EF DEC 19 - PLAIN MAGIC CASTS HER SPELL

By Graham Potter | Monday, December 21, 2009

Doomben, December 19, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3m.
Class 6 Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-09.32.
1 Plain Magic; 2 Gag Order; 3 Citiwyse.

Trainer Kelly Schweida and jockey Jim Byrne completed a double on the day when Plain Magic romped home with ease to land her fourth victory in her twelfth start.

Byrne chased the mare out from her wide draw seemingly intent on taking the lead, but when Rare Diamond refused to give up the rail run Byrne happily eased Plain Magic back to take the trail in a close-up second position. Once the field hit the home turn, Plain Magic quickly went up alongside the leader. They matched strides briefly before Plain Magic changed gears and left the Rare Diamond behind.

The race favourite Gag Order, who had travelled well in third place to the turn, was delayed momentarily by a tiring Rare Diamond when taking a rails run in the first half of the straight. She was able to run her own race from the 150m mark, but Plain Magic was away and gone by then, holding a decisive two length advantage which she comfortably maintained to the line.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelly Schweida: “Lovely ride. I never had any doubt.

“It was a good run the other day (when unplaced, but only 3,40 lengths behind Baqaba when resuming after a four month spell). It pulled up really big in condition the other day when it was first-up. There was sort of a bit of a mix-up. She was scratched at the barriers the week before ... she missed a little bit in her work. She got away from me really.

“I thought she’d run good the other day and she did run well actually because she wasn’t far off them and they ran a good time. She was ready today.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “I always had to use her a bit, but she is a bit open to what you do with her. You can go forward or back, so if they were going to go too quick for me and if she didn’t begin that well I would have ridden her quiet. Fortunately, she began like a rocket today.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Plain Magic): 9.00 out to 10.00.
Favourite (Gag Order): 2.20 in to 2.00 out to 2.15.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Paymore (S. Katsidis), Life's Short (J. Taylor) and King Of The Kongo (J. Wood) all missed the start.

Patties Mate (L. Cassidy) was caught three wide on the first turn and raced three wide for the majority of the event. Leaving the 900m, Life's Short over-raced for a short distance and had to be steadied from the heels of King Leodidas (M. Palmer).

Between the 700m and 550m, King Of The Kongo (J. Wood) had to be steadied from the heels of Chilled (B. Stewart) on several occasions. King Of The Kongo was then held up and unable to improve approaching and rounding the home turn. Patties Mate (L. Cassidy) raced three wide throughout.

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