DOOM DEC 05 - SWISS ROSE CUTS THEM DOWN

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Doomben, December 5, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
3yo Fillies Stakes (Listed - Set Weights) - 1200m. Time: 1-09.30.
1 Swiss Rose; 2 Madeittothemoon; 3 Moama.

The Gillian Heinrich trained Swiss Rose produced the goods to claim a rousing victory when getting up in the final stride to snare Madeittothemoon in the shadow of the post.

The lightly raced filly raced worse than midfield in the early part and she was still well back when turning for home. Early in the straight traffic problems seemed to have settled her fate as a she was confronted by a wall of horses with no clear route available, but jockey Brad Stewart was not about to throw in the towel.

Instead of over-reacting to his apparent lack of options, Stewart waited it out, keeping Swiss Rose on more-or-less a straight course until he got the break he needed at the 180m.

Madeittothemoon, who was racing just ahead and to the outside of Swiss Rose, began to extend her stride and started to make up ground rapidly. Stewart asked Swiss Rose to follow Madeittothemoon forward. A marginal shift out then put Swiss Ace on the outside of Madeittothemoon and into clear running. This duo was now starting to fly and they were the main dangers to Moama who had relieved the early tearaway front-runner Redibis of the lead inside the final 100m.

Jockey Peter Robl on Madeittothemoon would have thought he had got it just right as he pounced on Moama with 10m left to run, but his call was trumped by Stewart and Swiss Rose who jumped up out of the ground, arriving with a flourish to score a last-gasp victory.

Stewart and Swiss Rose were in complete harmony in that final chase to the line. Both wanted to win. Neither left anything behind. They gave their all and earned a well-deserved success.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Gillian Heinrich: “I wasn’t quite sure if she got up for a moment ... but she did and it’s great.

“Bradley (Stewart) rode her early on in the piece and she showed a lot of promise in the early days. Then she sort of went off the boil a little bit. They were riding her a bit handy and she was a bit disappointing.

“I said to Brad, we put the blinkers on because she has been running away from other horses. I said we should try to get her back a little bit like we use to ride her as a younger horse ... get her back midfield or a bit worse ... instead of being up in the first three or four and it paid off today. Brad rode here treat.

“The pace was always going to help, yeah. When they run along like that and you’re sitting in behind then it is always good. She’s been up a while. She’ll probably go to the paddock now.”

Jockey Brad Stewart: “Gillian (Heinrich) said to ride here and give her a bit of a chance early. She always travelled well. I was strung up in traffic just after straightening. It was only sort of well inside the 200 when I got clear ... but, yeah, she mowed them down when she did. Yeah, I did think I’d won it.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Swiss Rose): 9.00 out to 10.00.
Favourite (Moama): 6.50 in to 5.00. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Near the 300m, Emma’s Heart (S. Katsidis) had to be checked when attempting a run where there was doubtful room between Melrina Miss (K. Wharton) and Sequaboomwa (C. Reith).

M. Cahill, rider of Alberton Park, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding, in that near the 250m, after shifting out making contact with Zerotami (P. Hammersley), he again shifted out, making contact with Sequaboomwa (C. Reith), resulting in Sequaboomwa being severely crowded and taken out on to Melrina Miss (K. Wharton), resulting in Sequaboomwa and Melrina Miss becoming unbalanced. M. Cahill was suspended from riding in races for a period covered by 5 meetings, to commence at midnight, 10 December and to expire at midnight, 18 December 2009. In assessing penalty, stewards took into account M. Cahill's good record and mitigating circumstances.

Snap Hook (J. Holder) was held up and unable to improve rounding the home turn and until a point approaching the 200m. Swiss Rose (B. Stewart) had difficulty obtaining clear running in the straight until leaving the 200m.

Near the 150m, Melrina Miss and Sequaboomwa had to be checked when tightened for room between Our Moscato (L. Rolls), which shifted in, and Alberton Park, which was taken out by Zerotami (P. Hammersley). A short distance later, Alberton Park and Our Moscato made heavy contact. L. Rolls, rider of Our Moscato, was reprimanded advised to exercise more care in similar circumstances.

Approaching the finish line, Lady Selene (J. Bowditch) had to be steadied when tightened for room between Femina Fashion (L. Cassidy) and Moama (S. Seamer), which shifted out slightly under pressure.