GOLDEEL IS BACK IN BUSINESS

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, February 28, 2024

After a storming start to her in which she won four of her first nine starts (including three-in-row) it had been a long time between drinks for the Tomy and Maddysen Sears trained Goldeel when she triumphed in a Class 5 Handicap over 1640m at Doomben on February 28.

The five-year-old daughter of Dundeel was fourth up since resuming after a seven month break from racing and she was showing positive signs in the runs leading up to this race, finishing fourth (twice) and then third in her last start, just 0,68 lengths behind the winner, before this Doomben assignment.

Angela Jones, who had partnered Goldeel to three of the mare’s four previous wins and who rode Goldeel in her latest third place finish, was in the saddle again here in a race in which the Sears camp also sent out the year younger gelding Red Top, who would start favourite at $2.80 with Goldeel easy to back at $9.

Jones made sure that Goldeel made every use of her number one barrier by bouncing her mount into a clear led at the break.

Jones then elected to give up the lead ... going back to third place and settling a couple of lengths off the $4 second favourite Binding who pushed forward intent on making every post a winning one. At that stage, Red Top raced just worse than midfield, a little over six lengths off the lead.

Jones continued to remain patient in the sweep to the home turn while, Red Top, for his part, was now being urged to improve his position and he duly made up good ground , albeit three wide, in that sweep to the home turn to corner right behind his stable-mate, who Jones had likewise switched out for a run.

At that stage, Goldeel still had a little over two lengths to make up though and Red Top was a length-and-a-half further back ... and now it was the $21 chance Le Heros, who had taken over from Binding, who was setting the target.

Both of the Sears trained runners ran on well enough ... no spectacular acceleration but rather a steady, sustained effort which carried them both into contention.

Goldeel, courtesy of the advantage she had held over Red Top early on, was always leading the Sears stable charge and her challenge turned out to be perfectly timed as she edged past Le Heros with 50m left to run to secure a welcome victory.

Red Top continued to close up ground on the line, but he ran out of time to reel in Le Heros and so he had to settle for third place.

Goldeel is now a five-time winner from twenty starts with $153 300 banked in prize-money.

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