DOOM MAY 22 - METAL BENDER GRABS GROUP 1 GLORY

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Monday, May 24, 2010

Doomben, May 22, 2010.
Doomben Cup (Group 1 - WFA) - 2020m. Time: 2-02.65. (Carrying 59kg).
Track - Good 3. Rail - Out 2m.
1 Metal Bender; 2 Gold Water; 3 Triple Honour.

Trainer Chris Waller came ... he saw ... and he conquered.

The stable treble (with Stryker, Pressday and Metal Bender) and a first and third place finish in the Group 1 Doomben Cup with Metal Bender and Triple Honour, was the highlight on a day when the visiting trainers flexed their muscles and took away seven of the eight races on the card.

Metal Bender had upstaged the short-priced favourite Rock To Rock in their previous clash to win the Hollindale at the Gold Coast over 1800m. For most pundits, the predicted outcome of Doomben Cup, with the runners now stepping up to 2020m, again came down to a choice between these two runners and that fact was aptly reflected in the betting where Metal Bender claimed favouritism at $3.20, half a point shorter than Rock To Rock who was quoted at $3.70.

Only two other runners, Gold Water and Sir Time Keeper (who were both at $7.50) were quoted under $10.

The followers of Sir Time Keeper knew their fate a long way from home. With jockey Chris Munce unable to hold the strong-headed son of Stravinsky, Sir Time Keeper took off in tearaway fashion and sprinted into a lead which continued to widen in the first half of the race until he had chased as much as six lengths clear by the 1200m mark. It was a pace Sir Time Keeper would be unable to maintain.

The field was well and truly strung out behind that. Gold Water was racing alone in second spot. The mare was travelling at a good speed herself as she raced two-and-a-half lengths ahead of Sir Slick and Metal Bender who held down third and fourth place respectively as the Sir Time Keeper took the field down the back straight. Road To Rock tracked Metal Bender. Triple Honour tracked Road To Rock. The balance raced well back in the second half of the field.

By the 700m mark, the racing order of the front six runners remained unchanged, but Sir Time Keeper’s advantage had now been cut to a mere two lengths ... and even that evaporated in the sweep to the turn as Gold Water wasted little time in moving up right alongside the tiring leader.

Sir Time Keeper wasn’t the only one feeling the pinch. Sir Slick was another to fold early as the pressure came on so that, on straightening, Gold Water held prime position and was going past Sir Time Keeper, who would drop away quickly early in the straight.

Metal Bender was hard on the heels of Gold Water, but was being very hard-ridden by Kerrin McEvoy while Tripe Honour, who was full of running in the capable hands of Larry Cassidy, was chasing into contention after saving ground by hugging the inside running rail. Road To Rock had lost ground approaching the turn. He was in seventh spot, six wide and under pressure. Further back, Pagan Princess ducked back towards the inside and also started to accelerate into contention.

As Gold Water kicked on with meaning under the urgings of Nash Rawiller, Triple Honour was quick to stake his claim along the inside and Metal Bender was still right there but was struggling to build momentum.

These three runners had the race to themselves inside the final 150m as the challenges of Road To Rock and Pagan Princess faltered. Road To Rock had rallied briefly before failing to go on with it while Pagan Princess, as game as her effort was, didn’t have the fire-power to match it with the best of them at the business end of affairs.

So it was that Goldwater drew on all of her substantial reserves to fight off the hard-finishing Triple Honour, who had momentarily looked like he would get past his adversary, but both were swamped late by the charging Metal Bender who, after along grinding chase, managed to find that vital bit extra when it mattered most.

In an absolutely thrilling final few strides Metal Bender did enough to get the decision by a head from Gold Water who, in turn, beat Triple Honour home by a short-half-head.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Chris Waller: “Yeah, he looked in trouble, but obviously the tempo of the race took a bit of speed out of them. I was pleased Doomben’s straight was as long as it is because he needed all of that.

“He was in a lot of trouble at the 600. Maybe the tempo of the race had something to do with that. Obviously at weight-for-age it is hard to be chasing from quite a way out. Fortunately he was still strong on the line. Very good horse.

“Yeah he’s won a Group 1. He can’t do much more than that. I can’t take too much credit. He is a very good horse. I am very fortunate to be training him.

He’s done a good job after having a long lay-off (Metal bender was out of action for close on twelve months before resuming on April 10). Just had the four runs back and to win third-up over 1800 (in the Hollindale at the Gold Coast in his previous start) I thought was a big effort and obviously ... a Group 1 today.

