SCST OCT 18 - STARSPANGLEDBANNER’S HALF-SISTER WINS AT COLOUNDRA

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Sunshine Coast, October 18, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 8m.
Class 1 Handicap - 1000m. Time: 57.30.
1 Tinkling; 2 Running Fox; 3 Trail Of Secrets.

The well-related Tinkling, who is an older half-sister to the recent Group 1 winner Starspangledbanner, scored the second win of her career at Coloundra on Sunday.

The mare resumed racing a month ago after a seven month spell. She was not far off the action in her first two starts this prep, but she also was not close enough to serious threaten the result. Hall tweaked the gear set-up (the Nose-Roll went on for the first time) in an attempt to get the four-year-old to settle better than she had been doing, and that seemed to do the trick as Tinkling put in all the way to the line this time to score by 1.30 lengths from Running Fox at double figure odds.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Troy Hall: “Yeah, we’ve been playing around with her gear because she goes hard. We put the nose-band on and she relaxed beautiful out of the gates and that was the difference. She’s a half-sister to Starspangledbanner*, so she’d want to be winning at Coloundra.

“That’s why we persevered. Just tried to get her to settle and today she had done everything right. So Kelvin (Wharton) said she’d get further now that she’s learnt to relax, you know. It’s terrific for Kelvin as well. That’s his first winner back (from injury), I think.

“Kelvin said we’d get her out to six (1200m) anyhow. Hopefully she can get further down the track. She’s going good. She’s a nice filly and now that she’s learnt to settle, we are a hope.

*Gold Anthem is the mother of both Tinkling and the year younger Starspangledbanner who won the Group 1, Caulfield Guineas last weekend. Starspangledbanner, who sire is Choisir, has won four out of five starts this prep. His victories include that Group 1 win (over 1600m) as well as a Group 3 win (over 1200m) and a Listed race success (over 1100m). Overall, Starspangledbanner is a five-time winner from nine starts with stake earnings of $959,825.

Jockey Kelvin Wharton: “Actually it’s my second winner since I came back. I went to Gympie for only one ride to start off. (Trainer) Michael Lakey phoned me up and said it was just a sit and steer job. So I took it around. Luckily his apprentice ... she got off it and let me ride it. It was just a sit and steer job. It was easy.” (The horse was Fastpeony who won by 3.50 lengths at a starting price of $2.10)

“I fell here (at the Sunshine Coast) in mid-January. I suffered three fractured vetebraes, so, I was off for quite a while. Yeah, it wasn’t too hard getting back. I kinda got to about 58kg ... 59kg. I maintained things so I didn’t get too heavy. But I have done it pretty hard to get it down right. I’ve been riding plenty of work and that. You know, things are only going to get better and better.

“I came back to work-riding about a month ago ... so it has been pushed along a bit. You can ride all of the work in the world, but you still need race-fitness don’t you? It is the only way you going to get fully fit.

“Today she (Tinkling) was never going to get beat really. She just has a cruisie run and was travelling the whole way. It just needed to open for her and it opened up ... yeah, she was never going to get beat.”

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The start was delayed when Falzina (C. Reith) became fractious in the barriers and as a result Running Fox (J. Byrne) also became fractious in the barriers, necessitating both horses being removed from the barriers and examined by the veterinary surgeon. Falzina and Running Fox were cleared to start.

Windsong (A. Pattillo) began very awkwardly and shifted out, resulting in A. Pattillo's hip contacting the outside barrier gate. Windsong continued to shift out, making contact with Trail Of Secrets (J. Holder). As a result, A. Pattillo was put at a distinct disadvantage for the remainder of the event. Following the running of this race, A. Pattillo was examined by the club's doctor and stood down from his remaining engagement in race 8 on Sherbrook and was replaced by L. Appo.

Tiermes (S. Holcombe) was slow to begin. Hay Baby (J. Letherby) began awkwardly. Pandemonia (C. McIver) hung in when placed under pressure in the home straight. Pandemonia, Delago Pilli (S. Katsidis), Volant Cheval (L. Appo) and Sky Blond (M. Hellyer) raced wide for the majority of the event.

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