EF DEC 16 - HALLMARK STAR LANDS KNOCKOUT BLOW

By Matthew Grimson and Graham Potter | Friday, December 18, 2009

Eagle Farm, December 16, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3m.
Class 3 Handicap - 1500m. Time: 1-30.39.
1 Hallmark Star; 2 Zahnoochi; 3 Smuggler's Inn.

In the performance of the day the Robert Heathcote trained Hallmark Star delivered a stunning knockout blow to her opposition when she turned in a race winning performance propelled by a level of acceleration which jockey Stathi Katsidis, who seldom overstates a horses’s qualities, described as ‘amazing’.

The result and the manner in which it was achieved was impressive enough in itself, but the fact that Hallmark Star was jumping in class (from being a Maiden winner to take on Class 3 company), was chasing from a wide draw and was stepping up marginally in distance were all factors that added to the merit of the win.

Katsidis took Hallmark Star back from the draw and the filly raced in the second half of the field early on as the well supported favourite Smuggler’s Inn attempted to dictate things to his advantage by setting an easy pace at the head of affairs. Zahnoochi sat just outside the leader and these two runners took the field to the home turn.

As the two front-runners settled down to do battle on straightening, Hallmark Star was still a good five to six lengths off the action. When Katsidis asked the three-year-old to quicken, she did so nicely enough and started making up ground, but that rate of progress was nothing compared to what she was about to unleash.

Up to fourth going through the 200m mark, still three lengths off Zahnoochi who had got the better of Smuggler’s Inn up front, Hallmark Star continued to home in steadily on the lead but the task still looked to be a difficult one, that is until she changed gears at the 100m, accelerated past Zahnoochi and Smuggler’s Inn as if they were standing still and raced towards the line.

The fact that Hallmark Star had taken control so quickly and so decisively meant that Katsidis was actually able to ease his mount over the final stages as she went to the line having turned a six length deficit at the top of the straight into a two length winning margin.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Heathcote: “Man, I mean from day one I’ve had a little, I dunno, something special about this filly. A couple riders when they rode her when she was in a couple of those two-year old races said the same thing. They said, she gives us a good feel.

“It’s rare that I’ll take a horse from a Maiden straight to a Class 3 midweek in town and step her up in distance. But that little … no, not confidence … I think that is the wrong word. She’s got that little X-factor about her. She’s a little bit special. My staff who ride her in the morning say the same thing. They say, she is so incredibly clean-winded.

So, you know, from day one I have said to my owner down in Tassy, Alwyn Shaw, down in Tasmania my home state … I said, I am going to win a big race with this filly. They’ll be delighted with this win.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “Massive win! Amazing. I rode her good, I got into a good spot. I was happy where I was, but the leaders ducked away... they went that slow that the leaders were entitled to win from where they were, but I gave her a couple of hits with the whip and she just took off from underneath me. Just an amazing finish.

“Rob said she was special, and her win the other day was good ... but it wasn’t as good as that. You could just tell when she got behind the gates today like there was a spark there. She was cheeky. She will be definitely winning on a Saturday soon and I’d say she is a definite Oaks prospect.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Hallmark Star): 5.50 out to 8.00.
Favourite (Smuggler’s Inn): 4.40 in to 2.70. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Don't Back Down (B. Thomson), Silken Appeal (M. Hellyer) and Our Angle Eyes (C. Reith) were all a little slow to begin. Silver Whisper (R. Wiggins) jumped away awkwardly. When being restrained shortly after the start, Our Angel Eyes got its head up and was inclined to over-race.

Approaching the 1000m, Silver Whisper (R. Wiggins) was inclined to lay out and had to be eased to avoid the heels of Fat Possum (L. Rolls). Sky Traveller (J. Holder) was caught three wide for the majority of the event.

J. Bowditch, rider of Zahnoochi, was reprimanded for raising his arm above the shoulder when using his whip over the concluding stages.