GCST JAN 02 - SPIRIT OF BOOM IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 3, 2010

Gold Coast, January 2, 2010.
Track - Dead 5. Rail - True.
Magic Millions Plate - 2YO Prelude - 900. Time: 51.92 (carrying 56kg).
1 Spirit of Boom; 2 General Shareef; 3 Tiyatro.

Tony Gollan has been here before, but this time the win in the Magic Millions 2yo Prelude by Spirit Of Boom was just a stepping stone guaranteeing the stable a shot at the $2 million Magic Millions 2yo Classic in a week’s time.

Gollan won the Prelude last year with Temple Of Boom, a half-brother to this year’s winner. There was never a plan to run Temple Of Boom on Magic Millions day. The Prelude win and the manner in which it was achieved a year ago surprised Temple Of Boom’s connections but Gollan, speaking directly after that race, was adamant that he would not push Temple Of Boom into the 2yo Classic.

“If we were to go there it would only be as an after-thought - and I have very strong views on after-thoughts. Most times they mess up,” Gollan said. Temple Of Boom did not line up on Magic Millions day.

The story of Spirit Of Boom is another tale altogether. It is the product of forward planning.

The $2 million Magic Millions 2yo Classic has been the target from day one. With the target set, there was the small matter of securing qualification for the big race to be taken care of. Whereas Temple Of Boom was on debut in the Prelude, Spirit Of Boom kicked off his measured run at Magic Millions glory with a solid first-up effort on December 12 when going down by the proverbial nostril to Jantzen in a two-year-old feature race, the Phelan Ready Stakes (formerly the JF Meynick Stakes).

That short-half-head margin of defeat meant Spirit Of Boom would have to pick up more prize-money to be assured of a place in the Classic. It was hoped that a run at Doomben on December 28 would provide the result required to give Spirit Of Boom some breathing space, but that Doomben meeting was abandoned, leaving Spirit Of Boom’s challenge for an entry card into the big race balancing on a fine line. As at December 29, he was number nineteen on the Order Of Entry.

On Saturday Spirit Of Boom put the matter of his participation in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic beyond doubt.

With some race experience behind him and with an important change of gear (blinkers on first time) Spirit Of Boom simply annihilated his opposition. Showing telling gate speed he teased those rivals closest to him until the turn before bouncing away early in the straight to turn the Prelude into a ‘no contest.’

The seven length winning margin said it all! Spirit Of Boom was simply in class of his own.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tony Gollan: “I expected him to win today. He is a really good colt this fellow. He is the best horse that I’ve ever had ... that’s probably not saying a lot compared to other trainers. His half-brother (Temple Of Boom) won this race pretty impressively last year ... it was shades of that. They said the wet track was going to flatten him last year, but he was a pretty sharp two-year-old too.

“I haven’t forgotten to nominate for the Millions next week (Temple Of Boom was not nominated or prepared for the Magic Millions last year). This one has always been a step ahead of Temple Of Boom. The whole time.

“He’s only had one preparation. We x-rayed his knees and he needed a bit long. I sort of couldn’t get him in for a couple of preps and do a little bit with him. I had to wait and be patient with him. I tried to plan his preparation so he was ready in January for us. It’s been a race against the clock a little bit. We are very happy with him and it was good to get him around this track too. He handled the track alright (the understatement of the day).Now we’ll have to see if he can run 1200m.

“The margin of victory did surprise me. Yeah, it did ... definitely. It also probably surprised me how much speed he showed out of the gates. He hasn’t got a lot of barrier experience this horse. It is only his first preparation ever in work ... that’s jump-outs, trails, races ... all in this one go.

“I thought when he was going into his (previous) race first-up that he was good enough to win first-up (Spirit Of Boom finished second, a short-half head behind Jantzen in his debut). First-up he did everything but win. I knew he had a lot of improvement in him and the blinkers have obviously made a big difference to him ... but it was just good to see him take that step today.

“He is improving all the time. I’d like to think ... obviously we’ll know more in a few days time ... but I like to think I’ll get him home and hopefully he can take another step.

“Obviously we missed a lead-up run on Monday when the meeting (at Doomben) was washed out. I wanted Kristy (Banks) to be positive on him out of the gates today in a 900m race. We had to qualify (for the Magic Millions) so there was no use in holding him up.

“I haven’t trained him for a 900m race. I’ve trained him for the 1200m next week. I think we’ll go home. He is a very relaxed sort of colt. He’ll eat his food up and be back here next week.

“Obviously the barrier will be important next week. He’s that sort of horse at the moment ... if he can draw inside five or six he is possibly going to guarantee himself a nice run in the race. That is what you need. You won’t win these sort of races sitting three or four deep.”

Jockey Kristy Banks (who couldn’t attend the trophy presentation, but who spoke to HRO who matched strides with her as she dashed to the car-park before travelling to Toowoomba where she had other riding commitments - and another winner - on the day): “Yeah, it was sensational. Like he was a little bit tardy away last start ... like that was his first time on the grass and he only just failed then.

“We put the blinkers on him in his work and he was just that much better with them. He was that much sharper. He improved that much ... and I suppose he showed just how much he has improved today. No. I never had a look around at all. I was just going! I hope I can keep the ride.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Spirit Of Boom): 2.70 out to 3.30 in to 3.10.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACTS:
Power Of Ed (R. McMahon) shifted in at the start making contact with I'd Do Anything (App L. Rolls), which in turn shifted in bumping Path To Freedom (P. Hammersley). General Shareef (J. Byrne) jumped away awkwardly and faltered shortly after resulting in J. Byrne becoming unbalanced.

Aladdin Shadow (S. Scriven) and Little Zachary (G. Geran) made contact on jumping away. Spirit Of Boom (K. Banks) jumped in at the start making heavy contact with Whisprian (App M. Hellyer).

Near the 500m Path To Freedom, which was racing greenly, shifted out resulting in Power Of Ed having to be steadied when taken across the heels of Whisprian. Path To Freedom continued to race greenly and near the 400m shifted out away from the heels of Tiyatro (M. Cahill) taking Whisprian wider on the track.

Little Zachary laid out rounding the home turn taking Hidden Run (App D. Ganderton), Tiyatro and Path To Freedom wider on the track.

A post race veterinary examination of Goldcat (App C. McIver), which finished a distant last, revealed no abnormalities. A post race veterinary examination revealed Whisprian had sustained a laceration to the near-hind heel.

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