DOOM DEC 09 - NOTRE AMOUR REVS HER ENGINE

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

Doomben, December 9, 2009.
Track - Good 2. Rail - out 11m.
F&M Class 3 Handicap - 1350m. Time: 1-18.96
1 Notre Amour; 2 Frangelico; 3 Shotime.

There was a time when Notre Amour was her own worst enemy. Her well documented bad manners at the barriers cost her plenty at one stage, but this time in she has started to show what she can do if her energy and focus is directed in the right direction.

It’s been a long time between drinks for the mare’s connections. Her previous win came as far back as the end of January, but the ten month wait was worth it as Notre Amour took care of business here in a manner which suggests that further future success should not be that far away.

Jockey Michael Cahill kicked Notre Amour out of the number one barrier and settled the five-year-old in third spot in the box seat, chasing up on the rail behind the leader Hello Boss with the second placed Frangelico racing marginally ahead on the outside of Notre Amour.

These runners held station until the home turn. Frangelico made her play early in the straight, quickly pushing past Hello Boss. Cahill was alert to that move on Notre Amour, but he had to switch his mount out around heels before he could set Notre Amour alight. That outward move would cost the rider (see Stewards Report), but the mare now had her chance and she proved equal to a difficult task.

A Kelso Wood trained horse in full flight with Brad Pengelly in the saddle is about as tough a combination you can find to try to run down, but Cahill and Notre Amour kept coming and they slowly reeled in the free-running Frangelico and Notre Amour edged clear when it mattered most to claim victory by a margin of a half-head.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “We’ve always had a soft spot for her. She’s been unlucky. She’s had a few ... well more than a few ... she’s had quite a lot of barrier problems in her early days. As she has got older we seem to have solved a lot of them.

“A lot of her earlier races she would play up and be late scratching and we’d have to trial her and all the rest of it. Whilst we are still not 100 percent convinced that she is over, she is certainly a lot better. She’s always showed she has a lot of ability. She is actually Funtantes’s half sister, the older sister.

“She deserved that. She won a Saturday race early as a three-year old. She kind of lost her direction a little bit, but the fact that her demeanour has improved so much at the end of her last preparation and already her first three runs this preparation has been super.

“Lovely ride today. So patient. I know Brad Pengelly on Frangelico is always a hard jockey to get past and, you know, He kept a nice tight line coming around the corner, but Michael (Cahill) peeled out. I think Michael was always confident that he was going to get there and in the end I think he probably had a touch in the tank. Very happy, she deserved that.

“We will look for a nice Saturday race now. I think her three runs this prep have been faultless. It is just the tempo that has gone against her. Lovely cool ride by Michael Cahill ... lovely ride.”

Jockey Michael Cahill: “I think the barrier was the deciding factor here today. The mare has been racing well this preparation, but having drawn one she could take a bit closer order. There was a bit of speed on which suited her and she always felt as if she had the runner-up covered even though the margin was narrow. It was quite a good win.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Notre Amour): 3.60 out to 4.00. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Frangelico): 3.70 out to 4.00. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As D. Craven was ill, A. Merritt was substituted as the rider of Duviver. Beautiful Moon (L. Rolls) was slow to begin.

Near the 1200m, Lucky Dubai (K. Wharton) had to be steadied when tightened for room between Frangelico (B. Pengelly) and Hello Boss (A. Spinks), which shifted in. Lucky Dubai over-raced for a short distance near the 1100m.

M. Cahill, rider of Notre Amour, was found guilty of a charge of careless riding, in that he did ride in a careless manner by permitting his mount to shift out leaving the 300m when insufficiently clear of Shotime (J. Wood), which resulted in Shotime being checked when tightened between Notre Amour and Lucky Dubai (K. Wharton). M. Cahill was suspended from riding in races for a period covered by 7 meetings, to commence at midnight, 13 December, and to expire at midnight, 27 December.

Stewards sought an explanation from A. Taylor in respect of the performance of Ashlee's Jewel. A. Taylor stated that the horse was extremely fractious prior to the race and whilst the horse was forced to race three wide, she was extremely disappointed with the horse's effort. A. Taylor added that Ashlee's Jewel displayed a tendency to hang in quite badly and she recommended to the trainer that the mare may be better suited to softer tracks as it earlier form suggests.

L. Rolls, rider of Beautiful Moon, reported that he was instructed to ride the mare forward however Beautiful Moon jumped away awkwardly and was tightened for room shortly after, which resulted in him settling in a rearward position.

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