EF JUNE 26 - SHAMILLION SHINES IN DRIVING FINISH

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Eagle Farm, June 26, 2010.
Australia Post Stakes (2yo - Listed - Set Weights) - 1400m.
Time: 1-23.5 (Carrying 56kg).
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 5.5m.
1 Shamillion; 2 Benny’s Buttons; 3 Audacious Spirit.

After a quiet spell Barry Baldwin is back on the winning trail. The former Premiership winning trainer had to sweat it out as Shamillion battled his way to a courageous victory over the game Benny’s Buttons in a tough, no quarters asks chase to the line over the final 100m, but the son of Shamardal prevailed to edge out his rival by short-head margin to land the Listed Australia Post Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The majority of the field of sixteen runners were inexperienced two-year-olds trying to fire up their juvenile campaign. Only three of the runners had raced on six or more occasions. Eight, or fifty percent, of the field were still Maidens.

Shamillion was one of those yet to taste success going in to the race. He had only two runs under his belt when he faced the starter here. He was beaten into second place on both occasions by his stable companion Paris Blu, but he had brought the margin of victory down from 3.50 lengths to one length from the first run to the second start when stepping up the distance from 1100m to 1200m.

That indicated fair improvement and the 1400m trip of the Australia Stakes was expected to be even more to Shamillion’s liking where Paris Blu again numbered amongst his opposition.

Not that Shamillion was shown any particular respect in the betting. Shamillion remained easy to back as he drifted from $10 to $13 with the market being dominated by Ardeche who, at $3.10, was nearly half of the price of the second most fancied runner. The Bart Cummings trained Ardeche had a record of one win from two starts.

Shamillion landed in the leading line, but when Hierarchy ($9) and Benny’s Buttons ($12) rallied to cross the field, after jumping from the two extreme outside draws, and D‘Jet ($101) and Ardeche kicked up on the inside of the Baldwin runner, Shamillion found himself camped out three wide in the early part.

Paris Blu ($15) was back in ninth spot early on and he was caught even wider than his stable companion. Paris Blu was held wide to the degree that jockey Bobby El-Issa elected to press forward on her and, once he had made that decision, she did so with gusto, chasing right around her field and into an outright lead ahead of Benny’s Buttons and Hierarchy as the field entered the sweep to the home turn. Jockey Shane Scriven, riding Shamillion, had held onto the hand-brake longer than El-Issa, but it didn’t take him long to follow a similar strategy.

Unable to get in on Shamillion, Scriven likewise put his foot on the accelerator and pressed forward to move into second place, sitting just to the outside and on the heels of his stable-mate, while Benny Buttons continued to sit just off the speed.

There was no throttling back by the leading pair in the approach to the home turn where Paris Blu straightened a length in front of Shamillion. Benny’s Buttons was tracking Shamillion into the race. Hierarchy was sticking to the inside rail while Ardeche, who had switched out wider on the track, was the next closest runner to the leader.

Paris Blu was full of fight in the straight and for a long time it looked like she might hold all challengers at bay. Of the close chasers in the first half of the straight Ardeche was the first to be beaten as she signalled that she was unable to make up the leeway as early as the 200m mark. Hierarchy kicked on gamely enough along the inside, but also didn’t have enough ammunition to keep firing inside the last 120m.

But Shamillion and Benny’s Buttons were two runners that would not go away. The continuous pressure they applied, coupled with the effort involved in Paris Blu’s early commitment, did start to take it’s toll on the leader with 100m left to run as Shamillion and Benny’s Buttons, who had been involved in their own, private, stride-for-stride battle from the 200m mark, ranged up on the outside of Paris Blu, before relieving the filly of the lead.

The final 75m came down to a cut-and-thrust, two-way go between Shamillion and Benny’s Buttons with the former doing enough to get the nod from the judge.

Audacious Spirit, was doing his best work at the line, arrived late to claim third place ahead of Paris Blu, who weakened over the final 50m.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Barry Baldwin: “Yeah, I was getting a bit worried when both of mine over-raced. The other one that ran fourth (Paris Blu), she over-raced. I was getting a bit worried on the home turn when they were going hard.

“It was the only thing Shane (Scriven) could do … to go when he was caught three wide. It was the only thing both of them could do actually. As it turned out this horse has always shown that it wanted 1400m … and Shane was adamant he would run the 1400 … so it turned out pretty good and he can go for a spell now.

“When they can fight like he did, you know, they have a bit of a future. It was good to see them dig in. Of course he was helped by a very good rider.

“They paid $60,000 for him. When ‘Lucky’ Pippos bought him he went to the seller and said, ‘Mate, what was the lowest money you would have took for that horse?’ He said ‘that was it, $60,000’. Lucky said, ‘I got a bargain’. The fourth horse cost $5,000”

Shamillion won $64,000 for his effort here, thus repaying his purchase price in only his third start. In their previous clash Paris Blu had beaten Shamillion home in the Magic Millions National Plate with Baldwin saddling the quinella in the two-year-old feature at the Gold Coast. By winning the $60,000 first prize there Paris Blu recouped twelve times his purchase price in seventy seconds of action. It has been a good two-and-a-half weeks for both runners.

