EF MAY 01 - HOW MUCH MY LOVE SCORES SOLID WIN

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Eagle Farm, May 1, 2010.
2MW (last Year) Handicap - 1400m. Time: 1-22.85. (Carrying 53kg).
Track - Good 3. Rail -out 8m.
1 How Much My Love; 2 Femina Fashion; 3 Shuffle The Cash.

Trainer Danny Williams has a more than useful strike-rate when it comes setting up his Queensland campaign and he put another win on the scoreboard when How Much My Love prevailed by a length to beat off Femina Fashion with the favourite Shuffle The Cash, who had come from well off the speed, finishing in third spot.

Jockey Michael Cahill got How Much My Love across inside early and he gave the four-year-old the run of the race. He initially settled How Much My Love in fifth spot. The gelding moved up to fourth saving ground in the sweep to the turn and then quickly moved up into third place on straightening as the early leader Femina Fashion and Little Stranger set the target at the head of affairs.

Femina Fashion and Little Stranger joined issue in a spirited stride for stride battle, but Cahill always had the duelling duo firmly in his sights. He angled How Much My Love out slightly and, when he asked the gelding for a little more, How Much My Love gradually picked up the tempo before beginning to steadily close-up on the leaders.

With 150m left to run, How Much My Love ranged up alongside Femina Fashion and Little Stranger and he was clearly travelling the best of the leading trio. By the 120m mark How Much My Love was in front and although Femina Fashion, who had done a terrific job after jumping from a wide barrier, kept on fighting, How Much My Love was in full control over the concluding stages and he went on the win in comfortable fashion.

It was a big run by Femina Fashion who was rewarded with a runner-up finish. There was no cigar for the main fancy Shuffle The Cash, but his run was enormous considering the task he was set at the top of the straight.

The grey turned for home third last, some eight lengths off the leader and he was initially placed in restricted galloping room by Raincoat. Once he had shrugged off that inconvenience though, Shuffle The Cash really hit his straps and he made up ground rapidly over the final 200m.

Given the circumstances, it was not surprising that the win proved to be a bridge too far, but Shuffle The Cash ensured that he would again be the medium of good support next time when he chased on gamely into third placing finishing a little over a length behind How Much My Love.

Little Stanger weakened late but did enough to claim fourth place.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Danny Williams: “Not looking at running in the Stradbroke at all, not even remotely thinking about it.

“He’s a horse that likes a lot of speed on in his races and there just wasn’t any speed. The horse normally gets back in his races, but he pulled very hard today and I think it took a bit of a toll on him, but he just had a bit too much on them.

“Last year we thought he was a stayer and we have realised that he likes to be kept fresh and in fast-paced races. He surprised me today because there wasn’t a lot of speed in the race. The horse got up and rolled. He is a very good horse, but he generally needs the right surface and the right speed in his races.

“The horse just didn’t quicken in the softer going last time (with finishing fifth over the Kensington track). He got through it, but he is very unsuited in those sort of conditions. He’s a much better horse on top of the ground. He raced a little bit fresh today and it took a little bit of the finish off him, but still he had a little too much on them.

“We are hoping to prepare the horse for the Sir Edward. I think it is a week before the Stradbroke over 1500m and hope that we get a dry track. That’s our aim at this stage.

“Yeah, look, I think he is racing a lot more mature now. When we were here before we were thinking the horse was a mile, mile-and-a-quarter, mile-and-a-half horse and we didn’t have him quite ready for the Derby, but as it turns out the horse can’t get beyond a strong mile. He started in Sydney a couple times and we ran him over 1800 and 2000m and the horse just didn’t get the trip.

“It’s turned out that he is a better horse kept fresh and running over 1400, 1500m where they run along.”

Jockey Michael Cahill (who also rode How Much My Love in three starts during the 2009 Winter Carnival): “I won a race on him, a lower class race at the Sunshine Coast on the cushion track (in May last year). Then we came here (to Eagle Farm) for two runs from wide barriers and he just had to give too much of a start away.

“Today, he travelled good. The horse began well. He landed a bit closer than we expected him to be. I didn’t plan to be that close. Thought he might have got back further. He raced a bit fresh and he raced up reasonably handy and had a good trip.

“I was able to come out from behind the leaders exactly when I wanted too. He was just getting tired near the line, but he had enough in store to win. But he’ll improve a bit on that.

Danny (Williams) thought he might have been a shade fresh, but it was a very good win ... a very good win. If the horse can take some improvement out of it he might be able to race at a higher class.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (How Much My Love): 5.50 in to 4.60 out to 4.80. Equal favourite.
Equal favourite (Shuffle The Cash): 4.60 out to 5.00 in to 4.80. Finished third.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Helideck (J. Byrne) jumped away awkwardly and missed the start. Helideck was then inclined to pull hard shortly after the start and continued to pull hard in the middle stages.

Approaching the 1000m Albert Cadabra (L. Rolls) had to be steadied when it improved on to the heels of Manic Monday (B. El-Issa).

Smart Punch (C. Munce) raced three wide without cover throughout the event. Cocktail Supreme (J. Wood), Helideck and Bitabiff (S. Seamer) all raced wide throughout.

Rounding the home turn Shuffle The Cash (S. Katsidis) shifted out to improve and made contact with Raincoat (M. Speers).

When questioned as to the disappointing performance of Daedalus, B. Stewart stated that the horse, having its first run from a spell today, struggled to show any pace out of the barriers. He added that the horse is better suited when able to lead, however the horse did not seem focused.

Trainer Mrs G. Heinrich stated that the horse has shown in the past to be reluctant to race inside of horses and was of the view the horse races best when able to lead. She added that it is intended that the horse be stepped up in distance. A post-race veterinary examination of Daedalus failed to reveal any abnormalities.

Following the seemingly disappointing run of Smart Punch, connections advised that the horse would be sent for a spell. A post-race veterinary examination of Smart Punch failed to reveal any abnormalities.

Following the running of Race 5, the track was upgraded to Good 3, retrospective to Race 5.

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