Hopefully the Octagonal strain is dominant for Pierro, which had another slugfest in the Hobartville at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. The benefit of a Gai Waterhouse foundation came to the fore in the last round between one of Australia's most valuable thoroughbreds and Rebel Dane, begot from California Dane, which has a $5000 service fee. Jockey Nash Rawiller was so far forward on Pierro in the finish he nearly beat his mount home in what was a third consecutive severe test, following the Caulfield Guineas and Cox Plate. Being by Lonhro, Pierro's grand sire is Octagonal, which absorbed more punishment than Jake La Motta as Darren Beadman dished it out fast and furious like Sugar Ray Robinson. Perhaps Rebel Dane had the benefit of a recent run but, with only four races under his girth, lacked the maturity of Pierro. Rebel Dane went down by a short head after being chopped out at the start. Certainly Pierro was fitter than stablemate Proisir, beaten 2½ lengths. Waterhouse dropped blinkers from Pierro and, considering the narrow margin, their reapplication could help.
Form suspect
Had All Too Hard, withdrawn on Saturday morning because of a temperature, run he would have given the Australian Guineas field at Flemington a hammering. No doubt the Hobartville at Rosehill was stronger, considering the Melbourne mile went to the Jim Conlon-trained Ferlax, fresh from three provincial wins that returned $27,000 in prizemoney. "Despite the higher grading of the Guineas being a group 1 rather than the group 2 grading of the Hobartville, the Sydney race rated two lengths higher than the Melbourne one," Dom Beirne, the Betfair ratings guru, said. ''To look at it another way, had Ferlax raced in Sydney he would have finished third."
Rawiller rap
It's hard to place Nash Rawiller. Winning jockeys, some great, come in all styles and rhythms. A symphony hasn't been seen in the saddle since Peter Cook, as rock'n'roll has replaced the classics. Rawiller is more rap dancer, all arms and legs but very effective. The hoop may have lacked a little match practice at Rosehill on Saturday but Pierro needed all the encouragement he could get, even if a little too enthusiastic for the squeamish. Others felt he was too kind to Red Tracer in the Millie Fox, caught unawares by the late thrust of Risk Aversion. Stewards had no problem with either ride.
Pump and grind
Before the last at Rosehill, Jim Mason, the racecourse diehard, said: "It's amazing how many winners of the last on wet Rosehill tracks come along the inside." Altered Boy, with Jim Cassidy up, fulfilled the prediction. In the 1960s, Mason fell chasing a price in the Canterbury betting ring and the paramedics were called. "Look after that man," said Dave "The Dasher" Segenfield. ''He's got the finest brain in racing". The Dasher didn't volunteer any mouth-to-mouth while waiting for the professionals. Still, Altered Boy had the benefit of Cassidy, still The Man, albeit an old one, who plays the rails better than any.
City raiders
The strength of Goulburn races, called off because of bad weather after three events on Thursday, was emphasised by the winning trainers: Peter Snowden (Zocalos), the Hawkes team (My Question To You) and National Theatre (Gerald Ryan). Among the also-rans were horses trained by Gai Waterhouse, Guy Walter, Clarry Conners and Bart Cummings, making things difficult for country trainers.
The quote
"Anyone who doesn't take their horse to the Magic Millions must have eggs for brains," said Gai Waterhouse after Sweet Idea won Saturday's Silver Slipper after a defeat on the Gold Coast.
One to follow
It's A Dundeel, perhaps lean and weedy but with strong acceleration, surged to the line in the Hobartville at Rosehill on Saturday, indicating group 1 triumphs for the autumn. Wise guys figure the colt would be an ideal type for the Doncaster rather than the longer three-year-olds' majors.
Disappointing
The early interference in
the Silver Slipper featuring "badly crowded" and "badly unbalanced" in the stewards' report. Ric McMahon, rider of second-placed Whiskey Allround, lost an iron and was beaten a neck.
No comments:
Post a Comment