Ballina (NSW)

Sunday, 20 February 2005 00:00

Weather: Fine
Track: Good (3)
Rail: True

STEWARDS: M P Zarb (Chairman), W S Fanning, D Farrell

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT : Nil

GENERAL: Nil.

LATE RIDING CHANGES :

When S Thurlow was unable to fulfil l his engagements d ue to illness , the following changes were permitted ;

Race 1 Casual Wendy M Dolendo

Race 3 Talking Blue R Spokes

Race 5 Splendid Sequence M Lister

Race 6 Gotta Be Good M Lister

Due to transport difficulties B Stewart was unable to fulfill the following engagements , the following changes were permitted ;

Race 2 Double Bletch A Best

Race 3 Endosado M Lister

Due to injury T Banks was unable to fulfill his riding engagement, the following change w as permitted;

Race 1 The Postmaster L Karklis

RACE 1: Maiden Handicap 1600m

Miss Lifesaver and Carry The Rose were slow to be gin. Shortly after the start Carry The Rose was crowded and lost ground, between Miss Uma tilla and Casual Wendy, both of which shifted ground. In the early stages Dallamon refused to settle and threw its head in the air on a number of occasions. Olympic Time raced wide throughout. Rounding the hometurn Serene Sea was severely checked when crowded by Thanks Be To God, which was tiring and shifting ground and also taken in slightly by Sonafa Star (J Taylor), which shifted in momentarily. As a result Thanks Be To God was also checked and Heavenly Frisco and The Postmaster, which were following were also hamper ed. In the circumstances no direct action was taken, however, J Taylor was advised to use more care in future. When questioned re his ride on Sardan, P G Birney said he wasn’t giv en any explicit instruction, as it was the gelding ’s first start for the trainer and it is breed to run over longer distances. He said Sardan failed to show early speed and was held up behind Olympic Time from the 600 until near the 400, at which stage he was hampered by runners in front which received crowding. He added after switching to the outside, rounding the hometurn his mount made up nice ground in the straight. Trainer G Osborne said he was very happy with the run. He said the gelding’s previous form was ordinary, however, Sardan is responding to h is training and he will be looking for a bigger track and more ground and in his op inion the gelding could have a bright future.

RACE 2: Maiden Handicap 1000m

When Pillows refused to parade to the barriers, the filly was withdrawn and declared a late scratching at 1.47pm. Stewards ordered all money invested on Pillows to be refunded in full, with all other successful wagers to be paid less the following deduction s in the dollar, on the face value of the ticket; win 17 cents, place 15 cents. Trainer M Sims was advised the filly must trial satisfactorily prior to racing again. Little ‘n’ Pretty jumped awkwardly and lost ground. Sanetia was slow to begin. Double Bletch hung out rounding the hometurn.

RACE 3: Class 2 Handicap 1000m

Friendly Conflict was fractious in the barriers, jumped awkwardly and lost ground . D Peisley, rider of the mare, said he was instructed to lead, however, as a result of being slow to begin, he found himself tailing the field. A post race vet examination revealed no abnormalities, other then the mare losing its left fore plate.

RACE 4: Class 5 Handicap 1 000m

Approaching the 750m Bella Bandito was momentarily crowded by Celestial Cyclone (M Traecey) and was steadied. M Traecey was advised to use more care. Near t he 700m Postcard Bandit was carried out slightly by Cosmic Dream, resulting in the gelding becoming awkward on the heels of Forest Chimes and forced to shift wider on the track. Consequently I’m Spartacus, which was racing to the outside of Postcard Bandit, was also forced wider. Near the 150m Postcard Bandit, which was tiring was steadied when crowded between Inside Knowledge , which shifted in slightly and Forest Chimes (App M Chui), which shifted out when placed under pressure. A post race vet examination of Forest Chimes revealed the filly sustained a deep laceration to the superficial tendon o n the left hind due to the incident at the 150m. App Chui, in the presence of his master, T Hardy, was reminded of his responsibility to keep his mounts straight when pulling the whip. When questioned re the apparent disappointing performance of Postcard Bandit, App P Murphy said, the gelding settled in a nice position leading to the 700m, however , when it was forced wider, without cover, Postcard Bandit began to race fiercely. Trainer B Bellamy said the gelding has previously raced well in lower class races when ridden forward, however, since stepping up in grade the gelding’s best runs have been when it was allowed to settle, with cover. Mr Bellamy offered evidence the gelding was supported by the stable.

RACE 5: Class 1 Handicap 1250m

Diamond Time was slow to begin and was then crowded between runners and lost ground. Frisco Royale and Plantago were slow to begin. Near t he 1150m Plantago threw its head in the air when being steadied round the turn. Clang Goes Thebell and Ksar Magic hung ou t from the 600m. Rounding the hometurn Frisco Royale was held up and had to shift wide to improve. Consequently, Lightning Angel, which was racing to the outside of Frisco Royale , was bumped and carried wider on the track. In the straight Diamond Time was unable to obtain a clear run and went to the line without being fully tested.

RACE 6: Open Handicap 1600m

Laminated was slow to begin. Excellent Ann raced wide in the early stages. Shortly after straightening Counter Agent and Rahera both attempted to obtain the same run, which opened between Danefull and Trendy Time , both of which were tiring. Consequently Counter Agent and Rahera bumped, became unbalanced and resulted in both horses losing ground.

RACE 7: Class 3 Handicap 1900m

Rounding the first turn shortly after the winning post, Gold Gysmo hung out , crowding Surfing Joe , which was also incline to hang, and in turn, shifted out onto Going Solo, which became unbalanced and raced very wide round the turn. Shortly after straightening Axial became awkward on the heels of Gold Gysmo, shifted in and bumped Surfing Joe, which became momentarily unbalanced.

SUMMARY

Fines: Nil

Reprimands: Nil.

Suspensions: Nil

Bleeders: Nil

Warnings: Nil

Trials: Race 2 – Pillows pre race manners

Certificates: Nil

Falls/Injuries: Nil

Tactic Changes: Nil

Adjourned Inquiries: Nil