GCST MAY 08 - BEETHOG BOILOVER SPARKS HUGE CELEBRATION

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Monday, May 10, 2010

Gold Coast, May 8, 2010.
Track - Slow 6. Rail - out 0.5m
Gold Coast Guineas (Group 3 - 3yo Plate - Set weights) - 1200m.
Time: 1-10.53. (Carrying 54kg).
1 Beethog; 2 Temple of Boom; 3 Fifteen Carat.

There are celebrations and then there are celebrations.

When you strap a horse for your father and it is absolutely given the cold shoulder by punters who allow it to start at $51 (and the stable put money down at $60) ... and then the horse, who had only won in Class 1 company before, arrives with a flourish late in the running to beat off some heavyweight opposition in a Group 3 event ... then it is really time for a celebration - a big-time celebration!

The photographs (see sequence in full article) are proof that the Kelly clan did not waste the opportunity.

This is Beethog result that we are talking about ... the Les Kelly trained filly who gave her stable the biggest thrill when she landed the Gold Coast Guineas at long odds on Saturday.

The adrenalin rush of being a winner in these circumstances is aptly summed up by the photos which followed the initial celebration of as it headed down the stairs of the grandstand (where a gate-keeper tried in vain to ask the trainer and his team for the badges before they entered the unsaddling enclosure), then it was out across the parade ring before doubling back to the winners’ enclosure where it was, at last, time to take a breath.

Add in the story of the jockey Justin Stanley and the result takes on an even more magical glow.

In December 2005 Stanley suffered career threatening injuries in a race fall, ironically at the same track at which he triumphed at on Saturday.

Stanley’s list of injuries included a fractured skull, a broken jaw in two places, a broken collarbone, a broken right knee and torn ligaments. After that, he did not ride a horse for two years.

Two-and-a-half years later, after making a gradual, measured return to the saddle after a long period of rehabilitation, Stanley was finally cleared to resume riding ... and then he broke his leg while riding work in New Zealand. That was in March 2008. The accident ruled Stanley out of the saddle for another nine months.

It took a bit for Stanley to pick himself up from that, but that latest setback didn’t derail his comeback. It just delayed it.

Trainer Les Kelly has been instrumental in given Stanley his share of opportunities since he has made it back into the saddle and it was therefore entirely fitting that when big race glory finally arrived it was a triumph they could share together.

Beethog landed in the leading line and Stanley was happy to settle in fourth spot early as Paprika, Tierqualo and Stryker cut out the early speed. Beethog was shuffled back to sixth place when Temple Of Boom (along the inside rail) and Phelan Ready (out wide on the track) pushed forward to gain more prominent positions, but the Les Kelly runner was still travelling at a reasonably comfortable gallop.

Paprika and Tierqualo were immediately placed under pressure on straightening by Stryker who loomed large on the outside of the two runners. Phelan Ready was following Stryker into the race. Temple Of Boom was about to run into traffic problems along the inside behind the weakening Paprika and Tierqualo. In anticipation of that his rider Michael Cahill was already looking for a way out.

Behind that Stanley was angling Beethog out for her run. The filly never hesitated as she switched out around heels until she found a position where had an uninterrupted run to the line. She was racing five wide now, outside Phelan Ready.

Paprika folded quickly. Tierqualo fought on briefly, but cried enough when crowded early in the straight. Jockey Jim Cassidy had made an early move on the favourite Stryker and the son of Fastnet Rock held a useful advantage up front with 180m left to run. Temple Of Boom was now in the clear and chasing hard while Phelan Ready remained in contention. Beethog was lined up behind that. She was travelling well, but she still had plenty of work to do.

The complexion of the race changed dramatically over the last 120m and it turned into a real thriller.

Stryker was running out of steam and starting to paddle towards the line. Temple Of Boom was leading the chase behind her, but there were now runners steaming home on all sides in a cavalry charge for the honours.

A couple of strides from the line Temple Of Boom tagged Stryker, but his hard-earned lead was short-lived as he, in turn, was shot down one stride later by the flying Beethog who produced an inch perfect finish.

Temple Of Boom got second. Fifteen Carat, who was another flying at the death. The chestnut had an uncomfortable passage in the straight after coming from well back. He was eating up the ground in the concluding stages but had to settle for third spot. The official margins were a long-head and a half-head. Such was the rush of horseflesh in the pressurised finish that the first six runners home were covered by less than a length.

