GOLD COAST – THE QUICK WRAP – JANUARY 6
By Graham Potter | Saturday, January 6, 2024
A GEAR CHANGE ... ADDING A VISOR ... BRINGS THE ULTIMATE REWARD
The Kurt Goldman trained Art’s Object took out the $250 000 TAB Wave over 1800m ... the day’s main feature ... under Angela Jones as a $51 chance, easily the longest priced winner of the day. A gear change ... to visors ... was a touch of genius bringing the ultimate reward after the chestnut had not been at her best in recent starts.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Kurt Goldman: “It was a six-month plan. This is what we wanted ... The Wave, set weights, a race for four-year-olds ... it was just a logical race to target with the mare like this. Things didn’t always go to plan through the prep. We had a couple of bad barriers, and she just wasn’t racing the way we wanted her to. We put the visors on. We saved them for today’s race, and I think it made the difference. Ange (Jones) has been wonderful on this mare. The mare is a little bit quirky at the barriers and she does a few things wrong, but Ange just seems to get her to jump and travel.”
For jockey Angela Jones comments see separate story below ...
JONES CONTINUES THE SURF THE WAVE OF SUCCESS
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DENILIQUIN ROUNDS OFF A GOOD WEEK FOR ANDERSON
Deniliquin rounded off a good week for trainer Chris Anderson (who was the slot-holder for Rothfire’s win in the King Of The Mountain) when he attacked the line late under Tim Clark to win in first start since transferring to the Anderson yard. A drifter in the betting (from $14 to $21), this win in an $85 000 Two-Year-Old BM78 Handicap over 2200m was Deniliquin’s sixth career victory overall.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Chris Anderson: “He was presented to us in perfect order when he arrived at us only a fortnight ago (from trainer John Thompson). We haven’t done much with him ... just a couple of pieces of work with him since he arrived at Eagle Farm. I think he’ll have a good career chasing Benchmark races. Timmy Clark gave it a peach of a ride.’
Jockey Tim Clark: “He sort of walked out of the gates and found himself at the back of the field. He got a little bit strong early and then relaxed from about the 1400m. He picked his way through them. I thought he was going to run a nice second or third but, to his credit, he threw himself at the line the last 75m.”
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SPYWIRE AND ARABIAN SUMMER’S GOLDEN TOUCH
The Gold Nugget (for colts and geldings) and the Gold Pearl (for fillies) ... $150 000 races over 1100m ... both produced fluent winners in the form of Spywire (Ciaron Maher and David Eustace / Craig Williams) and Arabian Summer (Tony and Calvin McEvoy and Harry Coffey) respectively ... these results being important wins for the runners and connections concerned. Spywire has now won two out of three starts (only being beaten in the Wyong 2yo Classic) while Arabian Summer has now won his last two starts after placing in her two previous starts, including a third-place finish in the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes at Flemington.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Ciaron Maher (Spywire): “The plan was to have a trial, a nice gallop and then into the Magic Millions, but with the weather we decided to give him an easy gallop on the synthetic track and this race to bring him up to the mark. You can see he is a fresh horse, so I thought the race seven days out would help him ... especially going to the 1200m as well. I think he will be spot on.”
Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy (Arabian Summer): “She is very professional. We came up by road and it is big trip from Melbourne ... but this filly is so professional, she took it so well. She was very fresh out the back ... which you would expect after she had spent three out of the last eight days in a float ... and I loved the way she relaxed for Harry (Coffey) and exploded late. We knew she had speed but, at the same time she is very versatile. I don’t think it could have worked out any better. Early on we thought, is she just a 1000m horse, but she was very strong at the end of 1100m there and, on the back-up, I really do think she will run the 1200m.”
Jockey Harry Coffey (Arabian Summer): “She did it easily, but it was a bit of a different scenario today. She didn’t jump as brilliantly as normal, so I took a following trail. Actually, that wasn’t the original plan, but I’m happy that we have done that because that holds us in brilliant stead for next week. To see her be able to take a sit and relax and then quicken off that ... I think that is a big tick going into the 1200m next time.”
