EAGLE FARM (AUGUST 15) - THE DETAILED REVIEW

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 17, 2020

Trainer Kelly Schweida saddled a double at his home track at Eagle Farm when Joymaker took out a Benchmark 72 Handicap over 2112m and Acrobatic bounced back at long odds to prevail in the QTIS 3yo Colts and Geldings Handicap over 1200m.

Joymaker was always out of her ground in her previous start, first-up, over 1800m. This time, stepping up in distance and fitter for the run, the five-year-old daughter of Casino Prince was produced relatively early in the home straight and she powered away from the opposition over the final 200m to score every bit as easily as the 2.30 length winning margin suggests. This was win number four from twenty-nine starts. Jim Byrne rode the winner.

Acrobatic would have had followers of the Schweida stable rubbing their hand with glee after his win as he brought up the Schweida training double.

The chestnut three-year-old had made his debut when finishing 2.60 lengths behind the useful Dusty Tycoon back in November 2019. He was then spelled and resumed as a $1.45 favourite on July 8 where he duly scored a facile victory over 1200m at Doomben. Next up, over the same track and distance, Acrobatic led the field up early on the heavy 8 track but was seemingly disappointing when running out of steam in the home straight and dropping back to finish six lengths off the winner Mishani Fraudster. He started at $4.50 on that occasion.

You would think that a young, inexperienced horse would be allowed and forgiven one hiccup on a heavy track in only his third start, but most punters took another view and abandoned the son of Snitzel which meant he was so very easy to back at this latest run where he jumped at a starting price of $26. That was to their cost because Acrobatic, this time on a good 4 surface, responded with meaning in the straight … and he had to!

For a while there is was a real slog but Acrobatic, under a very determined ride from Mark Du Plessis, never faltered and his strong effort soon had the race within his keeping to suddenly lift his strike rate to fifty percent (two wins from four starts). Du Plessis has ridden Acrobatic to both of his victories.

WINNER FEEDBACK (JOYMAKER):

Trainer Kelly Schweida: “She loved the trip. Everything worked out prefect. In-running she was getting shorter in price because Jimmy (Byrne) gave her the perfect ride. He knows her well and he likes riding her.

Jockey Jim Byrne: “On paper it looked like it could be a bit of a muddling tempo … but there was enough tempo there just to ensure it was a nice evenly run race. I was a little bit concerned about the journey and then, when I let her down at the 300m, I thought … well, the journey is not an issue even though she half wound back a bit. She really does like Eagle Farm … not on that hard Eagle farm surface, but on this type of track here with the longer grass which has that bit of cushion in it. She enjoyed it!

WINNER FEEDBACK (ACROBATIC):

Trainer Kelly Schweida: “I couldn’t believe his price. His first win was dominant and the other day it was a heavy 9 when they put the races off. I’ve had a good wrap on him for a long time and I was always confident through the run. The first part of the race he was a bit wide but then he ended up getting in. It was a good win because it was a pretty strong field too. He has got a gorgeous pedigree. If you want to buy a racehorse you want a Snitzel out of an Elusive Quality mare. Well done to the Gilbert family. He didn’t go through a sale. They bred him and race him … and it is my first horse I have had for them.”

Jockey Mark Du Plessis: “Kelly (Schweida) will bear me out here … I told him a long time ago, before he ran for Kelly, that he was a very decent horse. Last time it all went pear-shaped when his tongue went over the bit … and that was a little bit my fault as well. I tried to ride him like the best horse in the race and he didn’t like the heavy track. He was wide for the first bit here and then he got in at the half mile and gave a big finish.”
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A star filly was in town.

The Michael Nolan trained Kisukano was there to try and stamp her authority on proceedings … from trying to take charge of the barrier attendants at the start to attempting to run her opposition into the ground in the race itself.

Perhaps you could call the contest with the barriers attendants a draw as Kisukano gave as good as she got for a fair period of time before consenting to go into her gate … but there could be no such consideration in the race which quickly became a ‘no contest’ as jockey Alex Patis, with her 3kg claim helping offset the 62kg burden Kisukano had been set to carry, guiding the electric daughter of Bel Esprit to a runaway win (by 3.30 lengths) … her fifth win from only seven starts.

Kisukano kicked off her career with a dominant win with Skye Bogenhuber aboard over 1050m at Toowoomba on February 1 … the 7.50 length margin of victory saying it all. She then went straight to town but found one too good for her at Doomben that day over 1000m when she raced wide and green throughout.
The name of the horse that beat her … well that was no less than Rothfire, whose own current record stands at six wins from seven starts, including a Group 2 Champagne Classic and the Group 1 success in the J J Atkins.

