SCST NOV 08 - PRINCE TELESTO SIMPLY TOO STRONG

By Graham Potter | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Sunshine Coast, November 8, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail out 10m.
Class 4 Handicap - 1800m. Time: 1-52.01.
1 Prince Telesto; 2 Aurtobe; 3 Staralie.

Trainer Robert Bradshaw is currently enjoying a strong run of results and Prince Telesto became his third winner of the weekend when he landed a trade-mark end to end victory.

Jockey Jim Byrne rated the four-year-old superbly. There was no breakaway tactics, just a measured tempo which had Gee Whiz, who raced in second place, one out, one back, and Aurtobe, who raced in the box seat, well within range of the leader as they approached the turn.

Gee Whiz was quickly under pressure on straightening and that left Aurtobe, who shared favouritism with the Bradshaw runner, as the only danger to Prince Telesto. For a moment it looked as if Aurtobe had the legs to make it a contest, but when Prince Telesto kicked again halfway up the straight Aurtobe was left scrambling.

Prince Telesto never faltered at any stage going to the line and he scored his fourth career win by a clear-cut 1.80 length margin.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Bradshaw: “I was pretty crook yesterday (when the stable had winners at Doomben and the Gold Coast). I got up and did the horses. I was back in bed at nine o’clock. I didn’t get up until three o’clock. I got up and up and did the horses and then I was back in bed early. So it’s good to be back on my feet today.

“Look, Jimmy (Byrne) ... I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He is a very good judge of pace and he just knows this horse. You know, when he jumps and just lets the horse run along, he just goes fast enough that nothing can tax him, but also fast enough so there is still a bit left in the finish.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “Yeah, every-time I’ve ridden him I’ve won on him.” The jockey / horse combination extended their winning sequence to three.

“He is the sort of horse ... you can’t really hold him up too much. You have just got to rate him at a quick tempo. He is the sort of horse that if you try and rate him and think he’s going to run you home in a sub-35, he just can’t do that. He’ll run home in 35 ... no problem ... but, if you expect him to run home under that, as a general rule, he can’t do it. I’ve got to say that the horse is improving. He is a very fit horse.

“The plan today was ... with the distance being 1800m and not 2000m or 2100m or something like that ... the plan was to still ride him in a similar pattern. Even though it was 1800m, the plan was to make it a hard 1800m ... to go out there and make sure that by the time they hit the half-mile to start bringing them off the bit and to make sure that they are out there starting to chase because he’s still travelling. Basically that’s the way I ride the horse.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Prince Telesto): 2.80 out to 3.50. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Aurtobe): 3.00 out to 3.50. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Our Heart (D. Browne) began awkwardly and lost ground. Gee Whiz (G. Geran) had a tendency to over-race in the middle stages. Gee Whiz laid in rounding the home turn. Gee Whiz then continued to lay in under pressure in the home straight.