LINKY DINK GOES FROM MAIDEN TO GROUP 1 WINNER

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, June 9, 2009

T.J. Smith Plate (Group 1 - 2yo’s) - 1600m. Time: 1-39.95.
Track - Heavy 8. Rail - Out 4m.
1 Linky Dink; 2 Spot On Target; 3 Southport

The Jason Coyle trained Linky Dink, unwanted in the betting as she went into the race as an unplaced Maiden, caused a boil-over in the Group 1, T J Smith at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Not only did the Linky Dink win, she trounced her opposition under a quality ride from Peter Robl, who was riding at his first meeting at Eagle Farm.

One week earlier, on Oaks day at the same venue, Coyle had produced Soiled to win the Listed Sir Edward Williams Handicap, again at double figure odds. The stable also had a winner with Bargaining won at Ipswich on Friday - so it has been a very fruitful week for young trainer and his patron, the powerhouse Patinack Stud Farm operation, headed by Nathan Tinkler.

After Linky Dink had crossed the line, a comfortable two lengths clear of her nearest rival, Jason Coyle emerged from the trainer’s bar area at speed, smiling broadly, running and clapping his hands in a release of joyous emotion. He was hard to pull up as the press contingent tried to slow him down to get his comments. The adrenaline was pumping.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Jason Coyle: “It was outstanding. Pete (Robl) rode her great. The horse has done so well up here. The former runs have been aiming towards the mile, that’s what we got today. She has just been improving steadily. It’s my second Group 1 win since I took over at Patinack. Group 1, 2 year-old miles, I love ‘em. Our two-year-olds are really coming together and I can’t wait until their three-year-old old seasons. I think she will definitely make a nice three-year-old. I’ve always had a huge opinion ... Pete’s always had a huge opinion of her and it’s great to bring him up here to ride her. That will be her done now. She’s going to have a rest. She was either going to race today or next week, the 1500 open at Rosehill. Today worked out well.

“Last week in the Sires we got a little bit too far back. She worked to the line great and came through the race well. You can’t win from back there on a bog track. It was a great ride by Pete. This is my second Group 1 winner of the season. Pete rode the first one as well. I am a bit shaken up. It’s awesome. I love it.”

Jockey Peter Robl: “Yeah, I rode Linky Dink in her first start and I rode her a fair bit this preparation. She’s always been a nice filly. I felt she is she probably going to be a better filly as a three-year-old. It’s good when you can break your Maiden status in a Group 1 race.

“She’s been getting back in her races. The last race was probably a bit disappointing, but, in saying that, she got a long way off them and then probably made up six or seven lengths, so the run wasn’t as bad as it looked on paper. Today there wasn’t a lot of speed in the race so we decided to ride her closer, you know. We said we’d ride her positive. We thought we had nothing to lose on her current form. That way she’s on the bridle up travelling. She’s only got to make a couple of lengths up and we glad that she found those couple of lengths. The best part of her race was probably the last 100m. She got to that other horse and then found another length.

“We were confident that if she raced up to her work prior to coming up to Brisbane that she could win, but equally if she ran a nice third or fourth at this stage of her career we would have been over the moon with that. We’ve always had an opinion of this filly. She’d have been probably one of the top half-a-dozen fillies at home. She’s not the best one, but in six months time she might turn out to be the best one. The Oaks in the Autumn in Sydney is probably her go.

I’ve never ridden in Brisbane before so to get a Group 1 first time out is great. It’s my first time at Eagle Farm and I’ve got a Group winner so the result is right up there with the best of them for me.”

PRICE FLUTUATIONS:
Winner (Linky Dink): 21.00 out to 26.00.
Favourite (Shoot Out): 2.40 out to 2.60. Finished seventh.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
G. Yorke, trainer of One Lickety Split, was fined $1,500 under AR. 140A for negligence in saddling. Mr Yorke had left the lead bag on a rail in the saddling area. This was noted when One Lickety Split was presented for the parade. The horse had to be reweighed and resaddled before proceeding to the start. Sarge In Charge jumped in the air as the start was affected and lost ground. Funtantes jumped away awkwardly and lost ground. Lickety Split and Shoot Out raced wide throughout.

C. Brown (Governance) said that the horse started to pull early on and about the 900m commenced to hang out and after this hung out badly and got beyond his control and in the straight he eased Governance down. Mr Paul Reid, stable foreman for Peter Snowden, trainer of Governance, said that it is now the intention to spell the horse and he gave an assurance that before it runs again it will certainly trial. A post-race veterinary examination failed to reveal any abnormalities other than that it had cast its near fore plate.

D. Griffin (Shoot Out) explained that at no stage of the race did the horse handle today's going and because of this did not run as expected. J. P. Wallace, trainer of Shoot Out, said that the horse had been working well during the week and he was confident it would run well. He said he did notice that Shoot Out was quieter than usual in the parade yard today and after the race he thought that it was possible Shoot Out did not back up. He also felt that the pace of the race did not suit Shoot Out, particularly when Funtantes did not lead as expected. Mr Wallace said that it is now his intention to spell Shoot Out. It was decided today that the explanations tendered by both Mr Wallace and jockey Griffin would be recorded.

L. Cassidy (Funtantes) said that his intention had been to lead but the horse left the gates awkwardly and got much further back than planned and was beaten with 300m to go and in his opinion Funtantes has had enough this preparation.