DOOM FEB 20 - AGE OF HEROES OVERCOMES ADVERSITY

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Doomben, February 20, 2010.
Track - Dead 4. Rail - out 1.5m.
Class 6 Handicap (C, G & E) - 1200m. Time: 1-10.88. (Carrying 55.5kg)
1 Age Of Heroes; 2 Lifebuoy; 3 Cat Eyes.

When Age Of Glory won four out his five starts in his first prep, his future obviously looked very bright indeed. Yet now, twelve months on from the last victory in that winning sequence, Age Of Heroes has only had another three starts because of the detection of a chronic bone density problem (see trainer Alan Bailey’s explanation in Winner Feedback below) which sidelined his career for many months.

Age Of Heroes only raced once between February 28, 2009 and January 2010 before resuming with a third placed finish at Eagle Farm on January 27. Then, racing second-up here, still over a distance well short of his best, he rewarded the patience shown by his owner and trainer by scoring a most satisfying win as he got back on the victory trail.

Jockey Glen Colless took Age Of Heroes back early from the wide draw and crossed to the rail where he pushed forward momentarily to settle in ninth spot, just worse than midfield. The four-year-old was still ninth on straightening, but Colless had now got the chestnut out three wide and was looking to track even wider, but that path was made difficult by Lifebuoy, Age Of Heroes market rival, who raced on the outside of the Alan Bailey runner.

Colless had his work cut out trying to find galloping room for his mount. He tried to switch around the heels of Friday Nights and persuade Lifebuoy to move wider. His first attempt at doing so had limited success, but Colless persevered and the run between Friday Nights and Lifebuoy opened for him with 150m left to run, at which time the gelding let down with meaning, in spite of ducking in quite noticeably (and causing interference - see Stewards Report) when Colless put his foot on the accelerator.

The finish and the commitment was there though and Age Of Heroes went to the line powerfully to outgun Lifebuoy, who was ever-game in defeat, by half a length. Take note too of Cat Eyes’ effort in third spot. The five-year-old led from the start and resisted pressure at various stages of the race. He was only run out of it inside the final 75m when Age Of Heroes and Lifebuoy swooped. His run, like that of the first two, was full of merit.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Alan Bailey: “We were just a bit worried it might have still been a bit short for him, because he is better over a longer journey. He was winning up to 1500 last time in, but there was heaps of speed today which is what probably helped him a bit. Having won that 1500m, I don’t think he’ll have any trouble running 1600m ... now that he is older.

“He had a long while off before his first-up run last time. We knew he had a problem because he was always sore, but we couldn’t find anything wrong with him. So the vet decided that we should send him down to that scintigraphy machine. When they attach all the equipment to him and put that machine on, wherever the horse is sore it lights up in a different colour.

They discovered he had a bone density problem ... ... and he had it everywhere. We sent him down and it came up that he had it right through his system, so we had to give him a long time off. It was like all little stress fractures all through his body and it was just purely rest that could help him to get the bones strong enough, but we didn’t know if he would come right or not.

“We didn’t know if he’d come back, you know. The only thing that could cure him was time. They said just take him home, put him in the paddock and hope that he strengthens up. So it’s a very good result. The horse has done a good job.

“You know some horses ... I suppose it is like people, some horses will get over things and some won’t. That horse Nom De Jeu, it won the Derby and it’s been flat out to get back to racing ... and this horse that ran (in Melbourne) today ... Littorio, that good horse that was one of the favourites for the Cup ... they’ve got the same thing.

“This bloke has still got a tendency to hang in. Whether when you put pressure on him it hurts him ... and how long it will continue to race like that, we don’t know. The next run might see him out again.

“If everything stays right you’d think there was a good race in him somewhere.”

Jockey Glen Colless: “The horse has got to be ridden a little bit patiently. We sort of got back on the fence and had a pretty nice run. They steadied up mid-race, but once they quickened ... he is one of those horses he is hard to bring out from behind them ... he sort of wants to half get in.

“I had Tim Bell (aboard Lifebuoy) to my outside and I had to half shift him, you know without causing any interference, and then when I went for him he wanted to duck in too. Like I said, he is just one of those horses.

“He hasn’t had many starts, so he is still learning. He went pretty good early on ... won three or four in a row. Then we had a bit of a hiccup with him and brought him back and he’s come back good.”

PRICE FLUCTUATION:
Winner (Age Of Heroes): 4.20 in to 4.00 out to 4.20. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Lifebuoy): 4.00 out to 4.40 in to 4.20. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Future's Dream (C. McIver) jumped away awkwardly. Shortly after the start Buzzy Henry (S. Scriven) had to be checked when tightened for room between Firedreake (A. Butler), which shifted in slightly, and Jad (J. Wood), which shifted outwards. In the circumstances, J. Wood, rider of Jad, was issued with a severe reprimand.

When the pace slackened approaching the 800m, Lifebuoy (T. Bell) and Bringelly (S. Seamer) over-raced for a short distance.

G. Colless, rider of Age Of Heroes, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding in that near the 100m he failed to make sufficient effort to prevent his horse from shifting in resulting in Friday Nights (J. Bowditch) and Firedreake (A. Butler) having to be checked. G. Colless was suspended from
riding in races for a period covered by 7 meetings, to commence at midnight, 20 February and to expire at midnight, 4 March 2010.

Firedreake (A. Butler), Friday Nights (J. Bowditch), Unintentional (C. Reith) and Bann Ruby (J. Stanley) raced wide throughout.