EF NOV 21 - BLACK PRINCE RULES OK

By Graham Potter | Sunday, November 22, 2009

Eagle Farm, November 21, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Quality Stakes Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-09.15.
1 Black Prince; 2 Eire Of Magic; 3 Bold Glance.

This was one that got away from many punters. A Joseph Pride runner - Black Prince - sent up from Sydney on a one race mission aimed at taking $64000 first prize in the $100000 Quality feature race on the card. Arrive Thursday ... run and win on Saturday ... then head straight home with the cash. Throw in a double figure starting price and the smile of those who took the hint just got bigger. It was a good old-fashioned smash and grab!

The draw (16 out of 17) was one reason for punters to back off, but when jockey Jim Byrne speared the gelding around him field and into the lead without any fuss, the signal was clear. Black Prince had gained an advantage which he had no intention of relinquishing. It was game on.

Black Prince led Daunting Lad, Bold Glance and Frosty to the turn. The runners on the heels of the front-runner seemed to be lining up to take their shot at him but Byrne, who is currently riding at the top of his game, had measured Black Prince’s early gallop to perfection and he was ready to repel all challengers in the home straight.

Daunting Lad was the first to falter. Frosty flattered and kept fighting, but could not finish off. Bold Glance was not that easy to dismiss though. Jockey Kristy Banks pushed the gelding up to threaten Black Prince. It was a determined effort by a very honest horse, but the harder Bold Glance tried the more Black Prince responded and he held Bold Glance, albeit narrowly, all the way up the straight.

A late challenge by Eire Of Magic added spice to finish. The David Kelly trained runner, who had been well back on the turn, finished best of all chasing up along the inside on the worst part of the track to fly up late and get within a long-head of surprising Black Prince. Bold Glance finished another long-head back in third spot.

It was a big effort by all of the place-getters in a highly competitive contest, as emphasised by the fact that another four runners, Ghetto Blaster, Frosty, The Jackal and Youthful Jack all finished less than 1.50 lengths behind the winner.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Jim Byrne: “Look, I had a good talk to the trainer this morning about him. He is the sort of horse that has always been better performed over the 1100 sort of scenario. With that bit of an awkward draw I didn’t really want to fire him up too much because I wanted him to come back underneath me, you know, and to make sure his best sectionals were the last two.

“To be honest, we only did about 13 for the first furlong, so I got a pretty easy first furlong. I didn’t really rev him out of the machines. For the first 100m I really didn’t do too much. It was only in the second 100m ... you know, coming into the 1000mmark ... that I put my foot on the pedal and asked him to go forward. Coming past the 900 ... between the 900 and the 600m ... that was a section where I got away with another easy gallop, which meant he was able to sprint to the line nicely.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Black Prince): 9.00 out to 10.00.
Favourite (Youthful Jack): 3.80 out to 4.00 in to 3.00. Finished seventh.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Rockdale (L. Rolls) jumped away awkwardly, shifted out and made heavy contact with Mr Hornblower (A. Spinks).

Upilio (C. Whiteley) raced ungenerously in the early stages and after passing the 1000m shifted out across the heels of The Jackal (R. Thompson) and had to be checked.

After passing the 1000m Express Air (S. Katsidis) commenced to over-race and then had to be eased to avoid the heels of Rockdale which shifted in slightly. Mr Hornblower, which was following, had to be steadied as a consequence. Express Air then shifted in slightly, resulting in Dalzar (K. Wharton) being tightened for room. Regal Castanea (A. Pattillo), which was following, had to be eased to avoid the heels of Dalzar. Express Air over-raced for some distance after this incident.

C. Reith, the rider of Tellasecret, was issued with a charge of careless riding, the careless riding being that he failed to take sufficient measures to prevent his mount shifting in near the 1000m resulting in Ghetto Blaster (B. Stewart) having to be checked when tightened for room between Rockdale (L. Rolls) and Tellasecret. After hearing further submissions, stewards found that whilst Tellasecret had tightened the running of Ghetto Blaster resulting in that horse racing in restricted room between Tellasecret and Rockdale, they were satisfied that Daunting Lad (J. Holder), at a crucial stage, had dictated the line of Tellasecret which contributed to the tightening to Ghetto Blaster. In the circumstances stewards issued reprimands to both C. Reith and J. Holder.

Tellasecret (C. Reith) raced extremely wide without cover throughout. Ghetto Blaster shifted out under pressure over the final 300m.

G. Colless reported that Youthful Jack travelled comfortably throughout the race and travelled strongly to the home turn where he shifted the horse wider on the track and placed it under pressure. G. Colless added that from that point on Youthful Jack only finished the race off fairly and in his opinion is better suited on a rain-affected track.

A post-race veterinary examination of Youthful Jack revealed that the horse had lost its off-fore plate in running and was sore in the near-fore foot. Trainer A. Denham's stable representative was advised that a veterinary certificate of fitness must be provided prior to the horse racing again.

A post-race veterinary examination of Express Air revealed it had sustained a small laceration to the outside of the near fore cannon.