DOOM DEC 26 - FORBES STRIKES AGAIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, December 28, 2009

Doomben, December 26, 2009.
Track - Dead 5. Rail - out 5m.
Class 6 Handicap - 2120m. Time: 2-11.64.
1 Forbes; 2 Under The Counter; 3 Emerald Hill.

The John Wallace trained Forbes started a clear-cut favourite and he duly produced the goods under a confident ride by in-form jockey Jim Byrne to claim his second successive success when seeing off the game challenge of Under The Counter by a long-head.

Byrne settled Forbes in seventh spot, worse than midfield in the early part. The gelding improved position marginally in the back straight (up to sixth) as Commanche Warrior went up to join Bradfield at the head of affairs. As these two runners carted the field along in the sweep to the turn, Byrne kept saving ground on Forbes until he shifted the gelding out on straightening as he searched for clear running. At that stage Forbes was giving Under The Counter, who was racing in third place, a two length start.

The private battle between Bradfield and Commanche Warrior held sway until they both weakened with 120m left to run. Under The Counter then pounced to take the lead but Forbes, who had been making up ground steadily, was immediately up alongside the Barry Baldwin trained runner and Byrne just coaxed the extra required from his mount to edge ahead of Under The Counter in the concluding stages to complete back-to-back wins.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer John Wallace: “No, he went good mate. He’s strong. The further he goes the better. He’ll just keep getting better. He only does enough ... he’s one of them old things.

I’m going to run him at the Coast next week in a Handicap. That’s over 2200m on January 2 ... on the Saturday. I reckon he will be a Winter Carnival horse. He might even be a Sydney autumn horse, you know ... like over ground. He is only just starting to learn about it.

“I know he only just won today, but he could have gone around again couldn’t he?”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “Yeah, he was a bit more dour today. I thought he’d let down a lot better ... but that would be the softish sort of going. I’ve got to say the horse is a really nice stayer. He does everything right.

“John (Wallace) said it could have gone around again did he? He probably could have. It takes you until the frigging 1300m to pull the bugger up. Yeah, you know, he is the sort of horse that if the track is dry he’s got a good turn of foot. Today it was a bit more yielding so he was a bit more dour ... but he was always putting in all the way to the line.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Forbes): 2.20 out to 2.50.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
When the pace slowed near the 1500m, Commanche Warrior (M. Speers) commenced to over-race and improved up on to the heels of The Snicster (J. Taylor) and shifted out. Commanche Warrior then progressed forward to take up a position outside the leader approaching the 800m. The Snicster hung in rounding the 800m turn and did so until passing the 600m.

Near the 50m, Hopeson (D. Nikolic) improved up on to the heels of the tiring Bradfield and D. Nikolic, rider of Hopeson, was obliged to shift out to improve that horse's position.

A post-race veterinary examination of Never You Mind, which was eased down by its rider in the home straight, revealed the gelding to be lame in the off-foreleg. Trainer C. Martin was obliged that he would be required to provide a veterinary clearance for the gelding prior to its next race start.

Commanche Warrior lost its off-fore plate in running.

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