6 horses from the stables were sent out racing this week and there were some high expectations following the new format of horse entries. Definite Gem was the first out, and whilst studying the form line there were pace setters in Unknown Direction and Arctic Memories that could fight for the lead. With this in mind I advised the jockey to sit off the pace and avoid a duel for the lead, helping DG's chance down the stretch. The jump was good and the jock had DG in a great position 3rd on the fence, however a brainsnap by the jockey who later blamed the horse's lack of discipline saw the horse begin a 3 way duel for the lead 3 wide with no cover. You could rip up your tickets there and then as the favourite faded into finish midfield. A phone number has since been deleted from my mobile.Poetic Justice went out next and she displayed an improved effort finishing 2nd although well beaten. Morning After went out in the Grade 2 Fosters Cup over 1200m and hie electric acceleration and pace gave him a comfortable and much deserved post to post win over the likes of All for Dansilver. Peaken on Patrol went out as the 2nd favourite and finished as the bookies suggested but pulled up slightly injured and will have a tlest a month of before the final few weeks. This was his 10th second and has failed to edge over the line regularly this season. Coins followed out the next race and like his stablemate was proppy following the race and will be given a 2 week rest to recover. Thats were the similarities ended as he put together a devastating victory to post his 3rd win but more importantly his first Group 1 by beating Raging Wells by almost 4 lengths over 2500m. A fantastic achievement for the son of Dansilver. The final horse out was the 2y/o filly Scream Day. On inspection of this Group 1 1200m race there appeared to be a hot bunch of 2y/o's going around. Instead of backing her out of the race I thought she could make the step-up in class and match these flying fillies over a distance a lot shorter than she would prefer. Another reason was there appeared to be loads of speed in the race with bro town, Flawless Tower and even Fashoin Tower, all capable of leading, ehich would set up for a backmarker or a horse with greater stamina. When they jumped Bro town and Flawless Tower battled up the front but Bro town got an advantage over the filly from Olmo Dorato and began easing off the speed. Perhaps this gave her just enough at the end to halt a fast finishing Scream Day by a neck. A pleasing display by our filly giving her a 4th career 2nd in 6 starts.Overall a fine week for the stables posting a record of 6-2-3-0 $392,500Overall record 99-20-25-14 $3,865,050
I have a bit of catching up to do for the last 20 weeks without reports.The 4 y/o bunch have been ultra consistent in the past few months. Belta has dug in and performed well above my expectations and may have another year left in her before retirement. Last week after jumping averagely she worked hard to get to the lead and fought off the others courageously in the straight to post her 6th win of her career. Definite Gem has been somewhat of an enigma. If raced properly, i.e. just off the pace, he will unleash at the finish, however his inclination to lead has cost him many races, and after a great Group 1 George Ryder win he was beaten by Fly So High in a match race this week. Miss Bust has been winning consistently lately but it hasn't been devastating. She has cracked the 3 million and remains our stable star. She will press on to the Newmarket to try and recapture her crown and Hong Kong Sprint to make amends of her 3rd there last year. Morning After and Peaken On Patrol are maintaining there consistency without winning. A judgement call on there future will be made soon and there performances may need to improve to warrent a further year of racing, there service at the breeding shed may await these strapping horses. The 3 y/o colts have impressed of late which is a real surprise considering last years record. Ronton Ripper has been performing well in lower class sprint events and has managed to score a few wins this season. He finished a close 2nd in a Group 3 this week going off as a bit of an outside chance. Coins has carried the flag as our first endurance horse, performing very well in races above 2400m. His performance last week over 2800m in the St Leger finishing a close second, has confirmed his long distance capabilities. A crack at the 2 mile races with the big boys may be suitable for this promising youngster. Royal Chef is still to reach any sort of maturity and may have one race at the end of the year before a serious assault at racing next year. He has the lungs and speed to be a classic distance runner but his other attributes may need to be developed.The tough job of evaluating 2y/o performances have given mixed results for the stables. Acceptance, Assailant and Charming Lil have been moved on to help make room for the babies coming through. Housebuster and Muja Monarch both had one shot at racing this year but appeared immature and both will be put back in the barn till next year. Poetic Justice has been applying her trade at sprint events without much success. Her favouritism in a few races show that others see the same class as I do in training, however her inability to put that on display come race day is frustrating. Perhaps more time is required for her to develop and some winning confidence may also help. Scream Day has been the most consistent of the division, not finishing out of the money in any of her starts. She scored a fantastic Group 2 win at 1200m lately and may press on to Group 1 events over increasing distances at the end of the year and into next season, definately one to watch out for. Mardi Gras has shown moments of brilliance mixed with the ordinary. His efforts scoring a win on debut and a close 2nd in Group 3 company have been impressive but mixed in with poor efforts at distances beyond 1100m may restrict him to sprint races this season. Unfortunatly he is able only on the dirt which worsens his chance at getting smaller, easier fields. At the end of the barn is the stable of Wall Street. He is recovering from his injury setback which occured when he placed for in his previous race over 1300m. His future looks promosing and could be a smokey for the classic events next year. He stormed home over 1800m in a big field to finish 4th this year and that effort warrents merit that he may ruffle some feathers in the future.So there you have it, the updates on each horse of this growing stable. The efforts this year have been fantastic, with solid numbers posted by the stables. At the moment the 2009 record is 93-18-22-14 - $3,472,550 Win % = 19.35% Place % = 58.06% OTB % = 72.04%
Well coming into the meet full of excitement the results were a bit of a let down. I was at uni and eager to watch the races so I downloaded the trial hrf and watched them then. Mardi Gras went out in the Dubai Juvenile and faded into a sluggish 17th. Morning After followed out in the Shaheen. He led the pack for most of the race and boxed on gamely for a brave 7th. Unfortunately he found Diabla's challenge a touch too hard. The final Dubai race for the stables was the Goldolphin Mile, where Definite Gem was ready to tackle the small field. From post to post he chased behind Patchers. Unfortunately there was not enough speed on to intimidate the horse from Bowen Lodge who rolled along to a fine win. Definite Gem finished a decent 3rd picking up $100,000 for his troubles.I video called my stable hand back at home to hear that Coins ran 3rd in the Victorian Derby although being beaten by +15 Lengths he still ran decent sectionals. Also Belta ran an admirble 2nd behind Lil Belle and Peaken On Patrol finished fourth to Jewel Mint.Overall without a win, which these days means a dissapointing week, emphasised further by the importance placed upon the Dubai meet. Thats Racing!!A record of 6-0-1-2 $260,000Total 2009 record 32-6-7-7 accruing $1,040,050
