EF JAN 23 - AZZALAND SETS NEW TRACK RECORD

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 24, 2010

Eagle Farm, January 23, 2010.
Track - Good 2. Rail - out 2.5m.
Open Handicap - 1000m. Time: 55.99.
1 Azzaland; 2 Monashee Dancer; 3 Cattleman.

The Richie Stephenson trained Azzaland claimed his just reward after two quality runner-up finishes behind Chakvetadze and Burdekin Blues in his previous two starts in this prep when he landed his tenth win in his seventeenth start.

Just for good measure Azzaland stopped the clock in a track record time of 55.99, eclipsing the 56.00 time set by Noble Gent at the corresponding five years ago on January 22, 2005.

Monashee Dancer landed in the lead while Azzaland also showed superb gate-speed to sit just outside the leader in the early part. Azzaland was still perfectly poised to strike as Monashee Dancer brought the field into the home straight, but the leader then kicked away strongly and put a couple of lengths of daylight in-between himself and the favourite.

That’s when Katsidis had to get to work on Azzaland. With Monashee Dancer 5kg to the good terms of weight and two lengths ahead on the track, it was no easy task for Azzaland to pick up under the steadying burden of 58kg, but under Katisidis’ urging the quality gelding did just that. He built momentum slowly at first, but then the rhythm began to flow.

One moment Monashee Dancer was in Azzaland’s sights. The next the game grey was reduced to an also-ran as Azzaland powered home to have his race comfortably won inside the 100m mark.

It was a big win.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Richie Stephenson: “He (Stathi Katsidis) was pretty kind to him I thought. He didn’t seem to do a lot on him at the end, but I suppose he had him covered. It was a good effort ... 58kg. He can carry weight can’t he? Not too many horses can carry that. What time did he run?

“In a fortnight there is a two metropolitan win race at Doomben. Say they give him 60kg and we take 2kg off him with the claim, he’s carrying the same as today. Two metro wins in the last twelve months it is. It’s worth $30000.

“I’d like to get a few more like him. He is a pleasure to train and he is a good racehorse. He’s better off the way he is racing now. I’d sooner see him chasing and getting home than sort of run the brains out of him early. He’s better off that way.

“I think the way he is racing now he could get 1200m. If he gets a good speed where he can sit off them I think he can run it now that he is a five-year-old.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “Yeah, Monashee Dancer was travelling a little bit better in the race. My bloke might be more of an 1100m horse. He (Monashee Dancer) got me off the bit around the corner and skipped away on me.

“My bloke hung around the corner ... just took it a bit awkward, which is what he does sort of thing. I sort of got to work on him. I thought ...geez, I don’t know if I’ll grab the leader, but knowing Monashee Dancer ... he always gets a little bit soft that last 50 ... so I thought I should get him.

“In the end I gathered him in with 100 to go. I was a little bit easy on my bloke going to the line. I hope he’s got the (track) record, otherwise I might have cost him the record going to the line.”

Then, with the track record confirmed.

“From the 500 to the 300 the other horse slipped away ... that’s where they probably broke the record. He put a few lengths on me. My bloke was travelling so well, so Richie (Stephenson) obviously had him trained up to the minute for this 1000m.

“I thought they might have run 57 ... but not 56.

“That’s the first time I’ve ridden him today. You know, he’s low flying at the moment, the horse. He’s been beaten by two real good horses in his last two starts ... Chakvetadze and Burdekin Blues ... yeah, and he has only just been beaten by both those horses.

“This horse, if things go his way, he might be able to beat a horse like Burdekin Blues or Chakvetadze on his day."

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Azzaland): 1.80 in to 1.65 out to 1.70.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Simplest (S. Scriven) jumped away awkwardly and was slow into stride. Pelltro (J. Taylor) also began away awkwardly. Shakeva (D. Craven) was tightened for room on jumping away between Spanish Fling, which jumped away awkwardly, and Monashee Dancer (J. Bowditch), which shifted out.

When questioned, R. Wiggins reported that he was instructed to ride Bazzooka with cover today, however after the horse began well, he was trapped wide and near the 800m, Simplest, which improved to his inside, shifted out and made heavy contact with his mount which, in his opinion, unsettled the gelding.

R. Wiggins added that shortly after Sir Monashee , which was racing to his inside, commenced to over-race and shifted out, taking Bazzooka wider on the track, and from that stage onwards, his mount was under pressure and only finished the race off fairly.

The club's veterinary surgeon reported that Bazzooka had sustained a laceration to the near-side canon and was lame in that leg. Trainer S. O'dea will be advised that he would be required to provide a veterinary clearance for Bazzooka prior to its next race start.

A post race veterinary examination of Simplest revealed the horse to be lame in the off-foreleg. Trainer B. Baldwin will be advised that he would be required to provide a veterinary clearance for Simplest prior to its next race start.

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