EF FEB 13 - CRAIGLEA BLONDIE SCORES FINELY JUDGED WIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, February 15, 2010

Eagle Farm, February 13, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 1m.
QTIS 3yo Handicap - 1400m. Time: 1-21.94. (Carrying 54kg).
1 Craiglea Blondie; 2 Dusty's Felt; 3 Our Mr Cashman.

The Peter Fleming trained Craiglea Blondie made it two-in-a-row when getting up late in the running to score the fifth win of her career in sixteen starts. The tall filly won over 1600m at Rockhampton at the end of January and she came back in distance to 1400m here to complete back-to-back wins.

Fourteen horses jumped from the barriers for this race but, from start to finish, only four runners were ever in serious contention.

The favourite Our Mr Cashman went out to lead. Dusty’s Felt latched on to the back of the front-runner while Craiglea Blondie and Beethog settled just behind the speed. There was a gap of two lengths to chasing pack and that deficit remained for most of the trip as the balance of the field failed to make any impact at any stage of the race.

As the field turned for home Our Mr Cashman and Dusty’s Felt joined issue with meaning. Craiglea Blondie switched out across their heels at the top of the straight and, while Beethog was still in close attendance, she was left a little bit flat-footed when the others quickened up and she lost ground momentarily on the leaders.

Our Mr Cashman and Dusty’s Felt continued to match motors in a stride for stride battle for the whole length of the straight ... and, all the time, Craiglea Blondie, who was also at full stretch wider out, was inching her way into contention.

Just when it looked like the outcome of Our Mr Cashman and Dusty’s Felt’s battled might decide the result, jockey Kelvin Wharton got that vital bit extra out of Craiglea Blondie who got to the front in the last couple of strides to score a finely judged victory.

Dusty’s Felt and Our Mr Cashman finished only a half-neck and a short-neck back in second and third place respectively while Beethog, who was running on well in the concluding stages, finished fourth, just under a length behind the winner. No other runner fired a shot!

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Jockey Kelvin Wharton: “She’s going well. She’s starting to get into a racing pattern and things are starting to work out for her.

“Earlier in the piece, in a couple of 1400m races, she felt as if she was going to get the 2000m. We tried her at it ... and she never got it. She had a nice soft lead at the coast one day and never got it, so we brought her back in distance and this is probably her pet go. Maybe stretch to a mile ... but that will be it.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Craiglea Blondie): 15.00 out to 21.00.
Favourite (Our Mr Cashman): 3.50 out to 3.70. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
After leaving the mounting yard, it was noted that a plate on Chanfel had shifted. This was refitted before the horse left the mounting yard.

Just A Piccolo (J. Bowditch) was slow to begin.

Near the 800m, Chanfal (C. Whiteley) was checked and threw its head about when crowded for room between Erinsea (L. Cassidy), which shifted out slightly, and Rapid Leica Jacko (J. Byrne), which shifted in slightly.

In all the circumstances, stewards deemed it would be inappropriate to take any action against any one rider, however both J. Byrne, rider of Rapid Leica Jacko, and L. Cassidy, rider of Erinsea, were advised it would be in their interest in future to exercise more care.

Near the 200m, Easy Knight (R. Goltz) shifted out rather abruptly from behind Chanfal (C. Whiteley) and as a consequence of this inconvenience was caused to Lucky Dubai (J. Taylor).

In the straight, Fantastic Blue (T. Bell) hung in and as a consequence of this proved difficult to ride out. Lucky Dubai (J. Taylor) was obliged to race wide throughout.

On pulling up, B. Pengelly was dislodged from Sheldon.

K. Wharton, rider of Craiglea Blondie, was told that whilst his whip motion today was not in breach of the rules as they currently stand, it would be in his interests, and in the interests of racing generally, if he was to endeavour to modify his whip riding, particularly when using the whip in his
right hand.

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