DOOM DEC 09 - BULLION BAY IN BREAKTHROUGH WIN

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Friday, December 11, 2009

Doomben, December 9, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 11m.
F&M Maiden Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-10.41.
1 Bullion Bay; 2 Academic Queen; 3 Kidding.

From leaving the barriers to crossing the finishing line, this was a race in two between Bullion Bay and Academic Queen.

Academic Queen jumped into an immediate lead and set the tempo with Bullion Bay racing 0,75 lengths back on the outside of the leader. Academic Queen settled into an easy rhythm while Bullion Bay chose to pull and fight the rider down the back straight. Bullion Bay eventually settled in the sweep to the turn and, on straightening, apprentice jockey Chris McIver pushed the mare up to eyeball Academic Queen.

These two runners matched motors for the length of the straight and it was only in the concluding stages that McIver managed to edge Bullion Bay away from her rival to score by a long-head.

This was Bullion bay’s first win in seven attempts. She has yet to finish out of the first four places.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Gerald Ryan: “She’s got a heap of ability, but she doesn’t show her true ability. I think the two kilos helped today.

“She is a well bred filly. She is an expensive filly. She cost $300,000 at the Easter sales. After that she had seven months out ... just after the sales she put her leg through a fence and stripped it down to the bone, from her hock to her fetlock joint. So she wasn’t tried much until this time last year as a three-year old. I couldn’t sell her because she had a big scar on her leg. That’s why I still own three quarters of her.

“She’s never finished further back than fourth, you know. I am just going to keep taking her around and try to win a couple of races and then breed from her.

“I’m just up here for a couple days (from Sydney) to have a look at the two-year olds and the unraced three-year olds up there at Murwillumbah... to see where they are at, whether they are ready to come to Sydney or if they’re stay up here. You’ve got to keep your eye in.”

Chris McIver: “It went good. The trainer wanted to lead on it and from the start there was no way I was going to lead without going hard, so I sat off it. It just wanted to over-race a little bit at the start and it got about a neck to half-a-length off it and it started to settle and came back to me nice. It had heaps down the straight and I just had to give it a little niggle towards the end.

“It had heaps left in the tank, but is just a little bit immature. A few more races will make a big difference.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Bullion Bay): 1.90 out to 2.00 in to 1.90.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Kidding (M. Cahill) was slow to begin. When the pace slowed near the 800m, Bullion Bay (C. McIver) commenced to over-race and when being restrained got its head up and raced ungenerously for a short distance. At the same stage, Fiesta Gal (A. Pattillo) commenced to race fiercely at the heels of La Chance Finale (A. Spinks), and when being restrained shifted out and was then obliged to race three wide for the remainder of the event.

A post-race veterinary examination of Abode failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.

Ryan