CAUL JULY 17 - PLUNGE HORSE RETURNS THE FAVOUR

By Taron Clarke | Sunday, July 18, 2010

Caulfield, July 17, 2010.
Track – Dead 5. Rail – True.
2YO Handicap - 1000m. Time: 58.39. (Carrying 56.5kg).
1 Breitling; 2 Soul; 3 Mr Cool Cat.

Caulfield trainer Robert Smerdon will turn his attention to better class races for exciting colt Breitling after a tradesman like performance at Caulfield in the Inglis Bonus Handicap.

The medium of an old fashioned plunge at his first racetrack start at Flemington, where the colt was backed in from $10.00 to start at the prohibitive odds of $2.35, Breitling was again a well fancied commodity, but this time punters were rewarded for their persistence with a collect.

Jockey Glen Boss retained the mount and the son of Lohnro went to the barriers as a well-supported favourite. The colt began brilliantly from his awkward draw of thirteen and Boss had no hesitation in sending Breitling forward to be prominent as the field jockeyed for their positions.

Breitling’s brilliant early tactical speed ensured Boss was able to slot in behind the early leader Jugahlation, who had elected to sit one off the fence and in turn allowed the South Australian visitor Bit of a Dude to slide up along the fence for jockey Michael Hoppo.

The other well fancied runner was the Peter Snowden trained Soul who was meeting Breitling one and a half kilograms worse off than in their previous clash where Soul defeated Breitling by a length and three quarters.

Soul began well from his inside draw but jockey Craig Newitt allowed the son of Commands some time to balance up which in turn saw him settle on the back of the speed, but within striking distance of the leaders.

As the field moved down the side of the track approaching the home turn, Glen Boss was able to stalk the two leaders and allow his mount time to ease across their heals to ensure a trouble free run into the straight. It was at the same time that Craig Newitt aboard Soul had elected to move his mount off the fence and track the favourite Breitling rounding the final turn.

Upon straightening up, the two leaders were starting to paddle and once Boss had allowed Breitling to balance up early in the straight he was spotting them a length and a half and his main danger Soul, was a further length astern and being asked for the supreme effort.

Breitling and Boss struck the front 200 metres from home and skipped two lengths in front with Soul being the only possible danger, but over the concluding stages of the race a masterful ride by jockey Glen Boss ensured Breitling had enough up his sleeve to hold off the efforts of Soul by a length and a quarter with the same margin back to Mr Cool Cat in third.

Mr Cool Cat had tracked Soul everywhere in the run with the exception of the home turn, where jockey Nick Hall had elected to rail up and save some ground.

It was the second leg of a winning double for Glen Boss and Robert Smerdon who had won the first race on the card with Only He Knows.

Of the remainder of the field the eye catching effort was the Mark Kavanagh trained Too Deadly, who was ridden by Damien Oliver.

The Street Cry gelding, which is owned in the same interests as last year’s Melbourne Cup victor Shocking, was slow away. Showing no tactical speed at all, Oliver allowed the gelding plenty of time to find his feet at the tail of the field.

Spotting the leaders a handsome start at the top of the straight, the final hundred metres of his race suggests there may be more success for the Lawrence Eales owned Street Cry breed again this spring.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Robert Smerdon: “Being eligible for the Inglis bonus ... it’s a huge incentive, another $100,000 jumps in and there’s no deductions for trainer or jockey at this stage.”

“We went to Flemington thinking he was a bit of a hope, but we knew we had improvement in him.”

“We rate him pretty highly. He ran well first up and we came away thinking the winner must be a pretty fair horse because we had a fair opinion of our bloke, even though we reckon he could improve out of it.

"He’s got good natural ability. He’s got the best nature. Like you saw him today he has fired him out of the gates and as soon as he has dropped his hands he popped in there and he quickens when you ask him.”

“Hopefully is up to the better class. I don’t want to get carried away this time of year. Put it this way ... if he can’t go on to the better races we’re in trouble with some of the ones at home.”

“He is thriving in himself and I would be inclined to take the races that are there in front of you”.

Jockey Glen Boss: “From the first time I galloped him I fell in love with the horse and he has got really good mannerisms. He’s got the mannerisms of a good horse.

"Any good horse I have ridden ... they’ve got that one special thing about them, they soak up the atmosphere and he’s got that.”

“He has still got a lot to learn. He might look like he was really getting down having a go at it, but he is getting to about 80 per cent of where he should be and then he starts to float. Just pure ability gets him along.

"The first and second horses I have no doubt will be competing in group races. I know it’s winter two years olds, but I have no doubt they will be in group races as three year olds.”

“He wants a mile. I was going to ride him cold today and let him really stretch out over the last furlong and I think he would have been too good for them, but obviously Robert really wanted to make sure he was a good thing today so bouncing him and putting him in a spot, which he was able to do, that’s a sign of a real progressive young horse.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Breitling): 3.00 out to 3.30 into start 3.00.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Too Deadly and Godfuhrsaken were both slow to begin.
Soul shifted out on jumping away and hampered My King Oath. Shortly after this, Soul shifted out and made contact with That’s Not It.

Godfuhrsaken over-raced in the early stages. Courgette was obliged to race wide throughout.

In the straight, Jugahlation hung in despite the efforts of its rider. A veterinary examination of Jugahlation revealed no abnormalities.

Near the 100m Too Deadly had to be steadied away from the heels of the tiring Jughalation. Near the 50m, Jugahlation shifted in and tightened the running of My King Oath.

D Dunn reported that Utah Saints over-raced in the early stages.

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