GCST MAR 10 - FINDING NEVERLAND AMBUSHES HIS OPPOSITION

By Graham Potter | Thursday, March 11, 2010

Gold Coast, March 10, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - Out 7.5m 1400-400, Out 5.5m remainder.
Maiden Plate (Set Weights) - 1800m. Time: 1-50.95. (Carrying 56kg).
1 Finding Neverland; 2 Iron Red; 3 Sheza Spur.

The David Scanes trained Finding Neverland scored a runaway win when he embarrassed his rivals in the opening event on the card to claim a long-awaited breakthrough win.

The fact that the gelding is a seven-year-old and was having his thirty-seventh start is hardly a recommendation for those who finished strung out behind him, but credit must go to Scanes, who has only been training for three weeks, for working out a plan to turn around the horses fortunes and to apprentice Ashley Butler for carrying out that plan to perfection.

Butler took Finding Neverland to a comfortable lead in the early part. Finding Neverland led at an easy pace down the back straight before Butler asked him to increase the tempo as they started the sweep to the turn.

The 1,50 length lead quickly widened as Finding Neverland pulled away from his rivals. He held a four length advantage approaching the turn and straightened with what would turn out to be a winning lead.

Jockey Daniel Griffin sent the favourite Iron Red out after the leader early in the straight, but they had responded to the danger too late and Finding Neverland had little trouble in keeping daylight between himself and Iron Red all the way to the line.

The rest were nowhere.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer David Scanes: “That was exactly how I wanted him ridden. He has got to be ridden up front and he needed ground. I’ve been wanting to put him over ground for some time.” Finding Neverland was stepping up from 1400m to 1800m.

“He (Ashley Butler) rated it perfectly. It was an excellent ride. He did exactly what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to pinch about three lengths on the turn ... and that’s what he did. It’s great when a plan comes together.

“I’ve owned the horse for four years now and I’ve only just started training myself. I’ve been training for three weeks, so it’s very satisfying getting this one over the line”

Apprentice jockey Ashley Butler: “We made the decision, you know. He’s got one pace ... get him to the front and keep him going.

“They left me alone and I got a pretty easy lead. I guess they didn’t really think my horse was a danger at $15.00 in his thirty-seventh start in a Maiden, but we ambushed them.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Finding Neverland): 21.00 in to 15.00.
Favourite (Iron red): 2.70 out to 3.10 in to 2.70.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Le Tour De France (M. Cahill) was checked on jumping away when tightened between Ivors Girl (T. Treichel) and Tudor Arcade (L. Cassidy), which jumped away awkwardly and shifted in. As a result of being checked at the start Le Tour De France was obliged to settle back in the field.

No Shackles (G. Geran) commenced to hang out leaving the 800m and continued to hang out until the early stages of the straight. G. Geran reported that his saddle rolled and as a consequence he had difficulty preventing his horse from hanging. Trainer's representative Miss K. Geran was advised that a warning would be issued in relation to the horse hanging.

App A. Butler the rider of Finding Neverland was fined the sum of $400.00 for making a celebratory gesture prior to the finish line.

*Butler might have ambushed the opposition, but he himself was ambushed by the stewards when they handed him a fine for a ‘celebratory gesture.’ Butler had done exactly the same thing when winning on Asyoucando at the Gold Coast on Saturday where his actions drew no response, not even a reprimand, from the stewards.