EF JAN 16 - MOONAN KATHLEEN STRIKES AGAIN

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Eagle Farm, January 16, 2010.
Track - Good 2. Rail - True.
NMW Handicap - 1000m. Time: 56.73.
1 Moonan Kathleen; 2 Tonkatsu; 3 Morcombe.

Apprentice jockey Luke Rolls brought home his second winner of the meeting when he saluted aboard the Trevor Bailey trained Moonan Kathleen.

The mare jumped very well but was taken back to midfield by Rolls who elected to position the five-year-old in eighth spot along the rail as Pengunny Blue (on the inside), Tonkatsu (two wide), Zahbaj (three wide) and Inana (four wide) got involved in a speed battle at the head of affairs.

Up to fifth place saving ground on the turn, Moonan Kathleen had to wait briefly at the top of the straight before being able to come off the heels of Pengunny Blue and Tonkatsu. Rolls slipped the mare into the gap left when Zahbai weakened and fell away and Inanna shifted marginally outwards, but she still had work to do.

Tonkatsu had surged to the lead halfway up the straight and was kicking on with meaning. Coming through the 200m mark, Tonkatsu led Moonan Kathleen by a little over two lengths, but Rolls rallied his mount and Moonan Kathleen extended nicely to produce a strong, measured finish to run down Tonkatsu and put her head in front three strides from the line.

This was Monnan Kathleen’s fifth win from only thirteen starts and she once again emphasised her liking for the 1000m trip. She now has four wins (including a double in her last two races) and two second places from six goes at the distance.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Apprentice jockey Luke Rolls: “She began probably too well. I had to half snag her about 50m after the jump. She probably threw her head in the air as you might have seen, but it does make it easier having barrier two.

“She settled down behind them nicely and she let down well. She took a while to find her peak speed but ,once she did, she hit the line nicely. She was just too good for them. She did it all herself really. I just had to steer her.

“Maybe she can go a little bit further. I think she just begins too well for herself. If she can be ridden a bit quietly, maybe she’s find the line over further.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Moonan Kathleen): 6.50 out to 8.00.
Equal favourite (Pegunny Boy): 4.00 out to 4.40.
Equal favourite (Stop Lying): 5.50 out to 6.00 in to 4.40.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Morcombe (S. Bogenhuber) jumped away awkwardly. Hyde Park (S. Scriven) was slow into stride.

Pub Torque (J. Wood) was tightened for room shortly after the start and lost its position between First Option (T. Bell), which shifted in away from Stop Lying (B. Pengelly), and Morcombe (S. Bogenhuber), which was taken out by Patch's Express (K. Forrester).

Shortly after the start, High Spire (C. Reith) shifted out and made contact with Inanna (J. Taylor).

Stewards sought an explanation from B. Pengelly in relation to the seemingly disappointing performance of Stop Lying. B. Pengelly stated that the horse, in his opinion, raced lethargically in the early stages, and when it was evident that he would be unable to take up a forward position, he chose to balance the horse and thereby afford it an opportunity to finish the race off. Jockey Pengelly further added that the horse travelled only fairly in the middle stages and disappointed him in its efforts over the concluding stages.

Trainer T. Sears stated that Stop Lying had sweated up quite badly today and he was compelled to hose the horse on three separate occasions prior to the horse entering the enclosure. Mr Sears added that that it was the first time Stop Lying had raced at a venue other than its home track Toowoomba and whilst he was disappointed that the horse did not show its customary early speed today, he was not completely dissatisfied with the way the horse finished the race off.

Mr Sears undertook to advise stewards of any abnormality that may come to light with Stop Lying which may have had a bearing on the performance. A post race veterinary examination of Stop Lying failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.

Apprentice Speers, reported that from his difficult gate he was obliged to restrain Perugin Thought to a rearward position. He added that in the middle stages the horse appeared to lose concentration and as a result he was forced to ride the horse aggressively prior to the home turn to hold a position in the field.

M. Speers added that ideally he would have liked to have brought Perugin Thought to the outside however due to the horse losing its position and being disadvantaged by the bad draw, he elected to shift to the inside to gain a clear run and the horse finished the race off extremely well.

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