EF FEB 10 - ELUSIVE PORT BACK TO HIS WINNING WAYS

By Graham Potter | Thursday, February 11, 2010

Eagle Farm, February 10, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - out 10m.
Class 5 Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-11.30. (Carrying 58kg).
1 Elusive Port; 2 Snorkel; 3 Samui Star.

The Kelso Wood trained Elusive Port resumed to his winning ways at Doomben as jockey Brad Pengelly got the gelding up in the shadow of the post to score by a short half-head. This was Elusive Port’s fourth win from his last five runs and it took his overall record to six wins from eighteen starts.

Elusive Port settled towards the rear, in-between runners, in a compact field in the early part some five lengths off the front-running Snorkel. Pengelly switched Elusive Port wide for a run approaching the turn and he immediately set out after the leader on straightening.

Snorkel was no easy target though. Jockey Larry Cassidy got the six-year-old to kick on strongly with a sustained effort and Elusive Port had to really knuckle down to the task under the steadying burden of 58kg to make a race of it.

Slowly ... slowly the gap between the two runners began to diminish. In spite of fighting as gamely as he did, Snorkel was rounded up close to the line by Elusive Port who had found enough extra momentum late to range up alongside Snorkel and take the race away from him in the last few strides.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kelso Wood: “The only thing I can say about his last run (which produced Elusive Port’s only defeat in his last five starts) is ... we did the blood on him afterwards. I was a bit disappointed with him when he didn’t hit the line. We did the blood on him and had the vet go over him.

“You know the big muscles that go down the neck ... well on the near-side he was very, very tender. In actual fact they are the muscles they use to stretch out properly. We treated that and it looks like we’ve fixed that up hopefully.”

Jockey Brad Pengelly: “He’s been up a long time, that’s the thing with him.” (This was Elusive Port’s seventh run this prep). “He’s done a very good job this preparation. Today, you know ... the soft track ... 58kg ... I was impressed with him. He attacked the line quite well. I’m hoping he’ll take the next step. There might be a black type race in him.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Elusive Port): 2.00 in to 1.95 out to 2.30.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Embracing (Michael Palmer) was slow to begin.

After passing the 1000m Elusive Port (B. Pengelly), which was over-racing, had to be steadied off the heels of Release Me (J. Byrne). In the early and middle stages Samui Star (D. Browne) and Embracing
over-raced. Pea Eye Cee (C. Munce) raced three wide throughout the event.

S. Katsidis, the rider of Peaceful Belle, was questioned regarding the tactics he adopted on that mare today. Of particular concern was his apparent lack of vigour rounding the home turn and in the early stages of the straight.

S. Katsidis advised that he was instructed to settle the mare where comfortable and approaching the 600m Peaceful Belle appeared to him to be not handling today's rain-affected going, and whilst he was riding that mare with his hands, upon straightening it was his preference to shift to the outside of Samui Star (D. Browne) as he was of the view that the track to the inside was inferior.

He added that Peaceful Belle failed to quicken as he expected and worked to the line fairly in what he described as unsuitable conditions.

Trainer G. Heinrich confirmed the instructions and agreed that the horse appeared uncomfortable in today's conditions on the rain-affected track.

After considering the evidence and bearing in mind that Peaceful Belle was having its first start on a rain-affected track today, stewards noted the explanations of both parties.