EF JAN 16 - FROZONE DOES IT EASY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Eagle Farm, January 16, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
Class 6 Handicap - 1600m. Time: 1-36.06.
1 Frozone; 2 Raincoat; 3 Bugsytwoshoes.

Frozone did not get the best of breaks at the jump but jockey Glen Colless quickly overcame that hiccup by pushing the gelding forward to take up a comfortable trail in third place behind the well supported Fly To Win, who landed in the lead, and Naniwa who crossed from his wide draw to settle in second placing.

Sitting one out and one back under a hard hold on an ordinary speed until the turn, Colless nudged Frozone past Naniwa at the top of the straight. He then asked a little bit more from the four-year-old who responded on cue to move up to pressure and then take the measure of Fly To Win coming through the 200m, before racing away to a comfortable victory.

Frozone was winning second-up here. Apart from showing the benefit of his first-up run, Frozone also clearly relished the step up in distance (from 1400m to 1600m), as he will when tested over more ground again.

This was Frozone’s fifth win from fifteen starts. The gelding also has four minor placings to his credit.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Alan Bailey: “He can’t take the hot weather ... that’s why we’ve given him a bit of time. We give him a couple of runs every now and again and then put him out. He’s hopeless in the hot weather. He’s lightened up even now.

“Apart from that he is a pretty fair horse this bloke, you know. We’ll step him up in distance again. He might be an ideal little Cups horse ... like a Newcastle Cup sort of horse. He’d be ideal for those sort of races.”

Jockey Glen Colless: “We sort of came up with the plan before the race that we would go forward. He is not a good beginner ... but I always thought, even if I didn’t begin well, I would still get where I wanted to. That’s the way it panned out and he was just too good on the day.

“He is one of those horses ... he is not really a sit and sprint horse. He is a big striding fella and he just likes to get into his gear. That’s why I sort of come out three deep on the corner. He has got a bit of promise and, you know, he can get up to a trip which will suit because he can race on-pace and he can stick it out.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Frozone): 3.50 out to 3.80.
Favourite (Fly To Win): 3.80 in to 3.00. Finished fifth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Delago Money (J. Taylor) was slow to begin. Fly To Win (M. Speers) jumped away awkwardly and shifted in, hampering Frozone (G. Colless). Near the 1200m, Frozone was momentarily cramped for room by Naniwa (J. Wood), which shifted in. Delago Money (J. Taylor) and Manston (M. Dorrington) pulled hard in the middle stages.

Approaching the 400m, Craquelure (A. Spinks) shifted out to improve and brushed Tabulate (L. Cassidy), forcing it wider on the track.

M. Speers reported that Fly To Win raced keenly in the lead and felt that this may have had an effect on the horse's capacity to finish the race off. Trainer D. Murphy indicated he would give consideration to spelling the horse.

Stewards sought an explanation from L. Cassidy in respect of the seemingly disappointing performance of Tabulate. L. Cassidy stated that he had intended to ride the horse a little more forward today, however from its wide barrier he was forced to settle back in the field.

L. Cassidy added that the horse was forced wide rounding the home turn and, in his opinion, finished the race off fairly, and that at this stage of its preparation was looking for further distance in its races. A post race veterinary examination of Tabulate failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.