DOOM FEB 20 - WIN NUMBER EIGHT FOR CHAKVETADZE

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Doomben, February 20, 2010.
Track - Dead 4. Rail - out 1.5m.
Open Handicap - 1350m. Time: 1-19.20. (Carrying 55kg).
1 Chakvetadze; 2 Red Sphere; 3 Charming Rogue.

The Michael Nolan trained Chakvetadze bounced back to her winning ways with a finely judged win at Doomben on Saturday which took her overall race record to eight wins from ten starts.

This was an important win for the mare in terms of rebuilding whatever confidence might have been lost in her last two starts (which provided the only two defeats of her career) and there was plenty to like about the way she went about her business in spite of the narrow winning margin (a half-neck).

Apprentice jockey Timothy Bell had Chakvetadze in the second half of the field early on where she raced comfortably in seventh place some seven lengths off a fair speed set by Looking Fur Lang. Chakvetadze remained in that seventh place as Bell switched her out wider in the sweep to the turn and she still had six horses in front of her when she cornered five wide, five lengths off the lead, at the top of the straight.

Bell had got Chakvetadze right onto the back of Red Sphere at that stage. It was just where the mare needed to be as Red Sphere, who was bidding for his fourth successive win, was the runner most likely to take her into the race.

That was the upside ... and that part went to script as Red Sphere quickened nicely, built momentum and swept up to hit the lead with 100m left to run. Chakvetadze followed Red Sphere every step of the way and she was right there, applying pressure, the second Red Sphere got to the front.

The downside was that Chakvetadze would have to go past Red Sphere, a horse racing at the peak of his powers, to win. The followers of the four-year-old had a moment or two of concern as Red Sphere showed his customary fight, but Chakvetadze not going to be denied and, with the help of a 2.5kg favourable pull at the weights over her rival, the Michael Nolan trained runner asserted her authority in the concluding stages to get back on the scoreboard.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Michael Nolan: “It’s been frustrating with her. We won first-up (this time in) and then we got barred and everything went wrong. It’s good to have her back winning. It was a skinny win, but she is still winning and adding to her record and that’s all she can do.

“There wasn’t much in it ... just the bounce of the ball, but we won so she continues on.

“I’m still happy. We’ve just have to have a think about Sydney ... whether we go or not, next week (to the Mille Fox Quality - a Group 3 event over 1300m). Whether we back her up or not, I’m not sure.

“The thinking coming into this race was that at least she had to win today (for the Sydney option to remain open). I’m thinking she probably had to win a bit better than she did to go to Sydney, but I’m still taking it as a win ... and she keeps winning. Who knows, we might go to Sydney and she wins by a head again.

“If we did go we would only go for one run and then come back for the winter.

“The winter here is our main goal. The Stradbroke has always been our goal. Whether she is going to be up to that ... I’m not sure, but we want to give her a chance in that race.”

Apprentice jockey Timothy Bell: “She had a nice soft run ... travelled beautifully. I was very happy with the way she travelled, you know. You could feel the quality of the horse under you.

“Approaching the 450 I opted just to just pop three deep. She was travelling too good and I thought I may as well start rolling, you know. She was travelling sweet. She ran up to that other horse (Red Sphere) pretty quickly. It was more or less a racing gallop for her. She got her head in front, but she didn’t really want to race past it. She was happy just being in front.

“I gave her a few backhanders and then she started to stride out. She’ll win a lot of races.”

“I thought that was the perfect race for her just then. She handled the 1350m and, depending on how she goes, I think she may run a little bit further.”

PRICE FLUCTUATION:
Winner: (Chakvetadze): 2.10 out to 2.30.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
As R. McMahon was indisposed, B. El-Issa was substituted as the rider of Looking Fur Lang.

Stewards sought an explanation from C. Munce, rider of Soiled, in respect to his riding of that gelding from a point leaving the 200m.

Rider C. Munce explained that approaching the 200m he was cramped for room between Fangles (J. Byrne), which shifted out, and Charming Rogue (J. Wood) and he was forced to steady Soiled. C. Munce added that Soiled, in his opinion, had come to the end of his run under the big weight and he was reluctant to apply undue pressure when he felt the horse was doing its best.

Whilst stewards acknowledged the points raised within C. Munce's explanation he was nonetheless reminded of his obligations to ride his mounts right out to the winning post.