TRAINER STEPHEN MASSINGHAM TAMES TOWNSVILLE WITH AN IMPRESSIVE RACE-TO-RACE TREBLE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, May 27, 2021

Cairns based trainer Stephen Massingham landed a race-to-race treble at Townsville on Thursday to take out the day’s training honours in style.

Massingham’s number of winners was only surpassed on the day by the Hedley / McDonald ownership group who went home with four winners after trainer Roy Chillemi also added a winner in the well-known orange and yellow H racing silks.
______________________________________________________________________

Massingham kicked off his three-race domination with the five-year-old gelding Battle Cry who saluted as the second favourite ($3.30) under apprentice Marnu Potgieter.

The son of All Too Hard came into the race third-up. He had showed progressive improvement from his first-up run (when 5.50 lengths back over 950m, a distance well short of his best) to his second up run where he again finished unplaced over 1000m, but only 0.20 lengths behind the useful Ahwahneechee who, at that time, was completing a hat-trick of wins.

Prior to a significant nine-month layoff, Battle Cry had also won three in a row at the end of his previous preparation. Those wins came over 1200m, 1250m and 1400m.

Back over the 1200m in this latest run, Battle Cry jumped well, landing in second spot but Potgieter was happy to let the speed outside him go as he settled Battle Cry into a comfortable fifth placing. Battle cry held his position until the home turn where Potgieter switched the gelding out four wide on straightening, from where he steadily went through his gears.

With 150m left to run Battle Cry still had to get past Danawi ($6.50) and Monsieur Macron ($2.50) but he did just that to score under a finely judged ride from Potgieter.

Battle Cry has now won four out of his eight starts since joining the Massingham stable.
____________________________________________________________________

Full Recognition (the $2.70 favourite) provided the middle leg of the Massingham treble.

In doing so Full Recognition matched Battle Cry’s winning strike rate for the Massingham stable when he landed his fifth win from ten starts since transferring to the Massingham yard.

Again like Battle Cry, Full Recognition had ended his previous preparation on a high note, winning four out of his last five starts last preparation … before a seven month break … and he has also taken three runs since resuming to get back into the winner’s enclosure.

Talk about riding a horse cold.

Jockey Chris Whiteley took Full Recognition back to a clear last from the worst of the draw and he spotted the tearaway leader Perfect Knowledge ($19) some six to seven lengths in the early part.

Coming through the home turn Whiteley angled Full Recognition out wider on the track … very wide in fact and still some five lengths in arrears on straightening … but clear air was all the five-year-old son of Smart Missile needed to set up his charge to victory and, with a clear path to the line, Whiteley asked Full Recognition to lengthen his stride which he did with meaning.

Again, like Battle Cry, Full Recognition was given an inch perfect ride finishing over the top of all of the leaders to claim an emphatic win.
_____________________________________________________________________

Brilliant Mind ($3.90) completed a perfect three race, hour-and-a-half period for the Massingham stable with Marnu Potgieter again doing the honours in the saddle.

And, yes you’ve guessed it, Brilliant Mind, like the two Massingham winners before him, took his strike-rate for the stable to fifty percent having won five out of ten since joining the yard.

That means that the three Massingham winners on the day have now won fourteen of their twenty-eight starts for the stable … impressive statistics indeed.

Brilliant Mind sat in fifth place tracking the speed in the first half of the race, but gradually edged closer approaching the home turn to be perfectly poised to strike on straightening.

The five-year-old son of So You Think quickened nicely enough when asked to do so, but he still had work to do in what became a battle on two fronts. Firstly, he had to reel in the leader Forgiato ($16) and, once he had done that, Brilliant Mind then had to see off the flying challenge of Mystery ‘N’ Magic, who threatened to snatch the result away from Brilliant Mind.

In the end, Brilliant Mind was up to the task and another win was safely in the bank.
____________________________________________________________________

Trainer Roy Chillemi might have had to settle for second place with Mystery ‘N’ Magic … behind Brilliant Mind … but he had already played a part in the Hedley, McDonald ownership four-timer earlier in the day.

Chillemi saddled two winners for the successful ownership group in the third race on the card and he duly ran the quinella with Palencia ($1.65 – ridden by Graham Kliese) and Boomed ($10 – ridden by Chris Whiteley).

Palencia, a Spirit Of Boom gelding, is unbeaten in two starts.
____________________________________________________________________

Graham Kliese shared the days riding honours with Marnu Potgieter.

Apart from winning on Palencia, Kliese was also successful aboard the Jeffrey Caught trained Up The River ($2.50).
____________________________________________________________________

The Kelly Sheargold trained Light Field ($2.50) recorded the biggest winning margin of the day coming home by 3.50 lengths under Scott Sheargold.

The Deep Field chestnut was shedding his Maiden ticket at his twelfth attempt earning a just reward after scoring three consecutive runner-up finishes prior to this victory.
_____________________________________________________________________

The Rodney Miller trained Lily Of The Glen ($11) was one of two double-figure priced winners on the day.

The three-year-old daughter of Better Than Ready has now won three starts in a row and is unbeaten since joining the Miller stable … and jockey Bonnie Thompson has been in the saddle on each of those occasions.
______________________________________________________________________

Emma Bell was the other apprentice, apart from Marnu Potgieter, to get on the scoreboard with a win on Loud Noise ($18) in the last race.

The 3kg claimer made the most of her allowance on a pick-up ride as she positioned the Trevor Rowe trained gelding in clear second place behind Just a Love Song ($4.80) before shifting out marginally to challenge the leader in the run home.

It did take virtually the whole length of the straight for Loud Noise to hit the front, but it was a measured ride by Bell and Loud Noise ultimately had just under a length in hand at the line.

The $18 starting price meant Loud Noise, who is unbeaten in two starts since transferring to the Trevor Rowe stable, came back as the longest priced winner on the day.
_____________________________________________________________________

Another 3kg claiming apprentice Krysten Swaffer was due to ride Loud Noise, but the young rider was stood down for the rest of the meeting after taking a heavy fall from Our Alicia’s Lane approaching the 100m in the sixth race.
_____________________________________________________________________

Six favourites won over the eight-race card … Palencia, at $1.65, being the shortest priced winner, so the followers of the main fancies had a good day.

More articles