DOOM JAN 30 - WONDERFUL LASS IMPROVES TO LAND BREAKTHROUGH WIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, February 1, 2010

Doomben, January 30, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 3.5m.
QTIS 600 2yo Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-11.21 (Carrying 53.5).
1 Wonderful Lass; 2 Random Orbit; 3 True Blue Angel.

Trainer Toby Edmonds has joined the Patinack Farm team as assistant trainer. Edmonds will head up the Patinack’s Gold Coast stable reporting to trainer John Thompson who will continue to oversee the entire Patinack training operation.

Edmonds was on hand to see the first Thompson trained runner in Brisbane, the filly Wonderful Lass, win at Doomben on Saturday.

Jockey Stathi Katsidis shot Wonderful Lass out of the gates and she landed in a clear lead. Katsidis then was happy to settle his mount in second place as the first-timer Huff And Puff stretched out to take up the running.

Wonderful Lass never allowed Huff And Puff too much leeway though. She was never more than a couple of lengths off the leader in the back straight. She moved up to race just on the outside Huff And Puff, half a length back, in the sweep to the turn and then she joined issue and matched strides with the front-runner in the early part of the straight.

It was a bit of a grind, but Wonderful Lass eventually edged away from her rival with 180m left to run. Katisidis still had to keep Wonderful Lass honest all the way to the line as Random Orbit and True Blue Angle closed up late to get the winning margin down to 0,75 lengths.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Toby Edmonds (assistant trainer to John Thompson): “I actually officially start as assistant trainer on Monday ... but today will do. I’ve still got a few in the stable at home (including Conquering Queen). We are just winding that down at the moment.

“This filly ... she showed good gate speed. He (Stathi Katsidis) let one go around her and she was probably just a bit too strong over the last bit.

“She was in the market at Kembla Grange in her first run (when finishing seventh out of eight runners, nearly fourteen lengths behind the winner). I think she just got run off hers legs there in a fast run race. Those 900m races ... they go a hundred mile an hour and if they can’t ... if they haven’t got that sort of speed needed to go with them, they just get lost, you know.

“So he (Thompson) put the blinkers on and she’s gone up to 1200m. They always improve from the first run, you know, so you can forgive them those short course runs. I think they ran a record ... 51 something at Kemble. So she could be a nice filly given a bit of time. I think she will probably have another run here and then John will decide what to do with her.

“We’ve got thirty-five horses in the stable at the Gold Coast at the moment. We’re looking to pump that figure up to about sixty.

Yeah, Conquering Queen will come up here. We’ll get her ready here and then see where we go with her. She’s a little bit behind where she should be. We originally were going to go to Adelaide, but I’d say the Brisbane winter might be a better option."

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “She felt alright. I think the addition of the blinkers really made the difference. I saw where it was in the market in her other race. She was probably a little disappointing there, but the 900m must have been too short that day. The 1200m today was perfect.

“You know, it was probably only an average race on paper so I suppose that form-line going into this wasn’t too bad and with the addition of blinkers she must have improved.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Wonderful Lass): 14.00 out to 15.00.
Favourite (True Blue Angel): 4.60 in to 4.00 out to 3.80. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Goldcat (C. Reith) and Random Orbit (T. Bell) were tightened on jumping away between Crown Secret (J. Taylor) and Wonderful Lass (S. Katsidis), both of which shifted ground. Starboda (G. Colless) began awkwardly.

Manahide (S. Seamer) raced wide for the majority of the event. Approaching the 600m Starboda shifted out making contact with Manahide. Proud As Punch (R. Goltz) was held up for clear running in the early stage of the straight. Goldcat was inclined to lay in in the early stages of the straight.

Stewards sought an explanation from stable representative Mr Toby Edmonds in relation to the seemingly improved performance of Wonderful Lass. Mr Edmonds explained that at its previous start, in his opinion, Wonderful Lass was not suited by the 900m distance and the extra distance today, together with the addition of blinkers and previous race experience, may have been contributing factors in the horse's improved performance today.

Rider G. Colless reported that Starboda was making an abnormal respiratory noise in the latter stages of the event. A post-race veterinary examination confirmed Starboda to be exhibiting an abnormal respiratory noise and therefore stewards ordered that a veterinary certificate, including the results of an endoscopic examination, be forwarded to QRL prior to the horse's next race start. Trainer A. Willick's stable representative reported that Starboda would now be sent for a spell.

J. Bowditch, the rider of Tit Tat Tooee, reported that trainer Pat Duff has advised him that the horse had trialled on three occasions prior to today and in his opinion would be doing its best work over the latter stages.

Bowditch stated that after beginning well he took up a position midfield and the horse travelled fairly, however appeared to lose concentration in the middle stages and only finished the race off fairly.

J. Bowditch further advised that he had suggested the addition of blinkers for Tit Tat Tooee's next race start. A post-race veterinary examination of Tit Tat Tooee failed to reveal any abnormalities.