This six-race twilight meeting at Ellerslie, with five of the events at Blacktype, saw Australian breds win half the card ominously on a track presented as Dead4 so the times never got too quick. This G3 3yo only 1200m saw King Louis at $13 score in what was his first ever race clockwise. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were fourth (five-off the fence and half a length from the leader), seventh (on the fence and five lengths from the leader), second (three-off the fence and a neck from the leader), tenth (ten-wide (deepest turning in) and three lengths from the leader), eighth (four-off the fence and three lengths from the leader) and fifth (six-off the fence and half a length from the leader). No leader won all day/twilight strangely as a couple of races were very sedate contests but with this track over-watering they never seem to quite get it right regarding manmade track bias. Scientific fact and common sense both tell you moisture does not dissipate clearly as much from the late afternoon and into the evening than does say a midday starting meeting into the afternoon. How this evades only race track people is an ongoing mystery in itself. King Louis is usually an on pacer that rips and tears and does things wrong but today settled back from a tricky gate and the race pace was quick enough early whereby he could not pull as unable to go fast enough to do so. The gelding once angled off the fence early the run home from seventh came through to fifth at the 200m then was second and unleashing at the 100m. He led at the 15m and ended up scoring by a neck in 1:10.27 and record his second win from twelve starts. He had finished third at G2 over 1400m in the Spring when a maiden behind a since G1 2000 Guineas winner, so could always cope in Stakes class. Cyber Attack and the hot favourite Sword Of Osman deadheated for second with the former running on well when fresh up from fifth on settling. The latter at even money worked a bit to lead then controlled the race and looked home and hosed at the 150m still before starting to wobble and run out plus weaken appreciably. The gelding was caught at the 15m and the defeat will have caused further head scratching for his yard and connections. She's A Third was better second up and ran a solid fourth and she is a next upper for sure. Burgundy Belle, unbeaten until today, ran a sound fifth beaten less than two lengths at her first clockwise raceday outing and the stablemate of Sword Of Osman ticked a few more boxes today. Bit Lippy and Princess Amelie plugged on fairly while Maison Roxanne sat outside the leader and weakened with One Kotukustreet stopping to finish a distant last. All in all this was not a G3 strength field at all and Listed grade at best plus some of these are not sprinters only and will cope at the mile. King Louis is a different proposition if able to settle and relax, which at 1200m he can if they go hard early, but that overracing trait can return once he gets back to 1400m up to the mile.
Previous Winners
Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
MELODY BELLE
(NZ)
3F COMMANDS (AUS) - MELEKA BELLE (NZ) IFFRAAJ (GB) |
O P BOSSON | 57.0 | STEPHEN AUTRIDGE | 2 |
|
FERRANDO
(NZ)
3C FAST 'N' FAMOUS (AUS) - RIO NUGGET (NZ) CAPTAIN RIO (GB) |
RYAN ELLIOT | 56.0 | GRAEME & DEBBIE ROGERSON | 3 |
|
NO MORE TEARS
(NZ)
3F DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - OCEAN OF TEARS (NZ) MINARDI (USA) |
M T COLEMAN | 55.0 | STEPHEN MARSH | 5 |
|
PASSING SHOT
(NZ)
3G SWISS ACE (AUS) - DERRYDANE (NZ) DANEHILL (USA) |
O P BOSSON | 56.0 | STEPHEN MCKEE | 1 |
|
BOUNDING
(AUS)
3F LONHRO (AUS) - BELIEVE'N'SUCCEED (AUS) EXCEED AND EXCEL (AUS) |
MARK DU PLESSIS | 57.0 | KEN & BEV KELSO | 9 |
|
SO WOTIF
(NZ)
3G IFFRAAJ (GB) - ELECTRICITY (AUS) GEIGER COUNTER (USA) |
O P BOSSON | 56.0 | RICHARD COLLETT | 7 |
|
BURGUNDY
(NZ)
3C REDOUTE'S CHOICE (AUS) - GRAND ECHEZEAUX (NZ) ZABEEL (NZ) |
M CAMERON | 56.5 | JASON BRIDGMAN | 8 |
|
MAGIC BRIAR
(NZ)
3F THORN PARK (AUS) - ALBERTON MAGIC (NZ) DANSKE (NZ) |
O P BOSSON | 54.0 | KEN & BEV KELSO | 11 |
|
RIO FORTUNE
(AUS)
3G CAPTAIN RIO (GB) - BAHIRA (NZ) VOLKSRAAD (GB) |
V A COLGAN | 56.0 | MARK WALKER | 4 |