EF NOV 28 - DECEPTION BAY COMES OUT FIRING

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Eagle Farm, November 28, 2009.
Track - Good 2. Rail - out 2.5m.
Class 6 Handicap - 1400m. Time: 1-22.43
1 Deception Bay; 2 Woorim; 3 I’m Ruthless.

The Bruce Brown trained Deception Bay resumed full of fight after a three month spell to claim his seventh career win in determined fashion.

Apprentice jockey Mitchell Speers positioned the gelding in fifth place on the rail early. Deception Bay went back to sixth, hard-held and pulling on the heels of the third placed Call To Order approaching the turn and it was only when Call To Order shifted out on straightening that Deception Bay was able to dash forward and he quickly made up ground to move into contention.

Deception Bay raced down the inside to join issue with the front-running Punch Up. The latter fought on until just inside the final 100m where he began to feel the pinch at which stage and Deception Bay surged past him looking every inch as if he would run out a comfortable winner.

That comfort zone started shrinking though as Woorim and I’m Ruthless closed up late, but Deception Bay had those challenges covered well enough to score 0,50 lengths.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bruce Brown: “I thought he’d win. He beat Zero Rock in a jump out at Doomben last Tuesday week. First time Zero Rock has ever been beaten in a grass jump out. He is 15kgs lighter than he has ever been. He’s just been absolutely swimming, swimming, swimming and more swimming.

“I swim him eight laps around the pool and the staff just shake their head because most people only swim three laps. I swim him eight in the morning, eight in the afternoon ... that’s sixteen laps. He is 15kgs lighter than he has been. He was just too heavy. He was around 560kgs. He’s down to 545.

“I took him down to Sydney as a two-year old and I thought he was going to be exceptional. The first start he got severely interfered with, but the next time he actually went through and bumped the running rail.

“He came back okay, but he must have had a little hairline fracture in his sesamoid. We gave him a few runs ... he won a couple then we put him out for twelve months.

“I am just going to aim for the Magic Millions Mile. Then he is going to have a nice spell again and then get back for the winter. We are very confident with him.”

Jockey Mitchell Speers: “Yeah, it was always a bit of a worry, 1400m first up, but he has had a couple of jump outs, so had done enough. The runs came and he was just too good for them today.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Deception Bay): 12.00 steady.
Favourite (Woorim): 2.50 out to 2.90. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Thorondo was declared a late scratching by order of the stewards on veterinary advice at 12.42 p.m. when the Club's veterinary surgeon reported that it was sore in the off-fore fetlock.

La Bella Luisa (J. Bowditch) raced wide throughout. In the early part of the straight Somewhere Safer (M. Hellyer) had difficulty obtaining clear running between Beautiful Moon (B. Stewart) and Call To Order (J. Taylor).

At about the 500m Raincoat (Matthew Palmer) became unbalanced and lost its position when crowded for room between Jazz Heart (L. Rolls) and How Brave (S. Seamer), which was taken out slightly by Woorim (L. Cassidy) which shifted a little ground to avoid the heels of I’m Ruthless (D. Browne). In the opinion of the stewards it was not possible to attribute responsibility to any one rider and therefore no direct action was taken, however those involved were advised to exercise care at all times.

The Club's veterinary surgeon reported that It’s Wunderbar (C. Reith) strained its off-fore flexor tendon. J. Vaughan, trainer of It’s Wunderbar, was told that before the horse would be allowed to race again a veterinary certificate indicating suitability to race will have to be produced.