“Having Triple Honour (also trained by Waller) hunting up on the inside was a lot better than having Road To Rock or Gold Water coming up on the inside.

“I thought we were almost home with Triple Honour. He was probably finishing the race off better than the other horse but then just Metal Bender ground away the last bit and came out on top. I’ve got such a soft spot for Triple Honour. He’s probably got me to where I am.

“Metal Bender will probably go to the paddock now and get ready for the spring. With horses like Metal Bender you go away to the paddock happy and you just prepare him in whatever you think he can win.

“I won’t say he will definitely go to the paddock. The original plan was to go to the paddock after today because you don’t get long before you have to be ready for the spring. I don’t think he needs to do much more. I am not sure how much improvement is in him. Obviously got to weigh things up and see what Kerrin says.

“The O’Shea Stakes is a nice race in two weeks time, but I don’t think we need to go there (with Metal Bender) at this stage. Triple Honour is probably slightly different. Even though he has gone within a neck of winning a Group 1 today, I think he is probably a horse we need to win some Group 2 and Group 3 races with.

“There’s no reason he couldn’t run in the O’Shea, but we will just weigh our options up on Monday.

“You just got to see what the times are and see how the geniuses rate Metal Bender and then see where we head in the spring.”

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy: “It’s super, you know. It’s actually a pick-up ride. I was a bit lucky to get it when Hugh Bowman was suspended. It’s a good feel to win on a horse like him. He was a good three-year-old and he is a better older horse now. Full credit to the horse and the team. He was spot on for today.

“I was pretty happy. You know there was a nice pace. It was a good, solid tempo. I had to just keep urging him along into that ... into the top bend at the 800. He was a top three chance on the home turn. He wasn’t travelling fantastic. I had to get stuck into him to wake him up.

“Hughie Bowman (who rode Metal bender in his previous win) did mention that to me. He said, you know, just make certain you’ve got him ready to go. He is not a sort of sit and go horse. So Hughie’s pointers there really put me in good stead today for my first ride on him, so thanks to Hughie as well.

“When I got into the clear Nash’s horse (Gold Water) kicked really well. I was really worried through the 400m when they kicked away. She is pretty hard to get past, but I still had the full length of the straight to chase it down.

“He came at her hard and solid and he powered home the last 100 yards, my horse. He’s a real tough, battling horse and, you know, he travelled good the last bit of the race. It was a good tough effort.

“He’s a Group 1 performer as we all know. It will be interesting to see him back over 2400m and see how he goes there.

Nash Rawiller (rider of the second placed Gold Water): “The leader sort of made it a very genuinely run race. It didn’t sort of concern me too much because I knew I was on very fit horse. She relaxed very well behind it. I just sort of felt that the advantage that I had turning for home I would try and keep and I did that.

“Oh look, I knew I was going to be vulnerable, but in saying that I knew I was on very tough mare that would keep giving me everything she had and that’s what she did.

“It was just the last sort of 50 that she ... you can’t even say she felt the pinch because Triple Honour probably had us beat and she just kept fighting and fighting. Probably just ran into a better horse, you know.”

Being touched off in a tight finish wasn’t the only disappointment for Rawiller. The gun rider received a five meeting suspension for over-use of the whip prior to the 100m mark. (see Stewards Report Extract).

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Metal Bender): 3.00 out to 3.30 in to 3.20.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Doctor Fremantle (D. Dunn) was slow to begin. Vision And Power (J. Cassidy) was tightened for room shortly after the start between Ready To Lift (J. Byrne), which was taken in by Pagan Princess (B. Shinn), and Sir Time Keeper (C. Munce), which shifted out.

N. Rawiller, the rider of Gold Water, pleaded guilty to a charge under AR. 137A(5)(a)(ii) in that he used the whip on that mare on 11 occasions prior to the 100m mark, 7 of which were in consecutive strides.

N. Rawiller's licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of 5 meetings, with the term of suspension to commence at midnight on Saturday, 29 May, and expire at midnight on Sunday, 6 June 2010. When assessing penalty, stewards considered N.Rawiller's poor record in relation to whip breaches and the fact that this breach occurred in a Group 1 event.

Rider D. Dunn explained to stewards that Doctor Fremantle had worked well leading into today's race, however failed to respond to his riding after passing the 600m and in his view was disappointing.

C. Munce reported that he was unable to restrain Sir Time Keeper during the race and as a result it led by a considerable margin in the middle stages. A post-race veterinary examination of Sir Time Keeper failed to reveal any abnormalities.

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