DOOM FEB 20 - HEARTSAREFORLOVE IMPRESSES AGAIN

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Doomben, February 20, 2010.
Track - Dead 5. Rail - out 1.5m.
QTIS 600 2yo Handicap - 1350m. Time: 1-21.55. (Carrying 55.5kg).
1 Heartsareforlove; 2 Random Orbit; 3 Gold Cat.

You wouldn’t give her a second glance in the parade ring.

Heartsareforlove is a small, unpretentious filly without any attitude to even give you a hint of the racing heart that lies below the surface. But she can run and she can fight as the occasion demands.

The filly lined her opposition in her first start in Queensland back on February 6. That was a speed display as she took no prisoners with a concentrated front-running effort which carried her to an uncomplicated 6.25 length victory.

This time things panned out differently and the way the race unfolded allowed Heartsareforlove to show her versatility.

While Heartsareforlove pinged the gates, jockey Chris Munce eased her back into second and then third spot early. Then, when Miss Lucky Choice pushed forward around her field to be go up towards the lead, Hearsareforlove was back to fourth position where she found herself flanked on either side by Pin (on her outside) and Nastro Blu (on her inside). Suddenly, she was in traffic, caught back in the hurly-burly of the pack, where her size is a distinct disadvantage.

Turning for home Heartsareforlove was fifth, two wide, with a line of horses blocking her path and Pin, still on her outside, threatening to keep her in the dead-end. Munce had little option but to try to switch out and find clear running, but he had to have a willing mount to be able to do so and Hearsareforlove played her part in taking up that challenge.

She leaned on Pin early in the straight and held her position long enough to get her head into a gap which had appeared between Pin and the tiring Miss Lucky Choice. As the gap widened her raw talent kicked in and Heartsareforlove began to chase down the leader Huff And Puff.

But she wasn’t the only one making ground.

Random Orbit, who had cornered second last as the widest runner on the track, was now in full cry and, by the time Heartsareforlove was in full stride, Radom Orbit was matching her effort down the outside of the track.

These two runners quickly dispatched Huff And Puff and then settled down to fight out the finish over the final 100m where, in a cut and thrust battle, Heartsareforlove found that vital bit extra required to take out the result going to the line a head in front of her game rival.

That’s two out of three now for Heartsareforlove. It is unlikely that she will stop here.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Assistant trainer Toby Edmonds (for the John Thompson stable): “She is only a little girl, isn’t she? There is nothing on her. She is only a pony, but she is tough all right. I was so concerned when she was back in-between them, you know. She’s never been in that position before. I think she toughed it out pretty good actually.

“She showed she is not one dimensional, which is good in a way ... although she did give me a bit of a heart attack for a while, but once she got clear and got into a bit of galloping room she was just that bit too good.

“These little Hussonet’s are precocious. She is out of an Oaks winning mare or out of an Oaks winning pedigree.

“She’ll get a bit of weight now, so I’m not certain where we’ll go. We’ll just take it one race at a time. If she goes home and eats up we’ll probably keep going, but she’s done a good job anyway regardless this time. We might give her a little break. I’ll talk to the boss and see what he wants to do.”

Jockey Chris Munce: “Yeah, she probably got shuffled back a little further than anticipated. I didn’t go all that quick, but I didn’t want to be stuck behind the leader either, because I didn’t think it will take me where I wanted to go.

“The speed came at the top of the straight and she beat them with her sprint. She showed she is very adaptable. She probably looked like she took a while to get going ... mainly because she is bit reluctant to take that type of run, but once he had enough confidence to get up there she was always going to sprint well.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Heartsareforlove): 1.70 out to 1.90.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Pinnacle Ridge (L. Cassidy) and Miss Lucky Choice (J. Byrne) made contact on jumping away. Proud As Punch (R. Goltz) and Huff And Puff (A. Erhart) also came together and bumped at the start.

Nastro Blu (S. Seamer) appeared to lose its position approaching the 600m when tightened by Goldcat (C. Reith), which was inclined to shift in and away from Miss Lucky Choice as that horse was shifting from a three wide position to race outside the leader, Huff And Puff, which had a tendency to race away from the rails. J. Byrne, rider of Miss Lucky Choice, was cautioned and instructed to provide more clearance in similar circumstances. Pin (J. Bowditch) laid out rounding the home turn.

When Heartsareforlove (C. Munce) was attempting to secure clear running approaching the 250m between Miss Lucky Choice (J. Byrne) and Pin (J. Bowditch), Pin shifted in slightly and made contact with Heartsareforlove .

Near the 100m, Goldcat (C. Reith) shifted out to improve, resulting in Miss Lucky Choice having to be steadied momentarily. In this incident, Miss Lucky Choice became unbalanced.

Pin raced three wide without cover throughout the race.

A. Erhart reported that Huff And Puff over-raced in the lead and he felt this had a bearing on the gelding's capacity to finish the race off.