DOOM NOV 07 - ONALAR SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Doomben, November 7, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 4m.
Open Handicap - 2220m. Time: 2-16.01.
1 Onalar; 2 Roy's Legacy; 3 Beartracker.

The Darryl Hansen trained Onalar set the record straight here after finishing rider-less in his last outing. Prior to that unfortunate episode Onalar had come back a winner in his penultimate start at Eagle Farm and he resumed his winning ways under a competent ride from jockey Christian Reith who has ridden the seven-year-old in each of his last three engagements.

Reith kept the gelding back in fifth then fourth place on the rail as Drumshanbo stretched the field out down the back straight. Onalar moved into third spot behind Drumshambo and Roy’s Legacy on straightening and Reith wasted little time in setting out after the two leaders who had now joined issue at the head of affairs.

By the 200m Roy’s Legacy had become the target as Drumshanbo began to weaken. By the 100m Onalar was up alongside Roy’s Legacy. Within a couple of strides Onalar had gained a slight advantage, but Roy’s Legacy wasn’t finished yet. The eight-year-old was all heart as he tried to come back, but Reith and Onalar were not going to be disappointed again as Onalar stuck to his task to come out on top by a half-head margin.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Darryl Hansen: “It was a bit of bad luck last start, but it makes up for it today for sure. It was a big effort by the horse, you know. That’s thirteen runs in today and to keep racing the way he is ... it was a great performance. The horse has held up well.

“Last time (when Christian Reith was dislodged at the top of the straight) it was just a racing mishap. That happens. You just put up with it ... cop it on the chin and we moved to the next fortnight and it all came well today. It was a beautiful run ... got the run of the race ... great ride Christian. We’ve lined up the Barnes Handicap, so we’ll probably press forward to that now.”

Jockey Christian Reith: “He can be an old bugger. He is a much better horse when he finds the fence. The other day I kept him one off and he just was never happy.

“Today we put him on the fence. He tracked up beautifully and kicked on well. It wasn’t a fast tempo, but it was an even tempo. It wasn’t a stop start race, which helped us. It allowed us to track up when we wanted to and, you know, we were good enough on the day.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Onalar): 6.00 out to 7.00.
Favourite (Drumshanbo): 3.30 out to 3.70. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
B. Pengelly, rider of Pay Me, was fined $200 for attempting to weigh out without his safety vest. When assessing penalty, stewards were satisfied that B. Pengelly's negligence was not to obtain a weight advantage as Pay Me was weighted at 56.5 kgs.

Singing Sovereign (J. Taylor) was tightened for room on jumping away between Leonardo (M. Speers) and Onalar (C. Reith), which jumped outwards.

Near the winning post on the first occasion, Leonardo (M. Speers), which was inclined to pull hard, had to be steadied off the heels of Yield Curve (B. El-Issa).

A post-race veterinary examination of Leonardo revealed the horse to have ruptured its near-fore flexor tendons.

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