DOOM JAN 26 - SHOWCITI GETS HIS DESERVED VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Doomben, January 26, 2010.
Track - Good 2. Rail - out 0.5m.
Open Handicap - 2200m. Time: 2-15.64. (Carrying 53kg).
1 Showciti; 2 Humma; 3 Honour Happy List.

The Maryann Thexton trained Showciti scored a well-deserved victory when he lasted just long enough to thwart the late charge of Humma to prevail by a short-head.

The win was due reward for the five-year-old who had finished in the minor placings on four successive occasions prior to this outing.

The result had a lot to do with the initiative shown by jockey Jim Byrne who moved Showciti from midfield to take the lead at the 1000m. That move was achieved with a minimum of fuss because of the slow pace. Once in front, Byrne settled down to ride the race to suit his mount.

Byrne increased the tempo in the sweep to the turn before kicking on strongly in the straight. By the 200m Showciti had beaten off the bulk of the field, but he had one last challenge to resist. That came in the form of Humma, who had twice beaten Showciti in recent times.

Humma, after travelling in last place some six to seven lengths off the leader until the turn, had been switched wide for a run by apprentice Allan Chau, was flying home late.

Here again Byrne’s expertise came into play. Apart from being race savvy and able to make race-winning decisions, Byrne is also one of the strongest riders in a finish and he called on that strength to keep Showciti solid right to the line to hold Humma at bay.

It was the start of a happy Australian Day celebration for Byrne. Showciti was the first of his five winners on the day.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Maryann Thexton: “He so deserved it. He is just an absolutely consistent horse and he is a delightful horse to train because he has got no bugs or quirks ... he is just a worker and an honest, honest horse.

“Jimmy (Byrne) worked out how to ride him and he ended up riding him quite the opposite way to what he planned because of the circumstances. The owners sort of went, oh dear, when he went forward, but I said, don’t worry Jimmy can read a race. He is going to take charge of this race and if your horse is good enough he’ll be there.

“He’s got such a big heart and he is so well within himself. I just saw Humma flying and obviously that horse got home very well, but he hung on.

“He’s going to the paddock tomorrow. That was always going to be the case ... win, lose or draw, he was always going to the paddock. That’s not because he is not racing well. We are extremely happy with the horse, but I said to the owners a couple of weeks ago, he is racing that well he deserves a go at some of the races either side of the glamour staying races in the Carnival.

“There are some nice Listed races and Open races leading into and out of the Carnival. We’d like him fresh for that, so he is going to the paddock and we’ll bring him back around April.”

Jockey Jim Byrne: “Look, he’s been taking off pretty early in his races most of the time ... making long runs. I don’t know if it really suits the horse. He is not a sit and sprint by any means ... but, you know, he’s been making really long runs and when they were walking you think well, you know, you are going to have to make a run around about the half-mile or move a bit earlier about the 1100.

“You know if you get out there and start to control the tempo then maybe you can hold them up a bit better until you get to the three. He is extremely dour obviously. You can see the size of him. He is seventeen-and-a-half hands or thereabouts. He is a free-striding horse and sometimes you have to make your own luck.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Showciti): 3.60 out to 3.80.
Favourite (Happy Honour List): 2.70 out to 3.30. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Yield Curve (N. Evans) raced fiercely in the early stages. Honour Happy List (App L. Rolls) over-raced in the early stages with its head on the side.

Uncle Jan (App C. McIver) was forced to race three wide in the early stages obliging its rider to progress forward to the position outside the leader running out of the first turn.

Near the 900m Kentish Rose (App M. Palmer) was tightened for room when racing to the inside of Showciti (J. Byrne). J. Byrne the rider of Showciti was reprimanded for allowing his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Kentish Rose.

Stewards sought an explanation from App A. Chau in respect to the tactics adopted on Humma in the early stages and also regarding an incident at the 1400m point where Humma raced three wide for a short time on the outside of Yield Curve.

App A. Chau stated that from the wide barrier the horse settled at the rear of the field. With regard to the incident at the 1400m point he attempted to manoeuvre Yield Curve, which was racing in a one wide position at the time, to the fence which would have enabled him to obtain a more prominent position however, he was forced to restrain the horse back to a position behind Yield Curve when N. Evans held his position. Stewards noted the explanation.

Uncle Jan was forced to race three wide over the final 800m.