Stipendiary Steward's Report 

Stewards: K Hawea, N Goodwin & B Bateup

 
Race Six: Masterboot (D Walker) prejudiced its chances in the home straight due to its tendencies to lug in.

Race Reports

Albert: 

Well, we were all left scratching our head a little on Thursday. Twiggy had worked well, looked fantastic and Heather felt she was going to go close.

She was very settled before the race and went into the barrier like a lamb. She jumped well, but from her wide barrier Ronald had to either go forward or back. He elected to go back and ended up last. from there she never got into the race and only passed a couple in the home straight. Ronald said he had niggled her the whole way and she just wasn't interested.

This was such a turn around from her last start where she was so impressive racing wide and storming home. It was very reminiscent of her first start where she settled last and never got into the race. She is either very temperamental, (which her dam was) or is a filly that needs to be racing amongst horses, which a good draw would enable her to do, rather than the draw of 20 she got last time.

I will keep you up to date with plans and where we go next, as the Levin Classic consolation is still a possibility.

This may not make nice reading but it is my personal opinion having watched the Trackside video coverage of the race several times.

Thanks to the Ashburton races and racing in New South Wales the coverage of the race was limited to a quick appraisal as the horses went to post, unfortunately she was not included in these, and then shots of a few entering the stalls, by which time she had already taken her position. She looked really well when she appeared briefly walking in front of stalls and looked calm having taken her outside stall position. The coverage after they passed the post was non existent as they switched straight over to NSW (come on Trackside give NZ viewers the product they want...you can always post a message on the screen with "NSW race off" and then show a recording of the race).

Back to the race, she jumped really well when the stalls opened and although drawn wide was just left to drop to the back of the field. The cameras moved down the field and Ronald was still as, he continued in this position through to the 500m (having not moved for 900m!). He began to move his hands and steered her wide of the field as they entered the final turn into the straight, it was at this point that he first pulled his stick (400m). The coverage then focused on the head of the race and we were left waiting for her to appear in the picture, this failed to happen and as they showed horses passing the post she came in just two off the rail, having been at least 8-10 off the rail at the 400m mark.

If they had not switched to NSW we would have been able to see the head on coverage of the race which would have enabled us to see how she reacted to the whip (changing legs, flicking her tail or any other signs that she was temperamental), the other possibility was that she may have been in season. Seeing that she allowed Albert to stroke her before the race, maybe she was !! 

I was amazed that Ronald had said that he had niggled her the whole way as the coverage showed her for the first 900m and it appeared that he never moved, and only moved his hands to push and draw her wide until he used the whip at the 400m. She may have been temperamental on the day, but she was given every opportunity to switch off at the back.

We only have one season as a three year old, and realistically only one or two races before we have to know if we have an Oaks filly. We need answers (as well as decent draw) and personally a "Top Professional" jockey will certainly put her in the race, and tell us more about her. I have had personal experience of using apprentices who get on well with our horses at home, this rarely works on the course with inexperienced horses. Sorry for this rant guys & girls.

Summary: Drawn wide, broke well, dropped back, too much to do, never near, disappointing.