WFARM MAR 06 - MORE JOYOUS FIGHTS HER WAY TO A NARROW VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Monday, March 8, 2010

Warwick Farm, March 6, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - True.
Surround Stakes (Group 2 - 3yo - Fillies - Set Weights) - 1400m.
Time: 1-23.64 (Carrying 56kgs).
1 More Joyous; 2 Hurtle Myrtle; 3 So Anyway.

The Gai Waterhouse trained More Joyous was second-up here and she went out bidding for a fourth successive victory. Bookmakers made it a one-horse race with More Joyous offered at the restrictive odds of $1.22. Hurtle Myrtle ($9.50) was the only other runner quoted under $13.00.

While the result duly came in as per the betting boards, the race itself unfolded a vastly different scenario than that which had been predicted.

Jockey Nash Rawiller took the favourite to the front early and she led a compact field at an easy gallop mid-race. Sweepstaking, who raced on the rail on the inside of the favourite, and Prerequisite, positioned directly on the outside of the main fancy, were closest to the leader in the run to the turn, but they immediately came under pressure on straightening.

As Sweepstaking and Prerequisite began to weaken, More Joyous found a real threat in the form of Hurtle Myrtle. After being held wide in the early running, Hurtle Myrtle had made a bold forward move in the approach to the turn which carried her right up to the leaders, as she cornered four wide, to provide an early challenge to More Joyous.

Rawiller asked More Joyous to kick. She did ... and Hurtle Myrtle matched her every move in the first half of the straight. These two runners dropped the balance of the field as they battled for supremacy. With just over 100m left to run, Hurtle Myrtle momentarily headed More Joyous, but it was still a head bobbing affair.

Really good horses find a way to win and More Joyous toughed it out over the concluding stages and it was only in the final few strides under a fine ride from Rawiller that she managed to just gain enough of advantage to be able to seal a hard fought victory.

All credit too to Hurtle Myrtle. Only a one-time winner, she took on More Joyous (a five-time winner before this race) at level weights and gave her the fright of her life.

More Joyous has now won six of her nine starts and has banked over $725000 in prize money.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Tanya Rouse (Foreman for the Gai Waterhouse stable): “She probably did it a lot nicer than the margin suggests. She got away with some pretty easy sectionals there in the early stages. She just had to sprint home up the straight.

“She pulled up very well from her first-up run and she certainly showed us no signs that she’s had any ill-effects from it. She showed her championship qualities here. She just kept sticking her head out and got it up where it matters.

Jockey Nash Rawiller: “She won. No, look I tell you, I was rapt to see her do that, because we had a real fight on our hands 150 out. Full credit to Hurtle Myrtle. She put it right up to us late and probably got a head on us.

“I was a little concerned in the run. She was a little bit fresh again today and, you know, the 1400 after a hard run first-up. Obviously Gai’s quality has come through late and so has the horses. I didn’t want to hurt her but, seriously, she had to pick herself up off the canvas.

“You know what opinion I have of this filly and she practically lifted herself up off the canvas. That’s what you like to see good horses and champions do.”

PRICES:
MoreJoyous (1.22); Hurtle Myrtle (9.50); So Anyway (81.00).

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
More Joyous and Prerequisite came together at the start.

So Anyway over-raced in the middle stages. So Anyway was held up in the early stages of the straight.

When questioned regarding the performance of Sweepstaking, S Katsidis stated that the filly became stirred up going to the barrier, was inclined to over-race and then pulled its way up on the inside of the winner, More Joyous, approaching the home turn, whereby the filly did not feel comfortable in the going.

He added nevertheless Sweepstaking was disappointing and appeared a little distressed on pulling
up. A post race veterinary examination of Sweepstaking did not reveal any abnormalities.

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