THREE WINNERS IN A HOT SPOT OF FORM FOR VANDYKE
By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 25, 2024
Three winners from five runners during the week from May 19 to May 25 ... that is the result the David Vandyke stable put on the scoreboard in a hot run of form.
Slippin’ Jimmy kicked off that trio of winners by taking out a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM62 Handicap over 1400m at the Sunshine Coast on May 19.
The lightly raced chestnut had saluted in his previous start at Kilcoy, winning there over the 1200m trip, a distance over which he had also landed his first career win back in December 2023, and he took the step up in distance to 1400m (for the first time) in his stride, saluting with a full two length margin in hand over the second placed runner.
Interestingly enough, all three of Slippin’ Jimmy’s career wins (from only six starts) have come on soft going, and he once again clearly relished that racing surface in this latest win.
Sent out at the prohibitive odds of $1.40 ... it was $8-1 bar one ... Slippin’ Jimmy made light work of the 60.5kg burden he carried ... with Ryan Wiggins, who was also in the saddle in the Kilcoy win, guiding him to a simple, uncomplicated victory.
Wiggins sent Slippin’ Jimmy into an immediate lead from the number one barrier ... and that, basically, was that.
The Vandyke trained runner was never headed at any stage of the running with Wiggins asking him to do just enough in the middle stages of the race to keep some enthusiastic rivals behind him.
Approaching the home turn Wiggins still had a handful of horse and, while the other riders got busy to no avail, Wiggins continued to allow Slippin’ Jimmy to cruise along until there was 350m left to run, where he asked Slippin’ Jimmy to extend ... and suddenly his leading margin blew out to just under five lengths coming through the 200m mark.
The runner-up Black Opium did get within two lengths of Slippin’ Jimmy at the line, but the latter already had the race well within his keeping a long way from home.
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It is not often that a David Vandyke trained horse ... with Queensland’s leading jockey Jimmy Orman in the saddle ... gets to salute at double figure odds, but that is exactly what Betterletmedance did in a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM65 Handicap over 1200m at the Ipswich on May 22.
The three-year-old daughter of Better Than Ready had shed her Maiden ticket in her fourth start back in November 2023, and in her six starts subsequent to that leading into this race she had finished second on two occasions, but that didn’t strike enough of a chord with most punters to support her ... although it should be noted that somebody did, with her price shortening from $17 to $13.
In the end, it could not have been a more solid performance from Betterletmedance or a more accomplished ride by Orman, the horse/rider combination both doing their bit to secure the victory.
Talk about doing it at both ends!
Chased up into a forward position by Orman at the break (Betterletmedance jumped from barrier thirteen) the Vandyke trained runner raced in second place, three-quarters-of-a-length back, hard to the outside of Taltarni Fields ((the $4 favourite) ... and she continued to annoy the leader all the way to the home turn, where, on straightening, Orman, crouched low in the saddle, pushed Betterletmedance up to join Taltarni Fields ... and now the race was truly on.
These two runners joined issue in a pulsating, stride for stride battle all the way down the home straight with neither willing to give an inch.
At various times while that battle raged, two other runners, Winsome Star ($6.50) and Adiella ($26) threatened to run on strongly enough from behind to join the party, but neither could get to the leading duo.
That battle for supremacy was finally decided by the narrowest of margins in the last stride when Betterletmedance got the bob in when it mattered most to secure her second career victory, in the most hard-earned of circumstances.
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My Snow Queen was winner number three for the David Vandyke stable for the week.
She saluted in a BM85 Handicap over 1110m at Doomben on May 25.
My Snow Queen was second up here and her previous runner-up finish when resuming did hold positive signs for this run. She was coming back in distance though (from 1200m to 1110m).
The openness of the race was reflected in the betting where Nashira topped the boards at $4.80 with My Snow Queen only on the fifth line of betting at $10 (a shortener from $13).
Zac Lloyd, on a flying visit from Sydney, took the reins aboard My Snow Queen and he put the Vandyke trained runner in a perfect position from the break, making every use of the number two barrier draw to get into second early before settling in fourth place ... being given the run of the race ... when the speed went around him.
The deficit to the leader went out to all of four lengths midrace as Osama ($11) set a lively target up front, but Lloyd remained content to allow My Snow Queen to hold her position at a comfortable gallop.
My Snow Queen made ground in the sweep to the home turn and then cornered four wide, in clear air, now a little under two lengths of Osama, who was soon to be swallowed up.
That’s when Lloyd sent My Snow Queen about her business.
There was no shortage of runners trying to go with her though and the challenge was for Snow Queen to sustain a strong run all the way to the line if she was to claim victory.
At the 200m mark there were five horses spread across the track, vying for the lead ... and, even as Lloyd edged My Snow Queen in front, the favourite Nashira put in a stout finishing effort along the inside to threaten the result ... but My Snow Queen held firm to win by a little over half-a-length to put her second Metropolitan win on the board, coincidentally coming at the same meeting at which she scored her first Metropolitan win back on March 25, 2023.
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