Kisukano had two further starts in her first preparation, winning over 1100m at Doomben by 4.30 lengths at the juicy odds of $4.50 before going on to make it back to back wins … and make a big splash by winning the featured Aquis Jewel over 1200m at the Gold Coast when turning the tables on Rothfire.

She was then spelled for three months and came back with a first-up win at the Sunshine Coast under the steadying burden of 60kg. It was after this race that stewards advised that a warning would be placed on the filly's barrier manners. She had proved difficult to load.
Apprentice Alex Patis picked up the ride next time Kisukano was in action and the filly came back in third spot over 1200m at Doomben … and Patis again got the vote of confidence from Michael Nolan, staying on to help produce this latest, most satisfying victory.

Kisukano certainly has got a bit of an attitude but with $491 000 banked in prize-money since February, courtesy of five wins and two placing from only seven starts, I’m sure her connections can live with it!

WINNER FEEDBACK (KISUKANO):

Trainer Michael Nolan: “Having this filly does make it easier for me to get out of bed early in the morning but she also adds a bit of stress to my life. I get too nervous watching her antics at the gates. I don’t know.
Sometimes she can just be a proper bitch and she was a bitch here. We know she is very good. We all know that. she put paid to a lot of good fillies there again with a big weight, but she has just got to take some of that attitude out of her game to be better. How we do that I don’t know … more racing experience, maturity, let her go out for a spell and develop.

“I don’t know how far she will go … but she just lengthens off the turn and puts a big space on some good horses. She is good enough to take to Sydney … no doubt. She will measure up down there, but I’ve just got that bit of a worry with her now. It’s a long way to go to Sydney to get scratched if she doesn’t go in at the start. We’ll have a think about it.”

Jockey Alex Patis: “It is an absolute privilege to get a ride on a horse like her. She just has got a bit of an attitude. I had to have a bit of a yell at her when they were trying to load her. Then, she was a bit funny once she got in the gates because she has just been a little revved up behind them, but our intention was always to lead and ride her like the best horse in the race.

“When I got to the top of the straight and she kicked I think I started smiling. She is just a lovely, lovely horse … still carrying a lot of weight. It will be really exciting when she goes to a race where she’ll get no weight and be even better! The quicker you go the better she feels.”
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The Scott Morrisey trained Love Struck is another horse on a roll. The Love Conquers All gelding won for the third time in his last four starts and, importantly, brought his Gold Coast form, where he had closed off his previous preparation with a double over 1200, to the city in his second run since resuming … and his first as a five-year-old.

Love Struck did not win as a two-year-old, but has now won in all of his three-year-old, four-year-old and five-year-old campaigns keeping the scoreboard moving. He now has four wins and three placings to his credit from nineteen starts.

Michael Hellyer was aboard for this latest win which came over 1400m.

WINNER FEEDBACK (LOVE STRUCK):

Trainer Scott Morrisey: “I’m having a bit of luck … a bit of rain around is helping. He has always given us a good feel but, obviously being by Love Conquers all, he just keeps getting better with age. He chased down a pretty nice horse in the straight (Super Contender). Even as a three-year-old he was terribly unlucky in a couple of Black Type races and Open three-year-olds. His best couple of runs have been when he is fresh and he has won second-up before.”

Jockey Michael Hellyer: “I think he put the writing on the wall first-up when he came from well back over 1200m. We gave him a nice easy trial on Monday and he gave me a really good feel and we were quite confident coming into the race today. He probably just raced a bit on the fresh side. I didn’t expect him to be so close. I think he will relish the mile. Over a mile he probably just settles fourth, fifth or sixth … and if he finishes like that over a mile he will probably just win again.

“I just stayed one off the whole way. He is no good inside horses. I just tried to give him all the room in the world. He usually hits a soft spot about the 600m where he drops the bridle, but he actually travelled quite strongly into it today. It took him the length of the straight to win but I think the second horse is quite promising … and don’t forget he was out in the middle there all by himself as well. He is a horse that is used to chasing with horses around him so maybe he was a little bit lost there for a while.”
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Three wins in a row obviously tells the story of a progressive horse and the Toby Edmonds trained She Za Boss fits that category after completing a hat trick of wins at Eagle farm over 1400m.

The Rothesay mare kicked off her winning sequence at Ipswich on June 24 over 1350m in a Class 3 Fillies and Mares Handicap (winning by 0.25 lengths) and then won again on July 8 at Doomben in a Benchmark 70 event, again over 1350m (winning by 2.30 lengths).

