EF DEC 19 - SEVEN OUT OF SEVEN FOR CHAKVETADZE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, December 20, 2009

Doomben, December 19, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3m.
Open Handicap - 1010m. Time: 57.69.
1 Chakvetadze; 2 Azzaland; 3 Black Ink.

Good horses overcome disadvantages in the running that would cripple the challenge of those with lesser ability. Some even make it look easy.

The Michael Nolan trained Chakvetadze did just that in her return to action at Eagle Farm following a seven-and-a-half month layoff. Making the result even more special was the fact that Chakvetadze did it all in a pressure cooker atmosphere when defending an unbeaten record that is now starting to stretch out into something quite significant. The star mare’s record now stands at seven wins from seven starts.

The four-year-old was not in a co-operative mood at the barriers and her attitude there cost her as her start was very ordinary and jockey Larry Cassidy had to shake her up immediately to get her attention.

Things didn’t get any better in the short-term as Chakvetadze ran up on the heels of Black Ink approaching the 800m and had to be checked, but the experience of Cassidy soon helped settle his mount and Chakvetadze raced comfortably enough in the sweep to the turn until she straightened in sixth place some 3.50 lengths off the leader Monashee Dancer.

The mare was now full of running and eager to get into the race. Cassidy took her around Black Ink and then threaded a line to the inside of Monashee Dancer, all the time increasing the tempo to the degree that she hit the front with 150m left to run, going past the weakening Monashee Dancer.

Assaland, who had turned for home 1.50 lengths clear of Chakvetadze, had made good enough progress of his own, but he had also been trumped by the mare’s swift forward move. The gelding, who was resuming after an even longer break than Chakvetadze, remained determined to test Chakvetadze all the way to the line and he did that but he found the mare to be bulletproof.

It was a top class effort by the winner and a very creditable effort from the runner-up. Both should pay to follow.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Michael Nolan: “She’s a great filly. She was off the bit ... coming up onto heels ... blew the start. Coming to the turn I was weighing up how much hope we had and I said to the owner, we’ve got none. What about when she lets down. She is just a great filly.

“You know she is not fully fit. When she missed the start I thought, well jeez, that’s it, you know. That’s game over. Then she started picking them up, but then coming to the turn I thought, no, we are too far back. She’s just got a great turn of foot."

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Chakvetadze): 1.80 in to 1.65.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Trainer M. Nolan was advised that Chakvetadze, which proved extremely difficult to load, would be required to obtain two barrier certificates or compete to the satisfaction of stewards an official trial prior to racing again.

Chakvetadze (L. Cassidy) jumped away awkwardly and then had to be steadied from the heels of Cattleman (C. Reith). Near the 800m, Chakvetadze improved up on to the heels of Black Ink (J. Jones) and had to be steadied. Fire Hazard (S. Apthorpe) raced wide for the majority of the event.