Baldwin: “He’s going for a spell. Then the Magic Millions three-year-old race. He needs a bit of a spell. He has had three starts. He has needed a bit of time and we gelded him. He needs a bit of time, mate. He only got gelded last preparation. He went out and then we brought him back as a gelding.

“He had an accident at the swimming pool that nearly finished him. Thank heavens that turned out okay. He just got caught up in the swimming pool. They actually rectified the swimming pool after he wrecked the fence. So he had a close encounter there. He pulled over the old 38-year-old fence. Lucky it was 38-years-old.

“It was a good story … anyway, I was just happy with the way the horse dug in.

“I think he is going to be fairly good because I don’t think he is at his best yet. He wants a good spell now, so if he stands up and gets over this okay I think might get more yet.”

Jockey Shane Scriven: “Nothing much has gone right for him in three runs. He’s been a … early days I must admit he was a bit of a handful. But that’s him. He has settled right down, he wants to be a racehorse.

“Everything you ask him to do he has been doing a little bit better and a little bit quicker. Today was his acid test. A little bit of pressure on today because now he is really looking for the paddock. He can go out now, have a good spell.

“The 1400m is always what he has been looking for as well. On the track he just about beats whatever you put him down with but he only just beats them. ‘Lucky’ was saying to me before, you know, does he have any sprint about him? He doesn’t do anything quick, but he does it with a lot of heart and a lot of tenacity. This time next year we will be looking at some longer races for sure.

“Mate, it is hard to say what distance will suit right now, you know. A mile is not a problem at all. I feel he will be a good ten furlong horse, but we’ll let him tell us when he comes back. You see the size of him now … give him six months.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Shamillion): 10.00 out to 13.00.
Favourite (Ardeche): 3.50 out to 3.60 in to 3.10. Finished eighth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Master Patrick (G. Colless) and Bride Salama (C. Brown) made contact on jumping away. Cavaliered (S. Katsidis) blundered on jumping away. Paris Blu (B. El-Issa) jumped away awkwardly.

From London (P.Robl) had to be checked at the start when tightened between Startsmeup (J. Byrne) and Audacious Spirit (D. Browne), which shifted out after being bumped by Shamillion (S. Scriven).

Leaving the 1200m Kate’s Message (M. Cahill) had to be checked and was unable to hold its position between From London, which shifted out away from the rails and Master Patrick (G. Colless), which, when inclined to race ungenerously, shifted in slightly. When being straightened Master Patrick then overreacted and shifted out onto Milanesa (D. Dunn) forcing it to be inconvenienced and taken wider.

Near the 1100m Shamillion and D'Jet (J. Bowditch) were crowded for room when Hierarchy (N. Rawiller) shifted in when not quite clear. N. Rawiller the rider of Hierarchy was advised that in future he must provide more clearance than he had done on this occasion.

Near the 1000m Benny’s Buttons (B. Pengelly) shifted in onto Shamillion, which was over-racing, resulting in D'Jet being tightened for room between Shamillion and Ardeche (B. Shinn). B. Pengelly the rider of Benny’s Buttons was advised that in future he must provide more clearance than he had done on this occasion. Audacious Spirit and Cavaliered (S. Katsidis), which were trailing, had to be steadied as a consequence.

Paris Blu (B. El-Issa) raced wide in the early stages until assuming the lead near the 800m. Shamillion raced wide until assuming the position outside the leader near the 700m.

Approaching the 400m Ardeche shifted out around the heels of Benny’s Buttons to improve and in doing so forced D'Jet out onto Startsmeup. In this incident D'Jet was crowded and had to be steadied.

Approaching the finishing line Milanesa (D. Dunn) shifted in when tiring and made contact with the hind quarters of I'llbetricked (App M. Hellyer).

Startsmeup raced wide throughout the event.

When questioned as to the disappointing performance of Ardeche jockey B. Shinn explained that the horse had travelled well throughout the race however, when asked for an effort the horse had not responded as anticipated. B. Shinn added that he felt the horse may have come to the end of its current preparation.

J. Holder reported that he was instructed to ride Tit Tat Tooee from a rearward position and when he restrained the horse to comply with those instructions it threw its head up and lost more ground than he would have liked.

C. Brown reported that Bride Salama, despite his urgings, was reluctant to race inside of other runners.

Hierarchy (N. Rawiller) lost a near fore plate in running.

A post race veterinary examination of Audacious Spirit revealed the colt to be lame in the off-fore leg. Trainer G. Heinrich was advised the she must produce a veterinary certificate of fitness for Audacious Spirit before the horse again races.

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