EF MAY 01 - HONEST TRUTH SNARES FAB FEVOLA

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Eagle Farm, May 1, 2010.
2MW Handicap - 1000m. Time: 0:56.92 (Carrying 54kg).
Track - Dead 4. Rail - out 8m.
1 Honest Truth; 2 Fab Fevola; 3 Decibella.

The John Thompson trained Honest Truth might have come into this race as a only a one-time winner (that win came over 900m on debut at Newcastle), but a more in-depth look into his form shows that the stable thought Honest Truth to be good enough to try a take a massive leap in class as they stepped him straight up to Group 2 company in his second start (when finishing second to Shellscrape in the Roman Consul) before pushing him up to Group 1 company in his third outing (where he finishing unplaced behind Headway in the Coolmore Stud Stakes).

After a three month spell Honest Truth was again thrown in the deep end when he resumed in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes where he finished unplaced behind Group 1 veteran Nicconi. He had another two runs after that first-up effort for a second and an unplaced effort in a Quality and then a Listed race respectively before heading for Queensland, taking a step down in class and getting the chocolates.

Down in class or not, Honest Truth was always going to have to deal with the outright speed of the Bryan Guy trained Fab Fevola, who was always going to make plenty of use of his favourable number two draw. With the speed on, Honest Truth, for his part, would also have little option but to go forward from the wide fifteen draw, so the first 150m would play a vital part in Honest Truth’s challenge.

The race duly went to script in the early part. Fab Fevola flashed out of the gates. He was joined by Power Of George in the lead while jockey Stathi Katsidis was successful in getting Honest Truth to muster enough early speed to cross the balance of the field to take the sit two lengths off the frontrunners.

Fab Fevola got the better of Power Of George early in the straight and he looked to be travelling like a winner. Katsidis shifted Honest Truth out around the weakening Power Of George and the gelding began the chase in earnest, but Fab Fevola continued to kick on and Honest Truth was still two lengths back with 200m left to run.

With both horses racing flat out, the race came down to a straight two-way shootout. Inch by inch, Honest Truth managed to cut back Fab Fevola’s advantage. The question was whether the post would arrive in time to allow Fab Fevola to hold out Honest Truth. In the end Fab Fevola was just two strides away from victory when Honest Truth snared him close to the line, the latter hitting the line hard to earn a hard-fought, short-half-head victory.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Toby Edmonds: “It was a great effort today. He drew wide. Stathi (Katsidis) rode him fantastic and he was just too strong in the last bit.

“He’s been chasing a lot harder company than this most of his life ... or his last five or six starts anyway ... so that stood him in good stead for today’s effort. Big drop back in class. The best part of his work was the last bit too, which was really good you know.

“He’s here for the carnival. There are races for him every fortnight. Not quite sure, but we’ll pick the right one. He ran second in the Fireball over 1100. He’s led up in the Lightning ... I think we can stretch him out to 1200m, but I think he will be better next time too. He had only won one other race - a 900m maiden at Newcastle. This is his second win you know.

“He has good speed and he can sit off them. We’ll go home and he see how he pulls up and decide where we go next. As I said there are races for him every fortnight, so we’ll see.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “From fifteen alley I was always a bit worried. I said to John (Thompson) and Toby (Edmonds), you know, I’ll just sort of be guided by you guys. They said, look he’s really fast, go forward and be real aggressive.

“So that’s what I did and it turned out I could slot in behind them one out, one back. The horse had to do the rest. He relaxed for me after punching out of the gate and then he sprinted for me when I asked him. Hats off to the horse as well.

“Yeah, from the 200 to the 30m mark I thought, oh geez I just can’t quite get past this other horse (Fab Fevola) and on the line I knew he had just done enough. He just stuck his head out and I thought, oh, we’re okay.

“Look, on that initial feel he feels like a dead-set, you know, 1000m, 1100m horse ... a sprinter sort of thing. But his manners during the race probably say otherwise. All he wanted to do was relax and he will do whatever you ask him to do. He’s probably that good you could do anything with him. You could maybe even stretch him out to even a bit further than 1200. Who knows?

“Yeah, I did a little bit of riding for Patinack in Sydney and had a little bit of luck for them. John (Thompson) said to me, would you be keen to do some more riding. I said absolutely. They have a great team of horses. I’m not a stable rider for them or anything like that for them at the moment, but when they offer me a good ride I will take it.

“Chris (Munce) still rides for them. Mick Cahill has been doing a lot of riding for them and Jimmy Byrne and Jason Taylor as well, so everybody has been sharing the rides around. I’ve just been fortunate enough at the moment that I have been getting some good ones of theirs.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Honest Truth): 4.60 out to 5.50.
Favourite (Fab Fevola): 3.00 out to 3.40 in to 3.10. Finished second.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The start of this race was delayed when Starlactic proved difficult to load. Trainer W. Lawson was advised that Starlactic will be required to barrier trial to the satisfaction of the stewards before being permitted to race again.

King Of The Kongo (B. El-Issa), which stood flat-footed losing considerable ground at the start, was declared ineligible to race until such time as the horse passes at least two barrier tests.

Starlactic (J. Wood) jumped away awkwardly. Eleda (D. Browne) and Sequestrate (M. Speers) were both slow to jump.

Decibella (C. Munce) was tightened for room at the start between Power Of George (M. Hellyer), which shifted in, and Shakeva (J. Bowditch).

Near the 400m Decibella shifted out to improve and made contact with Acorns (J. Byrne).

Power Of George (M. Hellyer), which compounded over the final 300m after racing outside the leader, was examined by the veterinary surgeon who reported that the horse had been galloped on on the nearside foreleg.

Trainer W. Lawson reported that Starlactic got its tongue over the bit and advised that he would give consideration to racing the horse without a tongue tie.

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