, who started at $3.20, stopped the clock in a time of 1-11.89 (1200m) when carrying 58kg on a Good 4 track.

ALLIGATOR BLOOD – Class 5 Plate – Sunshine Coast – 1400m – September 15).

The context of Alligator Blood’s win here was as important as the win itself.

After Alligator Blood had secured his third straight win when resuming on August 10, the Group 3 Ming Dynasty in Sydney was pencilled in on his schedule for the end of August. Alligator Blood did travel down to Sydney but that run never materialised as Alligator Blood was a late withdrawal on race-day after becoming very fractious in the race-day stalls. Out of sorts and with a heavy track waiting out front, the decision to scratch Alligator Blood had to be the right one.

The stable wasn’t going to dwell on that disappointment and Alligator Blood was soon back in action at his home track … in a way on trail to see if all was well and the next planned trip south would go ahead.

In the end, nobody needed to have been concerned.

Alligator Blood took on and thrashed five rivals. He jumped into the lead, then settled in second place holding a watching brief a length off the leader. In the sweep to the turn that margin was down to three-quarters of a length. He was on terms with the early leader inside the final 300m and shortly after that it was ‘race over’ as Alligator Blood extended to win as he liked by a telling 2.80 length margin with Jake Bayliss doing the honours in the saddle.

Alligator Blood started at $1.12. He carried 53.5kg and covered the 1400m in 1.24.22 on a Good 4 track.

CROWN DANCER – Class 1 – Sunshine Coast - 1400m – September 15).

David Vandyke became the third trainer of Crown Dancer when he took over mare at the start of the 2019/20 season. Crown Dancer had previously had two unplaced runs for Henry Dwyer and had also raced six times for Anthony Freedman for a win, a second and a third placing.

In her first two starts for the stable Crown Dancer finished fourth at the Gold Coast and fifth at the Sunshine Coast in Class 1 events over 1300m and 1600m respectively. Then came the second placing over 1800m in a Class 2 at the Sunshine Coast which put the writing on the wall that her second career victory would not be far away.

That proved to be the case when Crown Dancer won at the fourth time of asking for the stable coming back both in class and distance … to a Class 1 over 1400m.

Crown Dancer landed tenth, a little worse than midfield, and Ryan Maloney was content to let Crown Dancer hold that position for the first half of the trip. With nine horses still in front of Crown Dancer on straightening, Maloney’s first priority was to negotiate a path across heels to the outside of the bunch … which he did effectively enough.

Once into clear air though, Crown Dancer still had five to six lengths to make up. She did that steadily and, in the end, it turned out to be a perfectly judged ride from Maloney with Crown Dancer’s superiority arguable being greater than the official half length winning margin suggests.

Crown Dancer started joint favourite at $3.50. She covered the 1400m in 1-24.70 under 56.5kg on a Good 4 track.

After this win Crown Dancer was once again relocated down south.

GOLDEN MEAN – (Class 2 – Doomben – 1200m – September 18).

Golden Mean did not race as a two-year-old. She won a Maiden in her first start as a three-year-old over 1100m on August 18, 2018 and then was immediately put out again for five months before resuming … and winning … in a Class 1 event on January 24 at a starting price of $11. Both of those wins came at Ipswich.

Golden Mean had two further runs during that first preparation finishing fourth over 1350 in a Class 3 race and unplaced over 1400m in a Class 2 before again being sent to the paddock for a another five-and-a-half month spell.

When she resumed here punters either missed the fact that she had a perfect first-up record (two wins from two starts) or they simply went against here because she started at the crazy odds of $26 (drifting out from an opening call of $19).

That would be their mistake … not that they would have been worried early in the running as Golden Mean settled towards the rear of the field in the early part with jockey Michael Hellyer content to allow the four-year-old plenty of time to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

At the 600m Golden Mean was six lengths off the leader and by the time the field turned for home she was still a full five lengths adrift and she was left with the task of having to muscle her way out into clear galloping room.

In doing that she became unbalanced for a few strides but she then set about her task with meaning and proved to be too strong for her rivals who chased hard but who could not match Golden Mean’s sustained run to the line.

Golden Mean covered the 1200m in 1.11.16 under 55kg on a Good 4 track.

MY BOY SAM – (Maiden – Doomben – 1200m – September 25).

My Boy Sam did not race as a two-year-old. He entered his competitive racing career as an early three-year-old on August 7 and raced again on September 11 finishing second on both occasions, both in Maiden races over 1110m at Ipswich.

It was his third run here and he would make no mistake.

There was a slight anxious moment when My Boy Sam was vetted at the start, after the horse in the stall next to him and reared up, but he was passed fit to run.

My Boy Sam jumped well but then settled in third place as Ryan Maloney allowed the two tearaway leaders go. Moloney was wide awake to the fact that the leaders tried to slow the pace in the sweep to the turn and he quickly pushed My Boy Sam forward to the extent that he was right on the heels of the leader on straightening and clearly going the better of the two.

That impression was quickly confirmed as My Boy Sam took the lead early in the home straight looking very comfortable. Primo Augusto did come out of the pack to threaten but he could not head My Boy Sam who held a half length winning margin at the line.

Then there was a second anxious moment when the rider of Primo Augusto fired in a protest but that protest, after a fairly lengthy debate by stewards, was dismissed.
My Boy Sam stopped the clock in 1.10.27 for the 1200m on a Good 4 track. His starting price was $2.50

ALLIGATOR BLOOD – Caulfield – Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude – 1400m - September 29.

The stable’s Honour Roll for September saved the best for last.

To say that Alligator Blood’s true credentials were going to be well and truly tested in this highly competitive feature race, when racing in another state for the first time, would be an understatement. It was going to take a very good horse to come through this one.

In the end though, you had to marvel at the simplicity of it all as Alligator Blood took out his fifth successive victory with the minimum of fuss.

The replay shows that he was never going to lose this race. He jumped superbly. He raced comfortably throughout when tracking the leader and his commitment to the cause in the home straight was unwavering as he put paid to the horse in front of him and kicked on strongly enough to hold all of the challenges from behind at bay with authority.

As always, the whole team played its part here … but this was special. Vandyke Racing for its preparation and planning, Ryan Maloney for a faultless ride and Alligator Blood himself, for his courage and capability … this was a absolute case of all credit to all concerned.

Alligator Blood started at $6 and won by three-quarters-of-a-length, covering the 1400m in a time of 1.23.49 on a Good 4 track.

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Eleven of the stable’s seventeen runners for the month of September (64.7%) finished in the first three places.

Apart from the winners listed above:

The stable’s runner-up finishers for the month of September were My Boy Sam, Frangipani Moon, Amiche.

The stable’s third placed finishers for the month of September were Constant Flight, Musical Blues.

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Congratulations to the winning owners:

Alligator Blood:
Ezybonds No 1.

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.

Crown Dancer:
Mr K A Bowden.

Golden Mean:
Harris Family Racing.

My Boy Sam:
Mr S A Gordon, Mr A M Childes, Mr N J Gregorski, Mr B K Cameron, Miss M C Gordon, Mr D J Mcgahan, Mr B J White, Mr S J R Tait, Ms K D Hunter, Mr A C Carbone, Mr W J F Connelly, Mr R J Williamson, Mr N W Wenck, Mr R J Muirhead, Mr P Lee, Mrs J K Barton, Mr M J Pescatore

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