This latest win, the sixth of her career, in a Fillies and Mares No Metro Win contest, again saw her improve on her winning margin. This time it was 3.50 lengths. Robbie Fradd has been in the saddle for of these three wins.

WINNER FEEDBACK (SHE ZA BOSS):

Trent Edmonds (co-trainer): “It probably took us a long time to get her fit. I think it was four runs back where she had a start on a bog track at Doomben and that got her rock hard. Her next three starts have been super. She is going great. I had my reservations about coming here. She hasn’t been to Eagle Farm for a while, but she handled it beautifully. The race was in her keeping a long way out … she travelled good, the speed was nice just allowed her to relax and then really get to the line.

“Previously, we were sort of giving her five or six weeks between runs trying to find soft tracks. That is probably a mistake we made because she was getting away from us a bit. Now, other than today, her last two wins we backed her up two weeks … two weeks, and she is in great form.”

Jockey Robbie Fradd: “Lovely filly this. The last two times she won she probably wasn’t entitled to win. Last time I got caught out there three deep and she still put them away and that is when I said he has got a lot of upside … and she showed that today again.”
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The Bryan and Daniel Guy training partnership gained a thrilling victory, in a rousing three-way finish when Momentum To Win kept coming between the leader Mushairreb and the ever-game Mangione over the final 150m before putting his head down on the line to win by the narrowest of margins.

The six-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding has been thereabouts, but earned no cigar, in a number of recent runs but he certainly hit his straps here with the blinkers off and with the strong urging from Jim Byrne certainly helping his cause in a pressurised finish.

This win gave jockey Jim Byrne a double at the meeting. (He had won earlier in the day on Joymaker).

WINNER FEEDBACK (MOMENTUM TO WIN):

Bryan Guy (co-trainer): “In his last run he sat three or four deep for 1800m and at the furlong he was still running second. He ran sixth. He just got tired because he had covered ground. It wasn’t the fault of the jockey. He just had a real bad alley. This is the first time he has drawn a decent alley in his last three or four runs. The owners are from Hong Kong and after his last run I said to them I’ll bring him back again for another Saturday class race and I said I think, if we draw a barrier, we will be hard to beat … and it worked out that way. He did come down 2.5kg which helped him as well.”
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Luke Tarrant has had his challenges both on and off the track in recent years but one allegation that has never been levelled at him is that he can’t ride … because ride he can, and that talent played and integral part in bringing the Mark Currie trained Junction home in the Open Handicap over 1200m.

The outcome was in doubt until the last few strides where tucked his head low down behind Junctions mane and stretched his arms to the limit, pushing Junction across the line in first place.

Like She Za Boss earlier in the day, Junction completed a hat trick of wins here (and four wins from his last five starts) to improve his race record to seven wins and nine places from twenty-seven starts.

Junction was first-up here after a four-month spell. Watch for this one to get up over more ground as his previous two starts (when partnered by Matthew McGillivray who is still on the injury list) came in Benchmark events over 1600m and 1800m. Fitter for this run and a step up in distance, he could well make them pay again next time out.

WINNER FEEDBACK (JUNCTION):

Jockey Luke Tarrant: “I had a talk with Mark (Currie) on the phone this morning. He was confident of his chances. Obviously the horse is better suited to a bit more ground but he was confident the horse was in good order. He did mention he thought it was the best the horse has been this early in his prep so, I suppose, he was right on the money. As I was walking out I was thinking I would love to land in front but, the way it panned out, I ended up with a pretty little spot there and sucked intoi the turn … and he was the best horse in the end. It was real driving finish and I tell you what … my legs felt every bit of that.”
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Yet another last start winner got home here in the form of the Chris Munce trained Skate To Paris.

That previous win came at Eagle Farm over 1400m on the opening day of the season when she hit the line hard and she was particularly strong again this time, outrunning the chasing pack over the final 200m to ultimately open up a hard-earned but comfortable 1.80 length margin at the line.

Larry Cassidy, who continues to ride in outstanding form, judged the race to perfection and he had a willing partner in the Bradbury’s Luck mare who accelerated on cue when asked for her latest race winning effort.

Skate To Paris passed the $400 000 mark in stake earnings with this win compiled by six wins and thirteen places from thirty-three starts.