Beethog returned a local tote win dividend of $77.80.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Les Kelly: “Yes, we can believe it. We had bet on it. We all had something on it at 60-1. We thought it could win. We thought we could have won the Silk Stocking (the race won by Graceful Anna), if we would have got a run in it.

“She’s owned by Greg Ryan and his mate Garry. Greg started her off. He trained her to start with and he did a good job with her. He just said to me ... he said, I’ll send her down to you. You’re a bit more experienced. I said, we’ll see what we can do.

“Well, yeah, she might have only won a Class 1 last time (at the Gold Coast, on slow going over 1200m), but If you look at her form, the only bad run was when she bucked one day. The rest of it is perfect.

“I have always had a big opinion of her. That’s why we put her in these races. She has been running the times these horses have been running and that’s why we put her in and thought she could win it. I said to my son as she came around the corner, she’s bolting. You could see it.

“She just picked them up the last bit, but she’ll be even better over more ground.

“I think she goes to the Glenlogan next. We’ll just play it one by one.”

Jockey Justin Stanley: “It’s good to be here after all those injuries. Yeah, I was always confident I would get back. I thought it would be a long road, but I believed I’d get there. I just said I was going to make a full recovery. It was just going to take a bit of time. I just had to be patient.

“I’ve been back full-time riding since October 2009. I actually had my first ride back in September 2008. I didn’t really have my balance back then though, so I went back to riding a lot of work. Then I went up to Townsville for a few months. Yeah, the first couple of rides I had there they both won, so that was good.

“I just went up there and rode a lot of work. I really struggled with my balance, you know but, as I say, I’ve been back full-time race-riding since October last year.

“Les (Kelly) and I have always had a bit of luck over the years.

“I’ve done a bit of work on the filly. I ride her pretty much in work every day. I’ve had four rides on her now for three wins and a fourth, so yeah, I’d say I’ve got a bit of an affinity with her.

“She jumped really good and I got a forward position early on the fence. They just went that quick that I couldn’t keep up and she drifted back. She was never really travelling in the run, you know. I was sort of only just there and was under a bit of pressure.

“Coming to the 600m had to give her a couple of good slap-ups and it wasn’t really until she got straight and I got her out in the clear and she got balanced that she really knuckled down. The last furlong she was flying and she got home really well. I’m very happy with the run.

“We’ve always had a good opinion of this little filly. I’ve always said to Les that he’d get a good race with her. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.

“Yeah, she can only improve, so we’ll press on to some better races and see what it brings.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Beethog): 41.00 out to 51.00.
Favourite (Stryker) 4.00 steady. Dead-heated for fourth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
On Thursday 6 May 2010, Stewards enquired into a dual engagement involving Jockey Glen Colless being expected to ride Streets Away and Paprika. On that day it was decided Jockey Colless would ride Paprika.

Today Stewards interviewed Jockey Glen Colless in relation to the matters which led to this situation arising. It was established that his manager had accepted the ride for him on Paprika with the proviso he would get back to the Trainer of Paprika if Jockey Colless was required by his stable to ride Streets Away.

Mr Bird failed to carry out this part of the arrangement and as a result Stewards today believed that
Jockey Colless was guilty of negligence in that a breach of AR175(k) could have quite easily occurred. Jockey Colless acknowledged that there had been a breach of the rule committed and in all the circumstances of this case Stewards believed the appropriate penalty was that he be fined
$200.

Spot On Target was a late withdrawal at 3.13 pm by order of the Stewards on veterinary advice. As Spot On Target was 60-1 there were no deductions declared.

Phelan Ready (S Katsidis) and Stryker (J Cassidy) raced wide throughout the event.

Jockey H Bowman (Lochiel) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under AR137(a) for permitting his mount to shift in near the 800m when insufficiently clear of Deer Valley (J Byrne) resulting in Deer Valley being tightened on to the running rail and losing its rightful running.

Jockey Bowman was suspended from riding in races for a period of 8 meetings to commence midnight 15/05/2010 and to expire midnight 27/05/2010.

In the straight Fifteen Carat (B Pengelly) had difficulty obtaining clear running and in the run to the line had to be shifted out to get a run and near the winning post bumped Deer Valley as it found running and went forward.

Jockey M Palmer (Tierqualo) explained that he enjoyed quite a good run in the race but was crowded slightly on the home turn however, after this the horse did not close the race off as he expected it would. He did think that the drop in distance today may not have suited Tierqualo
but generally speaking he thought the run was disappointing.

It was reported that Editave lost its near-fore plate in running.

More articles