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BARASSI – A LESSON IN PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
Every horse has got a back story and the Toby and Trent Edmonds trained Barassi is one of patience and perseverance by his trainers and connections. The now five-year-old was having only its second career start but, in one sense, was able to make up for some lost time when taking out the lucrative $250 000 Magic Millions Maiden Plate over 1110m in a stunning 4.50 length victory which, all at the same time, made you wonder what might have been and what possibilities lie ahead. Craig Williams did the honours in the saddle on Barassi, who started at $8.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Toby Edmonds (a little bit lost for words): “Look, we thought this would have been coming years ago, but it is fine that he has been able to do it now. His issues have all been minor things ... but they have been minor things that have taken time. You saw what he could do today. He is a serious horse and it’s quite exciting. He is probably the best horse I have had in a long time.”
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DEFIANT SPIRIT UNDERLINES HIS POTENTIAL
Two wins in his first three starts suggested the Stuart Kendrick trained Defiant Spirit might go on to better things and, in just his seventh start, he cemented that view under replacement rider Robbie Dolan when he proved to be too strong for the opposition in an $85 000 QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1200m, starting at $6.50. Notably, this was his first win beyond 1000m.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Stuart Kendrick: “It was quite a satisfying win. We have always had a big opinion of him, and we were probably a little disappointed last start in Brissy. He didn’t have a lot go his way. From a good gate today Robbie (Dolan) gave him an absolute peach of a ride and it was good to see the horse do that. Ryan (Maloney, who was due to ride Defiant Spirit) knows him well which was a little bit of a concern, because he can be a funny horse ... but he is probably getting better and better this time in. He was very relaxed in the enclosure today, which he hasn’t been the last couple, so I took a lot of positives out of that and, as I say, Robbie did everything perfect.”
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WILLOW ON SONG
Craig Williams rode a treble on the day winning aboard Spywire, Barassi (see relevant segments above) and Junqueira. Junqueira, who won at the corresponding meeting last year in a QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap, is trained by John O’Shea and this time the mare won the $250 000 Magic Millions Rising Stars Three-And-Four -Year-Old Colts, Fillies And Mares Class 4 Plate over 1300m by 1.80 lengths at a starting price of $6.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer John O’Shea (Junqueira): ‘The team have put a lot of work into her to get her to execute ... and when she executes, you can see what she can do. It was just about getting her to relax in the gates ... Tommy Berry has been very helpful ... and we wanted her to get her mind back in the game. As you saw today, when she brings her A-game, she is very effective. We’ll just see how she pulls up, but he plan is to bring the mare back next week.”
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A DOUBLE FOR CLARK
Tim Clark rode a double on the day, saluting in the first race on Deniliquin (see segment above) and aboard Vanquished in the $250 000 Magic Millions Maiden Plate for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Vanquished, who was stepping out to the 1400m for the first time, won by a clearcut 2.80 lengths at a starting price of $5.50. Vanquished was claiming his first win at his sixth attempt.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Co-trainer Adrian Bott: “We always thought he would excel getting out to this sort of trip. We probably sort of put it off a while. When he wasn’t able to pick up a Maiden early in the campaign, we saw this ($250 000) race on the radar. Given a few trips short of his best, if he was able to pick up a Maiden on the way through all well and good, but once gettiing out to his real sort of trip we thought, hopefully, we would see improvement from him. He is going to keep improving off the back of this ... a mile easily. Could even stretch him out to 2000m.”
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A SNOWDEN WINNER – NO SURPRISE THERE
It would be very seldom that Peter and Paul Snowden bring horses to the Gold Coast and don’t go home with a winner ... and they duly got their winner in the last race on the card when Lavish Empire ($6.50), the lessor fancied of their two runners in the race, drove to the line in unstoppable fashion under Joss Parr to claim his third career win in the $250 000 Magic Millions Rising Stars Three-And-Four -Year-Old Colts, Geldings & Entires Class 4 Plate over 1300m.
WINNER FEEDBACK:
Co-trainer Paul Snowden: “It certainly has been a bit beneficial to be up close to the speed today, but this horse is the contrary. He doesn’t have any gate-speed at all. He is in the second half of the field and, unless he has a got a horse to take him up into the field, it can take the shine off and dull his finish. Probably the hardest thing for us was that this is the first time he has been away, but he has slotting in really well up here and had a good couple of days. Josh (Parr) knows him really well and how to get the best out of him. We just wanted to suck up and get the last look. We got the split late ... that’s what we wanted, and that was the telling factor in the end.”
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