EF OCT 10 - DEMANDING MISS GETS HER WAY

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Monday, October 12, 2009

Eagle Farm, October 10, 2009.
QTIS 600 Plate (2yo Fillies) - 1000m. Time: 0-58.55.
Track - Good 3. Rail out 1m.
1 Demanding Miss; 2 De Lago Bloom; 3 Hidden Kisses.

The start of the first two-year-old Metropolitan race of the season represented a cavalry charge as sixteen juveniles launched their careers. When they sorted themselves out Queen Thyra led Emerald Ise with Demanding Miss (third) and De Lago Bloom (fourth) sitting just off the speed.

The leaders fought on well early in the straight. Queen Thyra was the first to weaken allowing Emerald Isle to hit the front 180m out, but that advantage was short-lived as Demanding Miss was quick to assert her authority when it mattered most. Demanding Miss easily took the measure of Emerald Isle and had more than enough in hand to hold off De Lago Bloom, who finished well without being able to match the winner.

Ten days ago, after The Crusader had scored for Baldwin at Eagle Farm, the former Premiership winning trainer was lamenting his worst run of results in twenty years of training. Baldwin did qualify that by adding, “In saying that, I’ve got twenty-four two-year-olds there. One thing about a bad trot is that it never goes forever.”

The first of those two-year-olds is now a winner, suggesting that the Baldwin bandwagon could just be ready to start rolling again.

A word about the horsemanship of jockey Ken Pope. His mount in this race, Show Us The Dime, refused to gallop on leaving the starting stalls. Instead the filly put all of her energy in trying to get rid of the rider ... buck-jumping, putting her head down, swinging left, darting right ... but Pope would not be shifted and he eventually brought the wayward filly under control thus defusing the possibility of any further mishap.

Show Us The Dime obviously took no meaningful part in the contest, but the display of a clash of wills between horse and rider gave a telling reminder of the high level of expertise most professional jockeys bring to their profession.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Barry Baldwin: “We got her at the Magic Millions. I think for about $50,000. (Owner) David (Woodhouse) said, come and have a look at this filly. I liked the look of her and he liked her. She was a bit cheap. She was a bit turned in. She was a bit small, but anyhow it is good news because she has paid back herself already. So we are quite happy mate. She has always showed a little bit. She raced a bit green so I think she will improve a bit more on that.

“It depends on the horse whether we keep her going. It all depends on the horse, you know, just how she pulls up and how she is. It would be nice for her to win a listed race after this. I’d like to have a go at the McDougall later on, but that means keeping her in work a bit longer. We will have to look at our options.

“The ‘Millions’ races are a possibility but it’s hard to do both. Which is the most important thing, winning a Listed race or the Millions? The ‘Millions’ is important, but there will be a lot of opposition in the ’Millions’ race, but there might not be so much in the Fillies race.

“Agony (the mother of Demanding Miss) is a half-sister to Angst. That’s why she why she will be pretty valuable is she can win a listed race.”

*A post race report from Baldwin, speaking twenty-four hours later at the meeting at the Sunshine Coast reveals Demanding Miss pulled up fairly well after her first race experience.

Baldwin: “Yeah, she ate up well this morning. She pulled up just a little bit jarry. The track must be hard ... but I don’t think it is anything serious. We just wanted to see how she goes.”

Jockey Joe Bowditch: “Yeah, she sort of jumped okay. I had to give her a little bit of a squeeze early to get her up there. She’s just a real professional. She took everything in her stride. She didn’t look around too much. Got there ... felt nice ... come out of the top of the straight and had them covered straight away. Could just feel her start to float around a bit through greenness, so I just sort of used a couple of leaders as long I could until we got right inside the furlong before I gave her a decent squeeze. Even the last 100m when she was getting away from them she still probably hadn’t really let down to her full potential. So think she will keep improving as she goes along. There was a little bit left there.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Demanding Miss): 6.00 in to 5.50.
Favourite (De Lago Bloom): 3.80 in to 3.60. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The start of this race was delayed when the bridle of Colour Blue had to be replaced. Hidden Kisses (L. Cassidy) was tightened for room when jumping away between De Lago Bloom (G. Colless) and Paris Blu (R. McMahon), which shifted out. Wild Promises (C. Reith) and Madame Sleeper (P. Hammersley) made contact on jumping away.

Show Us The Dime (K. Pope) was tightened for room shortly after the start between African Mama (A. Spinks) and Demanding Miss (J. Bowditch), which shifted out. Show Us The Dime then commenced to buck and took no further part in the event. The connections of Show Us The Dime were advised that they must officially trial the horse on no less than two occasions prior to the horse's next race start.

Near the 700m Wild Promises was momentarily tightened for room between Queen Thyra (D. Browne) and Demanding Miss. Approaching the 600m Emerald Isle (K. Banks) shifted out taking De Lago Bloom (G. Colless) out onto Kellys Dream (App M. Hellyer), resulting in Incremental (S. Seamer), which was racing back to the outside of Kellys Dream having to be steadied.

Over the concluding stages Demanding Miss shifted out under pressure taking De Lago Bloom a little wider on the track. Colour Blue (T. Pannell) raced greenly throughout the event. Incremental raced wide throughout the event.

Stewards sought an explanation from C. Reith regarding the disappointing performance of Wild Promises today. C. Reith explained the horse began only fairly and he was forced to ride the horse vigorously in order to take up a prominent position. He added that the filly enjoyed a good run just off the speed, however it failed to respond to his riding and only finished the race off fairly. Trainer N. Doyle voiced his disappointment in the filly's performance and undertook to advise stewards of anything that comes to light in the next few days that may explain its performance.

Post race veterinary examinations of Wild Promises and Kellys Dream failed to reveal any abnormalities.