EF NOV 21 - MY LIMIT DESTROYS OPPOSITION

By Graham Potter | Monday, November 23, 2009

Eagle Farm, November 21, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
1MW (Last year) Handicap - 1400m. Time: 1-21.74.
1 My Limit; 2 Tabulate; 3 Pay Me.

Trainer Robert Heathcote completed a double at the meeting when My Limit took no prisoners in the final race on the card. Heathcote had scored earlier in the day with Beartracker. The result also gave jockey Stathi Katsidis book-end winners at the meeting, the rider having kicked off the day with a splendid win on Fifteen Carat. No Limit was a pick-up rode for Katsidis, who replaced Larry Cassidy who had been stood down after being injured in an incident at the barriers in race five.

No Limit sat wide just worse than midfield as Attackango was tracked by Sneaky long at the head of affairs. Katsidis asked No Limit to make a big forward move out wide on the turn and the gelding emerged from the pack at the right time with the leaders firmly in his sights.

After their strong early effort, the leaders were in fact sitting ducks if No Limit was good enough - and boy was he good enough. The grey stretched out in winning fashion and raced away unchallenged to land a strong victory.

As if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, there was an added bonus for the Heathcote stable when their other runner Tabulate ranged up to snare second place. Tabulate had gone through his gears in the home straight to move from third last, well back on the turn, to finish in second placing.

There was nothing spectacular about Tabulate’s effort, but it was still a very pleasing performance. He just switched out across heels, found his own space and turned in a thoroughly workmanlike effort for which he was rewarded with a runner-up slot to complete the stable quinella.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “My Limit ... I’ve always had a big opinion of him. I think he is the best horse in my stable and that is a big call.

“I’ve loved him from day one. He had a bleed, which came as the biggest shock I’ve had. We’ve had to sort of nurse him a bit since then. I think last start he was a bit unlucky when young Speers was on him. He ran up bums ... no fault of Mitchell’s.

“He is a proven quality miler-plus horse, yet he can still do that over 1400m. It’s why I’ve got such an opinion of him.

“Look, if I can keep him sound ... you know trainers always talk up big when they’ve had a win ... but I believe if I can keep him sound, he is a Doomben Cup horse, this bloke. I really do think he is that good."

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “Yeah, I just had a look through the form when I picked up the ride. He seemed to be a little bit unlucky last start in a very slow run race.

“Today, with the speed on, I just forced him to be a little bit closer as Rob Heathcote asked me to which were quite good instructions. He was just bolting in the run. I popped out at the three to sort of make certain I had a clear run.

“He actually took off, so I just sat against him as hard as I could until the 200 and he did the rest. He felt so good underneath me. I’m always one to sit back for as long as I can, but he did that under his own steam and I was sitting against him as strong as I could, so it was a marvellous effort.

“As Rob just said, he’ll be winning more races. He ran a sensational time there.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (My Limit): 7.50 out to 8.00.
Favourite (Intertheblack): 3.00 out to 3.40 in to 3.20. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Intertheblack (M. Speers) jumped away awkwardly. Altaica (J. Wood) jumped awkwardly and was tightened shortly after the start between Attackengo (C. McIver), which shifted in after being bumped by Intertheblack, and Life’s Short (J. Taylor), which shifted out.

Foolish (B. Stewart) was held up when unable to improve in the home straight until after passing the 200m where it shifted to the inside of Sneaky Long (L. Rolls) to improve. Intertheblack laid in when placed under pressure over the final 300m.

Stewards sought an explanation from A. Pattillo as to the reasons for him retiring Ferocious from the event passing the 400m. A. Pattillo explained that at that stage of the race he became concerned with the action of Ferocious and took the decision to retire the horse from the event.

A post-race veterinary examination of Ferocious revealed the horse to be lame in the off-foreleg. Connections were advised that they would be required to provide a veterinary certificate of fitness before the horse's next start.