WINNER FEEDBACK (SKATE TO PARIS):

Trainer Chris Munce: “Larry (Cassidy) rode her really well. He couldn’t have given a better ride I thought. He had it pretty much all planned before he jumped. He said he’d get a good spot running fifth or sixth one off the fence … and it pretty much panned out that way. It’s always good when you leg Larry up and he tells you what he is going to do because it makes life easier for me. She was pretty dominant in the last furlong. Look, she raced at a mile early on as a three-year-old in stakes races and still performed quite well so it was good to see in this grade today.

“It makes it a little bit hard now what we do with her. Do we go back to the 1400m in a fortnight’s time or do we give her a let-up. Geez, I tell you she is in very good form which makes it hard to put her out, but we do have the Magic Millions in January in the back of our minds. The only one option for another run now and that is that 1400m race. That’s going to be a good race with Rothfire and The Candy Man. They’ll be there but she is in good form and should get in relatively well weighed against those sort of horses. Mares in form, you don’t really want to be putting them in the paddock. I’ll have to have a good sleep on it and then make a decision.”

Jockey Larry Cassidy: “It was a dominant win. I thought he was quite dominant last start. Some thought there was a bit of concern whether she would run the mile, but as a three-year-old she had run over a mile against good three-year-olds (she ran third in the Listed Princess Stakes fifth in the Gold Coast Bracelet). She has obviously matured now and she handled that very, very well. I thought it was very impressive.

“While she’s in form … these mares really do hold their form … but apparently in that possible next start she is going to run into Rothfire, which is probably not ideal. I’ll leave that up to Chris (Munce).
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It wouldn’t be a normal Metropolitan Saturday meeting if trainer Tony Gollan didn’t feature on the winners’ list … but the multi-premiership winning trainer had to wait until the very last stride of battle on the day to claim the win.
In truth though, Gollan was unusually light on representation at the meeting (he only contesting two races) and when he got the win with Pizonie in the last, he franked his presence by taking out the quinella (with Howwonderfullifeis).

Pizonie’s previous first-up form record (a win, two seconds and a third from four goes) suggested he would be right in this. Inside the last 200m there were a number of horses in contention, vying for the lead, but a cool and calm ride from Ryan Maloney saw Pizonie close ground from behind and sweep past his duelling rivals when it mattered most to score an inch perfect win.

Pizonie’s number has been in the frame in thirteen of his thirteen of his twenty starts … making this result a case of consistency rewarded.

WINNER FEEDBACK (PIZONIE):

Trainer Tony Gollan: “He used to be … and he still is … a quick horse out of the barrier. We always tried to take advantage of that but he ended up looking like a bit of a weak horse, I guess you could say, because he couldn’t finish his races off. Then, one day, he blundered at the start and ended up out the back … and he won.

“Now we don’t allow him to get up there. We try to swing off him and get him to relax and now he’s got a really great finish. I thought there would be a bit of pressure up front but we were lucky we were at Eagle farm because it took the whole length of the straight to get there but he got the job done. He loves the track and he loves 1000m.
I was sucked in when he was a younger horse I always wanted to go out over further with him, but he is real fresh horse and if we keep him to this trip he is a very good galloper. I was only here for races seven and nine. I was running out of bullets so I was glad we struck late."

Jockey Ryan Maloney: That was my first ride on the horse and, one thing about riding for Tony (Gollan), he knows his horses so well. He drummed it into me … make sure you have him travelling and he didn’t care if we were further back. It just makes your job so much easier … the way he knows his horses. His obviously got the key to this bloke now. He gave them a good start and held a strong gallop all the way to the line so, for me, it was a great end to a frustrating day.
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COMMENTS ABOUT THE RACING SURFACE:

Tony Gollan: “The track has improved out of sight. Ever since they put the rye through it, it has thickened right up and we raced on a much better surface. It hasn’t always been this way but this was top notch.”

Jim Byrne: “The tracks really good actually. Generally, it is a little bit firm and I’ve said that on many, many occasions, but they seem to have the grass a lot longer today so, I’ve got to say, the track pretty good. Joymaker (the first race winner) is a prefect example. She doesn’t normally let down on hard tracks and for her to let down like that shows the track is in pretty good shape.”

Larry Cassidy: “I want to say how well the curator’s done … and everybody working on the track. When the good weather comes and we start getting a lot of growth, that grass they have got growing through it … it might get back to the old Eagle farm which everybody has been waiting for … for a long time. All honours really to the people who have doing a really hard … and a good job … on this track.

Ryan Maloney: “The track is getting a lot better every meeting. It is really starting to get some growth into it and it is starting to feel more like a race-track and to come into its own. I think, in two months time, it is going to get better still so hopefully it is all thumbs up from here.”

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