DOOM DEC 26 - LET ME ADAM CAUSES BOILOVER

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Doomben, December 26, 2009.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - out 5m.
2MW Last Year Handicap - 1350m. Time: 1-19.91.
1 Let Me Adam; 2 Woorim; 3 Dalzar.

The Mick Hood trained Let Me Adam jumped as the second longest priced runner in this ten horse field, but he defied those odds to upstage the fast finishing favourite by a nose.

Let Me Adam was held wide all the way to the turn. As no opportunity presented itself for Let Me Adam to get in, apprentice jockey Chris McIver showed patience in keeping his mount in as comfortable a rhythm as possible in the first half of the race while racing three to four wide with no cover behind the fair pace set by Fasliyev Dancer.

Let Me Adam, who was fifth early, moved up to fourth in the sweep to the turn and that is where he cornered, sitting four wide some 3.50 lengths off the lead. At that stage Woorim, the main fancy, was still in last place, a position he had occupied from the start. Woorim was a full ten lengths off the action and was being shuffled along by jockey Stathi Katsidis.

McIver gave Let Me Adam the signal to go at the top of the straight and the six-year-old immediately knuckled down to his task. Let Me Adam moved into third, going past Bold Glance at the 200m mark, and it took another 100m to run down both Fuhrnatic and Fasliyev Dancer as he got to the lead inside the final 100m.

That’s when Woorim emerged from nowhere.

Chasing down the outside of the track and encouraging Dalzar to go with him, Woorim had built momentum and he found an extra gear over the concluding stages to sweep up late to do everything but steal the result away from Let Me Adam who clung on to score by the narrowest of margins.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Mick Hood: “We thought he was home. We thought he’d won ... no, I’m only kidding. I thought he got beat a long-nose. They do not get much closer than that. That was an eye-brow. We thought today was the day for him because he dropped down in class ... and he got a wet track which he loves ... but he had no luck in the run.

“How long has it since I was last in Brisbane. I’m seventy-three right now ... and I can’t remember that far back!

“No, look I stopped riding when I was thirty ... but I’d say it was when I was about twenty or twenty-five. So that’s a fair time ago, isn’t it? Yes it was lovely to come back and win. It was a very big thrill I can assure you of that. It’s always lovely to win, but it’s always a big thrill when you go away and win. Just like dad did when came up and won the Doomben Cup with a horse called Striking Force (in 1964).

“Everyone has been so good to us here I can’t believe it. I’d like to come more often, but my wife won’t let me!”

“I started off with the mother of the winner (Olympic Bid). She was a very volatile little mare. His mother shot me off a few times I can tell you. She used to buck every morning. I nearly stopped training after that ... and riding for sure. She only passed on a few of her traits ... the volatile ones.”

Apprentice jockey Chris McIver: “I wasn’t too sure if I’d won. It was that close. He had a tough run today ... three deep with no cover. He is a good horse. He keeps fighting. He never gives up ... that’s what got him over the line today.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Let Me Adam): 17.00 steady.
Favourite (Woorim): 3.30 out to 3.80.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Let Me Adam (C. McIver) raced three wide throughout. J. Bowditch reported that, in his opinion, Fuhrnatic failed to stretch out on the rain affected surface.

Stewards sought an explanation from K. Banks in respect of the seemingly disappointing performance of Bold Glance. K. Banks stated that the horse travelled well through the race until such time as she placed Bold Glance under pressure at which stage, in her opinion, it failed to stretch out on the rain affected surface.

K. Banks further added that, in her opinion, Bold Glance may not have appreciated the seven-day backup and may be a better horse when its runs are spaced. Trainer N. Hilton reported to stewards he was also of the opinion that Bold Glance did not handle the rain-affected surface today. A post-race veterinary examination of Bold Glance revealed it to be making an abnormal respiratory noise. N. Hilton was advised that Bold Glance must undergo an endoscopic examination, the results of which to be forwarded to stewards. Bold Glance lost its near-fore plate in running.

D. Nikolic reported to stewards that, in his opinion, Crosswise did not handle the prevailing track conditions today.

Hood