GCST JAN 02 - DRINKS ALL AROUND FOR BREAK THE ICE

By Graham Potter | Monday, January 4, 2010

Gold Coast, January 2, 2010,
Track - Dead 5. Rail - True.
3yo Quality Handicap - 2200m. Time: 2-21.04 (carrying 55kg).
1 Break The Ice; 2 Hustle; 3 Bella Sirena.

The Peter Balzen trained Break The Ice scored his breakthrough win in his fifth start coming home a little bit easier than the short-neck winning margin suggests.

This was Break The Ice’s second run beyond a mile and he put the writing on the wall last time out when finishing a close-up fourth behind Sanderson over 2020m. That previous effort impressed jockey Scott Seamer and this follow-up win cemented Seamer’s opinion that Break The Ice is a stayer with big-race winning potential.

Break The Ice landed in the leading line but was then restrained back to fourth where he settled in a perfect position outside Hustle while keeping a watching brief on Craiglea Blondie and Crystal Honour who raced at the head of affairs.

These four runners held their positions until approaching the turn. The battle began in earnest on straightening.

The main fancy Crystal Honour quickly went past Craigea Blondie who fell away, but then the favourite in turn was headed by Hustle coming through the 200m. The lead was not a safe place to be though and Hustle was under pressure from the moment he got to the front as Crystal Honour tried to kick back along the inside and Break The Ice loomed up on his outside.

Break The Ice had been momentarily impeded when Hustle moved out when making his run at the top of the straight, but he was in full stride now. Inside the final 100m Crystal Honour started to feel the pinch, Hustle kept fighting on gamely, but Break The Ice had the measure of his opposition when it mattered most and Seamer only asked him to do enough to secure his first career win.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Peter Balzen: “That’s what we were looking for ... the natural improvement. The horse that made the improvement was going to win the race.

“Scotty (Seamer) got off him last week and said, I don’t know what we are going to do, he said, but maybe we give him one more run and then get him ready for the Derby. I said, are you kidding? We thought he was pulling my leg but he said, no, the Queensland Derby ... he is up to that. You know ... natural improvement ... so we decided to give him one more run here and now we’ll put him out. Fingers crossed you know.

“He can stay. That’s a given isn’t it? He is only a light horse if you have a look at him. He needs a break. There should be nice improvement in him I think ... and he can stay ... and he can handle the tracks and that. He (Seamer) rode him a treat. You expect that from these guys I guess.

“We got him for $24000. Yeah, I selected him. He is a good type ... a really good type. The mother (Alinassiga) ... I knew that Gai Waterhouse had her. I knew the girl who used to strap her and she said she won two but she should have won a few more. It ended up being a bleeder ... but, yeah, it was her first foal and it looked like it was worth the risk.

“I didn’t buy him as a stayer, but we soon found out he wasn’t a sprinter. That’s his fifth start ... all in one go up to winning over 2200m. It is not a bad effort is it?

Jockey Scott Seamer: “Today he was more dour than he was the other day. Just put him away ... don’t give him any more. He’ll come back strong.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Break The Ice): 5.50 steady.
Favourite (Crystal Honour): 4.40 in to 3.60 out to 4.00.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACTS:
Coroner (G. Colless), which was fractious in the barriers, began awkwardly and lost ground. Coroner then over-raced in the middle stages of the event. G. Colless reported that as a result of Coroner missing the start he was forced to settle the horse further back in the field than he would have liked and as a result Coroner then over-raced. G. Colless stated that in the circumstances he was not completely dissatisfied with the effort of Coroner as it continued to make steady ground in the home straight.

King Capo (App M. Hellyer) over-raced in the early and middle stages of the event. Our Greatmate Kate (A. Pattillo) commenced to tire from near the 800m resulting in Millenium Hawk (B. Stewart) and Coroner, which were trailing, being unable to improve until leaving the 700m. Face The Front (P. Hammersley) was obliged to make the home turn extremely wide.

A post race veterinary examination of Coroner failed to reveal any abnormalities. A post race veterinary examination of Our Greatmate Kate revealed the filly to be exhibiting a poorer than average post race recovery rate. Trainer G. Livermore was advised that a veterinary certificate of fitness would be required prior to Our Greatmate Kate again racing.