EF FEB 13 - MAZUKA GETS UP IN THE SHADOW OF THE POST

By Graham Potter | Monday, February 15, 2010

Eagle Farm, February 13, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 1m.
Class 6 Handicap - 1000m. Time: 56.85. (Carrying 54.5kg).
1 Mazuka; 2 Admiral Gherkin; 3 Moonan Kathleen.

The Gerald Ryan trained Mazuka resumed here following a four-and-a-half month layoff. Ridden back in the field, the four-year-old put both his ability and his commitment on show in the home straight to come away with an impressive come-from-behind victory.

The flying Fab Fevola, who started favourite, brought his outright speed into play in the early stages. That carried him into the lead where he was confidently tracked by Admiral Gherkin and these two runners took the field at a good speed to the turn.

Jockey Glen Colless had settled Mazuka well off the pace early, in third last place and Mazuka had only improved his position marginally on straightening, where he found himself some seven lengths behind the leader, racing one off the fence.

With Fab Fevola putting his head down in an all out bid to hold onto his advantage and Admiral Gherkin striving to deny Fab Fevola, the two leaders held all of the cards in the first half of the straight.

During this time Mazuka appeared to be full of running, but traffic problems were not helping his cause. Colless switched him further away from the rail, but there was still nowhere to go as he ran up onto the heels of Sir Monashee.

So Mazuka had to make his own luck.

With Pat Attack, racing on the outside of Mazuka, threatening to hold him in the dead-end behind Sir Monashee until it would be too late to attack the lead, Colless elected to ‘persuade’ Pat Attack to shift ground and let him out. Mazuka was at one with his rider and didn’t flinch at the task. Coming through the 200m mark he bullied his way into the clear and with 180m left to run Mazuka lengthened his stride and set out after the leaders.

By the 150m mark, Admiral Gherkin had gone past Fab Favola to become the target that Mazuka was setting his sights on. It was a big ask for Mazuka though, because he was still four lengths behind Admiral Gherkin at that stage. Time was not on his side.

It didn’t need to be. Such was the level of Mazuka’s acceleration over the concluding stages that he jumped right out of the ground and finished over the top of Admiral Gherkin when it mattered most to win by a neck.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Matthew Dunn (foreman for the Gerald Ryan stable at Murwillumbah): “It was good. Glen (Colless) sort of discovered how to ride him a while ago. He does it best. He’s won twice on him now.

“He has got a bit of faith in the horse which has got to be a big plus. He knows what he can do if ridden the right way. The first time he rode him back ... it was his idea, so it’s paying off. It did today anyway.

“Things need to fall into place for him, so we’ll keep him to 1000m where he’ll get the fast tempo. That’s what he needs. He has got to be ridden quiet.

“He has always trialled really well. In Sydney ... every time he would go to a trial he would win the trial by a long way. Then we’d take him to the races and he would race just that little bit flat first-up.

“Yeah, we just gave him a break. We gave him three jump-outs down at Murwillumbah over half-a-mile and produced him without a barrier trial, which is probably the way to do it really ... to space his runs and not do too much with him."

Jockey Glen Colless: “We sort of just worked out how to ride him, you know. He always used to be an on pace horse. When I rode him first-up last time we just tried something different ... to ride him nice and cold. He hit the line good, so the plan was to do the same again today.

“He raced a little bit keen early but, when you hold him up, he can finish off ... that’s his go. I wouldn’t say he would improve much on that run. He is one of those horses best kept a little bit on the fresh side. He always looks a little bit gross. I think just working how to ride him was the key to him.

“Tempo has got a lot to do with it. You know over the road at Doomben where they might get out and go a bit quicker over there, he might get 1200. He just has to draw a gate where you can ride him nice and cold, get cover and then he finishes off.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Mazuka): 5.00 out to 7.00.
Favourite (Fab Fevola): 3.00 in to 2.80. Finished fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Connections advised that Pat Attack would be ridden further back in the field from the wide barrier. The horse was ridden accordingly.

The explanation tendered by trainer G. Yorke relating to him presenting Pimpala Cobber to the mounting yard without blinkers was accepted.

Guissepino (C. McIver) jumped away awkwardly and lost ground. Showit (M. Speers) was slow to begin. Pimpala Cobber (T. Bell) jumped away awkwardly and made contact with the hindquarters of Mazuka (G. Colless).

Pat Attack (J. Holder) raced wide throughout.

When questioned, C. McIver stated that Guissepino was slow to begin, got well back and travelled satisfactorily, but he felt that it did not finish the race off as it should have. He was of the view that Guissepino had taken some effects from its first-up run. A post race veterinary examination of
Guissepino failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.

Apprentice T. Bell, rider of Pimpala Cobber, which was having its first start today from a spell, stated that he had been asked to ride the horse in a forward position if possible, but in the early stages other runners crossed him and he got further back than he would have liked.

He said in the straight when he was attempting to ride it out, the horse became unbalanced several times. As he was concerned with its action, he did not ride Pimpala Cobber out to the finish as he normally would. A post race veterinary examination of Pimpala Cobber failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.

Presley lost its off-fore plate in running.

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