EF OCT 10 - PAY ME EARNS WINNING DIVIDEND

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

Eagle Farm, October 10, 2009.
Open Handicap (1MW) - 1400m. Time: 1-23.02.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 1m.
1 Pay Me; 2 Eddie Rapido; 3 Foolish.

It was a bitter-sweet day for trainer Tracy Green when Pay Me scored a fighting, first-up win. It was the eight-year-old’s first run since the passing of his co-owner Wayne Hall and it was understandably an emotional victory for the stable.

Jockey Christian Reith, who picked up the ride following the injury to Glen Colless one race earlier, confidently allowed Pay Me to lope along at the rear of the field early. There was good speed up front where Striking Victory and Messiah fired each other up at the head of affairs.

These leaders could not go on with it in the straight though and German Chocolate forged to the lead at the 250m with Foolish and Eddie Rapido, who were racing tightly together, in hot pursuit. At this stage Pay Me was still out of his ground, some four to five lengths off the action.

German Chocolate only had a short sprint though and other contenders were about to stake their claim. The luckless Eddie Rapido, who had finished second in three out of his last four starts, was held up for a run between Albert Cadabra and Foolish. He tried to move Foolish out of the way, but, not surprisingly, he found the big horse to be an immovable object, so he went back to the inside.

So it was that Eddie Rapido and Foolish loomed up on other side of German Chocolate, who quickly was swallowed up by the pressure they exerted and when Pay Me ranged up from behind to join the battle it became a tight three-horse contest. Over the last 50m it looked like it might be a head-bobber between Eddie Rapido and Foolish but Pay Me lifted late to snare both his rivals and score a last stride victory.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tracy Green: “Yeah he has been going great. His owner died a couple months ago, so it is a bit teary today. This is the first time I have started him 1400 first up, so it is really good ... happy with him. Nah, I thought he would win. He’s been going just great. He had a jump out a couple weeks ago and he blew them away in that so I knew he was back.”

Jockey Christian Reith: “He’s a tough old horse, you know. He’s a horse that likes a bit of galloping room. Once he got it I was always confident that he was going to pick those other horses up.

“I was always confident. The pace was on beautifully for him. He’s always a horse that likes a bit of pace. Coming to the home corner I had a beautiful run behind Brad Stewart (on Foolish) when he went forward. We just got a nice run through.

“It was a bit of good fortune picking up the ride. The horse really races well fresh and the longer he goes in his campaign the better he goes, so I think he’ll have a good campaign this time.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Pay Me): 5.00 out to 5.50.
Favourite (Eddie Rapido): 3.70 out to 4.00 in to 3.90. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
German Chocolate, which was kicked after arriving at the barriers, was examined by the Club's veterinary surgeon and passed fit to start. Eddie Rapido (J. Taylor) and Pay Me (C. Reith) were both slow to begin.

Rounding the home turn in the early stages of the straight Eddie Rapido was held up and unable to improve. Eddie Rapido then attempted a run to the outside of German Chocolate (App L. Rolls) however, was disappointed for that run due to Foolish (B. Stewart) maintaining its position to the outside of the heels of German Chocolate. Eddie Rapido was then obliged to shift in to obtain clear running. Devastating (J. Byrne) was held up on the heels of the tiring Striking Victory (S. Katsidis) from entering the home straight up until inside the 200m.

A post race veterinary examination of Albert Cadabra (App M. Hellyer) revealed the gelding to be sore in the near-hind leg. Trainer's representative Miss L. Ryan was advised that a veterinary clearance would be required before the horse races again. A post race veterinary examination of My Limit (L. Cassidy) failed to reveal any abnormalities.